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SpatialNews Press Release
Groundbreaking deal goes from strength to
strength
Academics pass -
milestone on road to
better mapping
A milestone 100,000 maps have been called up on
screen at universities across the country thanks to
a landmark deal between the higher education
sector and Ordnance Survey, Britain's national
mapping agency.
Staff and students are using the online Digimap service to gain
vital digital mapping data for both teaching and research.
Digimap is free at the point of use in each of 49 subscribing
higher education institutions. Many more are expected to sign up
during the new academic year.
The web site - www.edina.ac.uk/digimap - allows users to
download Ordnance Survey map data into suitable application
software on their own desktop. So far, more than 100,000 maps
have been called up, 32,000 data files downloaded and almost
20,000 printing requests made.
The response to Digimap, launched just ten months ago, has
cheered organisers at EDINA, its national datacentre within the
University of Edinburgh.
"We're delighted to see this level of usage of Digimap," says
Hugh Buchanan, User Support Co-ordinator. "Of the 100,000
screen maps and nearly 20,000 printed maps that have been
made, many of them would not have been available to higher
education without Digimap, while the others would have taken
longer to obtain, and used less up-to-date data. Digimap seems
to be helping the academic community to use map data quickly
and effectively."
The Ordnance Survey mapping on offer ranges from large-scale
data showing individual buildings and natural features in close-up
to road atlas-scale data showing cities, towns and major
transport links. It includes the 1:50,000 Scale Gazetteer, the
database containing all 256,000 names shown on the popular
Landranger map series.
The service enables users to gather data by panning and zooming
across an area of interest, and printing A4 size maps at one of
three predefined scales. Progressive updates are planned over
the coming year, widening the range of possible tasks. From next
March users will be able to produce their own maps at whatever
scale they like, combine data from different maps, and print out
at sizes up to A0.
Digimap followed a formal agreement struck between Ordnance
Survey and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)
acting for the higher education funding councils in England,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
"Higher education is creating the innovators, business leaders and
professionals of the future," says Elaine Owen, Ordnance
Survey's Education Sector Products Manager. "Ordnance
Survey is therefore investing in its future through the Digimap
service. We are very pleased with the successful take-up and
use of map data that has been achieved to date. Ordnance
Survey and JISC will continue to work together to develop
Digimap in line with the needs of the higher education
community."
Senior Press Officer - Philip Round
E-mail: pround@ordsvy.gov.uk
Phone: (+44) 023 8079 2635
Press Officer - Paula Good
E-mail: pgood@ordsvy.gov.uk
Phone: (+44) 023 8079 2568
Press Office Assistant - Anne Patrick
E-mail: apatrick@ordsvy.gov.uk
Phone: (+44) 023 8079 2251
Press Office fax: (+44) 023 8079 2031
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