Images courtesy of Ordnance Survey.

Ordnance Survey (OS), Great Britain's national mapping agency, has signed an Enterprise Site License agreement with Esri (UK) Ltd. to consolidate its current use of Esri software as a key component of its corporate mapping, data capture, and management solution for maintaining OS MasterMap and related mapping datasets.

This agreement has been formed as a result of an Ordnance Survey project to develop a new geospatial data storage, management, and maintenance infrastructure. The Enterprise Site License provides for the use of many Esri products, including ArcGIS Server, ArcEditor, and ArcSDE, as well as Esri's national mapping agency tools—PLTS, Job Tracking for ArcGIS, and GIS Data ReViewer.

This implementation of Esri software will facilitate the creation of a spatial database storing approximately one-half billion topographic and other features that make up the seamless coverage of Great Britain provided by OS MasterMap. In addition, many existing GIS and associated systems for quality assurance, validation, and job and data management will be developed using Esri software.

Electronic data now makes up approximately 80 percent of Ordnance Survey's annual turnover. Its products help support a vast range of business and public-sector services—everything from supermarkets and fast-food chains to environmental charities and emergency services.

Vanessa Lawrence

Vanessa Lawrence, director general and chief executive at Ordnance Survey, says, "OS MasterMap is a complete reference system for British geographic data, which sets a new standard in mapping information. It is, therefore, critically important that the quality and integrity of this data be maintained within an open and secure environment. The strategic decision to adopt Esri technology, previously taken as part of a European Union public procurement exercise, was for a variety of reasons: the breadth of products being offered and their suitability to provide data management solutions; the fact that Esri is a valued Ordnance Survey partner; and the wide range of additional facilities, such as work flow and job management, that Esri tools offer."

For more information, visit www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk.