Ordnance Survey Data Usage Policy
The Problem
The Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency of the United Kingdom and undertakes detailed mapping and data distribution, principally in the UK, but also operating in other countries. As a government agency it is required to meet its operating costs through sales, services and licensing.
Map data are the principal asset of the OS, with the majority of income generated through the sale of digital data. Given the high cost of acquiring and maintaining small scale digital datasets, stringent licensing arrangements are required in order to protect the rights of the OS over their data. For example, an out of court settlement was reached between the OS and Centrica concerning a long-running copyright dispute.
The Journal of Maps is pro-active about the publication of maps, but requires all copyright agreements to be in place in order to publish maps. One major source of digital data for UK academics is the Edina Digimap service, which is a JISC funded national data centre supplying licensed OS data to further and higher education colleges. The editorial to the first issue of JoM outlined how a map submitted (by Lloyd and Greatbatch), peer-reviewed and accepted for publication, could not be published as it breaks the Terms and Conditions of the EDINA Digimap service. Appendix 4 (at the end of the document) states that, for electronic, internet-facing, publication, a maximum area per image of 200cm2 is allowed (~15cm by 15cm; smaller than A5 ISO paper). However this is a best case scenario as the licensing is based upon the source scale of the original data. The larger the scale (i.e. more detailed) the smaller the ground area that can be represented on a map
The license agreement outlined above is highly restrictive. In reality we can only publish material that is no larger than A5 and, in many cases, would be smaller. This is born out by the Lloyd and Greatbatch map (Smith, 2005); using Strategi® data their single largest map "pane" was ~7000km2 yet the physical size was ~200cm2. Although the physical size was fine, the "original scale mapping" rule means that the single largest area on the ground is 1250km2.
Given the restrictive licensing of the OS, it is impractical for us to publish material using OS data and therefore we are currently unable to accept any maps based upon OS data. We are led to believe that the licensing for UKBORDERS is different such that we can publish maps based upon this dataset.
We also believe that these T&Cs cover derived datasets. For example, if you have produed a relief shaded image from an OS DEM, then publication will be restricted in the same way.
If you have any queries concerning this issue please contact the editor. If you are a member of the UK FE or HE community and wish to consult further on this issue, please contact both EDINA and External Research & University Liaison at the Ordnance Survey.
Alternative Data Sources
If you wish to publish a map with us based upon a location in the UK it may be possible to use alternative data sources. The following list is not an endorsement of any individual product, but simply suggestions to allow authors to ascertain if they are able to meet their publication needs. If you have any recommendations, please email the editor.
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission - a global (56šS to 60šN) digital elevation model (DEM) dataset that is available for download from the USGS or GLCF. This is a 90m resolution DEM; it is not directly comparable to Profile® or PanoramaTM but is suitable for regional scale visualisation.
Landmap - a JISC funded project to create a DEM of the UK and Ireland. Produced from ERS tandem InSar data, the DEM is at a resolution of 30m.
Global Land Cover Facility - collection of satellite imagery, including Landsat ETM+, Landsat TM (and mosaics), SRTM and MODIS. High resolution ETM+ panchromatic band data (15m) would be suitable for digitising roads, railways, rivers and urban areas, making it a possible replacement for Strategi® or MeridianTM.
UK Coastal Map - create maps of the UK coast and download copyright free data.
Digital Chart of the World - political and landscape vector files.
OpenStreetMap - open source streetmaps derived from GPS data eventually aiming to cover the whole world.
NASA Geocover - access to Landsat satellite imagery.