Government investment set to deliver new era in geospatial data and services for Great Britain

A new Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA) is set to benefit the public sector, businesses, developers and academia. Throughout the 10-year agreement, Ordnance Survey (OS) will deliver enhanced location information for Great Britain and transform the way users access and work with geospatial data.

 Great Britain is recognised globally as having some of the best location data. From blue lights to streetlights, location data is used every day to support critical infrastructure and services for the public sector. In the private sector, data is relied on by thousands of businesses to deliver insight, underpin decision making, enable products and services, and drive growth.

 Building on this world-leading position, the UK Government, through the Geospatial Commission, has announced that it will make provision to upgrade the Crown’s geospatial assets to unlock significant social, environmental and economic benefit for the British economy.

 Replacing the Public Sector Mapping Agreement from the 1 April 2020, and anticipated to replace the One Scotland Mapping Agreement shortly, the PSGA will deliver the next generation of location data and transform the way people access, share and innovate with geospatial data. It will provide:

 New, richer data for Great Britain’s built and natural environment that will be delivered over the first four years of the agreement, allowing users to undertake better analysis and gain detailed insights to support effective decision making. OS and the Geospatial Commission will be providing more information on the new datasets over the coming months.

 Improved access, and ease of use, to core OS data through modern and accessible delivery methods, including:

• Free unlimited access to OS OpenData for anyone wishing to use the data for personal, or commercial purpose via download or API; and
• Free access to OS premium data, including OS MasterMap, up to a value of £1,000 a month for developing apps, products and services for use by third parties, including the public.
• Free, at the point of use, access for more than 5,000 public sector organisations to premium OS data through a range of online delivery mechanisms to support public services.

New freedoms to share information and to link datasets for third parties through:

• The ability for all public bodies to freely release property extent data that has been created from OS data.
• Delivery of key identifiers including the Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN), Unique Street Reference Number (USRN), and TOIDs with associated geometry under an Open Government Licence, and an updated Identifier policy, which will make linking and analysing location-based information easier.

 Geospatial data is an area of competitive advantage for the UK. The PSGA provides the ability for both government and OS to continue to enhance the Crown geospatial data to not only meet the current needs of the public and private sector, but also to evolve to meet the requirements of emerging technologies. By maintaining the UK’s global competitive advantage in geospatial data it will mean that the UK is also best placed to take advantage of the economic, social and environmental opportunities offered from these emerging technologies and markets.

 Steve Blair, Ordnance Survey CEO, said: "We're looking forward to delivering the new agreement and continuing to put OS data at the centre of decision making across the public and private sector. With this long-term investment, we can make our world-leading geospatial data even easier to access, use and share. It will enable us to capture and manage new levels of data which will support emerging markets, customers and innovation.

 "Across Great Britain OS is helping to deliver value to thousands of customers, and I am looking forward to seeing how they will work with the new data to support their business and service delivery. I will be keeping an especially close eye on how new customers and start-ups innovate with the data to generate real economic value for Great Britain."

 Director of the Geospatial Commission, Thalia Baldwin, said: “The Geospatial Commission was created in 2018 to make sure the UK maximises the opportunity location data presents for society, the economy and the environment.  The new agreement demonstrates our commitment to improve access to Ordnance Survey’s core data to start-ups, businesses and innovators.

 It means that the public and private sector will have improved access to the accurate and detailed mapping data they rely on today to support even more innovative, efficient and effective delivery of public services.”

 For further information visit www.os.uk/psga.