J
Well its very early here so i'll give the simple reply..try here for info:
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/aboutus/whoweare/
OS started as a government funded surveying organisation...ooh way
back.....well before my time ;-) , through politics and perceived wisdom OS was
eventually made into a government agency (ie told to make money by a well known
female prime minister), and now has special trading status (go and make more
money and we'll let you be in charge of (some) of it)...
Other companies in the uk sell topographic maps, other companies in the uk sell
dtm data, other companies in the uk actually perform detailed road and building
survey, so there isnt a 'monopoly' as such ... but yes the OS are big hefty
players and they protect their rights as any agency are required to do by their
governors (all agencies in UK are required to protect uk interests and that
includes assests like maps and data)......break OS up.?...hmm not sure thats a
good route to go...but then i work for a pseudo gov department with a strong
grasp of its market share too so maybe i'm biased. OS strength is that it can
fund and deploy detailed (VERY detailed) mapping consistently and nationally
at a range of scales...the easy stuff gets picked off by the small rival
companies and the compete very well in these areas...but when i'm lost on a
mountain (ok a big hill....we dont have 'mountains' in my patch of the UK) I
like having the detailed map to get home and i fear that your market forces
would leave me with just a map showing freeways (toll roads now) and McDonalds
outlets...at 1:billion scale.)....As for the argument that public purse funding
should = freebie data for all....thats a really old chestnut that doesnt add
up... people in 'Agencies' work in the public interest ....its a choice
thing...you want to earn more pay..go join a rival, and yep many staff still
think some things should be done 'for free'or at cost (many things are!, even
at the OS), but maintenance of public archives of data (topo, geology, census-
whatever) isnt cheap and 'privatisation' has a chequered history in terms of
asset stripping and asset loss..the only route open to the agencies is to try
and maintain a critical mass and maintain the archives by making 'money'
(actually ,uk agencies cannot make a profit..they are not allowed to under
government rules (special trading status allows for management of funds which
includes things like carrying funds over from one year to the next etc)...so
for most agencies its a matter of balancing books and spending on assets 'for
the nation' no bmws for directors, no shareholders..and come 31st of march
each year you had better have balanced books or else!..So as soon as a core
business is sold off/broken up, the private sector dumps the tricky niche work
and it doesnt get done, or becomes so expensive that only a few can
benefit.....not good in my books...ok ok its different in the states you have
oodles of cash......
anyway heres my hide-saving caveat...these views are my own, and do represent
those of my employer...
and Clifford .... its a great place to visit and indeed live.....its getting
harder though.....the uk is as global as everywhere else (ie getting spoilt by
the secong and looking like everywhere else) and finding the tranqil places
needs ne of those cheap OS maps.....so if you are going to visit do it sooner
not later....
sorry Bill ....you will have to wait till monday for uk-lister's OS fireworks
.....everyone's gone home to savour the last of the UK summer ;-)
regards from the uk
Russell
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Sat 25/06/2005 09:13
To: [email protected]
Cc:
Subject: MI-L What is Ordnance Survey?
For UK listers, does anyone know what exactly Ordnance Survey is? Are
they a private organisation or a government organisation. I can't work it out.
I keep hearing that they are the national mapping agency but they act like a
private company. They seem to have a complete monopoly on GIS data in the UK
and use unbelievable tactics to preserve that monopoly. If they are the
national mapping agency then shouldn't they be a public service. If not,
shouldn't they be broken up like any other public monopoly that has gone
private?
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