Jo Walsh wrote:
"Aerial imagery is accessible innovation." - I have not really seen this
covered elsewhere - the value of imagery with no restrictions on re-use,
in surveying and software development. A good point.
I am curious why "broadly speaking" you support Option 3, staged and
partial release of critical products now, rather than access to raw data
at largest scale (e.g. MasterMap).
Well, one word, I guess: realpolitik.
From the day-job I know - sadly - how hard it is to get Government
funding for anything that isn't schools, hospitals or the military.
British Waterways has canals that are falling down hillsides and
collapsing into fields right now, and they can't get any extra funding
to repair them. Even when extra funding is forthcoming (which it was in
the case of BW ten years ago), it doesn't last. I wish it weren't the case.
So Option 3 is more sustainable, I think. It involves very little extra
subsidy on DCLG's part and gets us 90% of what we need. The OS
"business" of selling large-scale data to companies that can afford to
pay for it remains intact, so they don't need sustained funding from DCLG.
As you've spotted, if we can squeak in an additional "ask" over and
above their default option, I'd like it to be derivation from aerial
photography. Again, this costs OS next to nothing, so there's very
little reason for DCLG to refuse it. I guess all they'd need to do is
generate a new layer for OpenSpace...!
cheers
Richard
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