Ordnance Survey shows the way ahead for Location Based Services

National mapping agency releases new Imagery Layer and Integrated Transport NetworkTM Layer to OS MasterMapTM

Ordnance Survey has enhanced its comprehensive digital map of Great Britain, OS MasterMapTM, by releasing Imagery and Integrated Transport NetworkTM layers, a move that will help to shape the future of location based services in Great Britain. The new layers have been launched in response to growing demand from mobile network operators, solution providers and software developers for flexible, high quality, consistent imagery mapping and transport network information throughout Great Britain.

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Marc Hobell, Ordnance Surveys Marketing Manager for the ITN Layer said: This release will complement our pioneering and far reaching digital map of Great Britain, OS MasterMap, which is established as a definitive source of geographic information.

The ITN Layer is designed to provide a flexible, highly accurate and detailed representation of Britains transport infrastructure. The first release comprises of Roads Network and Road Routing Information themes.

The Roads Network theme features 4 million links which interact with the 400 million features of OS MasterMap. Each link represents the precise alignment of every road in Britain and also includes valuable digital information on the type and nature of each stretch of road.

Further value is added to this data with the Road Routing Information (RRI) theme. RRI includes additional information on bridge height and vehicle restrictions, traffic calming, one-way roads and essential information about each junction.

Created from aerial photography, the Imagery Layer will provide a detailed and comprehensive aerial map of Great Britain. All images will be orthorectified - correcting the positional and geometric distortions that arise both through the cameras position relative to points on the ground and through variations in height on the ground surface.

Ordnance Survey partners involved in the evolution of location based services are already developing applications to exploit the potential of the highly detailed ITN data set, as Hobell explained: The accuracy, detail and flexibility of this data set opens up a whole new range of opportunities for location based services. It provides a definitive baseline from which we can work with partners and other players in the value chain to bring tangible service benefits to consumers. With all the layers of OS MasterMaps data, including Imagery, underpinning these solutions, we hope that the ability for the user to zoom in to a level of detail they have not experienced before will prove to be compelling."

Coupled with todays launch, there are a series of enhancements to the OS MasterMap online service. These include new on-screen mapping to make finding and selecting data even easier and clearer information for calling up estimates and ordering.