Office of Public Sector Information

Posted by: Bill Chadwick

Public Sector Information Holder: Ordnance Survey

Information Asset: Open DRM for OS Map Data Consumers

The problem

Currently consumers are unable to buy digital mapping from one OS reseller (e.g. Anquet, MemoryMap, SatMap, Garmin ...) and reuse it with another vendor's software. This is unfair as the map data is expensive and may well have usefulness that outlives the software and computing platform used to display it. This is a situation not unlike that of CDs within the music industry.

My ideal solution

The OS licensing model should enable consumer digital mapping data (1:50k, 1:25k raster + terrain data) to be moved by consumers, amongst computing platforms and storage media that they own and be displayed using any software of their choosing - even that of their own writing.

What I would do

Write and perhaps sell map display software.