Executive Nick Bolton talks about Ordnance Survey’s transformation into a data-driven organisation, the growing importance of location intelligence, and the challenges that lie ahead.
Ordnance Survey (OS) has been mapping Great Britain for over 230 years, and today we remain the custodians of that national map. Every day our expert teams capture Britain’s changing landscape and features to cm accuracy using planes, drones and boots on the ground – generating 30,000 updates daily which go straight into our digital database.
OS continues to evolve as an organisation and now operates much more as a data company. As part of DSIT, we’re embedded into a wider geospatial community helping shape the future of public sector data, through initiatives like the National Data Library, Digital Marketplace, and government AI capabilities.
Our most recent period of digital transformation started five years ago when we took the opportunity to totally redesign our back office and data because customers were asking for faster and easier access. This led to the launch of the OS National Geographic Database ensuring higher levels of usability, more options for personalisation and richer attribution of data.
Our data provides valuable insights and fosters close collaboration between government and organisations by ensuring a consistent, reliable dataset. It also enables the linking of different datasets to deliver richer insights and more effective outcomes across commercial and public service tasks. Put simply, geospatial data is the glue that makes other data interoperable and helps generate location-based insights that support critical decision making, drive efficiency and strengthen the economy.
There are some companies so locked into us and there are others not benefiting from our data and services. We want to change that. OS data has recently been used by the telecoms sector to address evolving safety requirements and enhance worker protection by informing site visits with detailed information such as building heights, roof configurations and distance to roads and public spaces. Another example is our work with Southern Housing. Our data has been used specifically to help progress its sustainability and biodiversity goals, and maximising the positive difference it makes to society.
Solving challenges associated with climate change is a common thread in why some many organisations use OS data. Did you know that five of the Top 10 Banks and 11 of the Top 20 Insurers use OS data? They use our data to understand the location of assets – a critical factor in risk analysis, especially when assessing threats like flooding or wildfires.
OS has also recently mapped the presence of solar panels across GB and collaborated with our partner Snowflake in developing a demo to map the potential for solar panels. This project, which combines OS and Met Office data is a great example of how geospatial insight can directly support the government’s net zero ambitions.
What are the next challenges on the horizon for Ordnance Survey?
As part of the digital fabric of the nation, we are continually enhancing our data and using new technologies and innovations to supercharge learning. For example using AI and Machine Learning to drive map updates and change detection. We don’t want to just put data out into the world. We want people to use it and have developed the tools and partnerships to help grow the use of our data.
Also looking ahead, OS has recently taken on the operation of the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR), incorporating this into our public task. We are excited to apply our expertise in mapping the country above ground, to the infrastructure below it. With over 4 million km of pipes and cables, NUAR will help reduce roadworks and disruptions, and make excavations safer by providing a single platform for accessing underground data.
Location data is the golden thread that connects everything. That’s why we have an important role to play – it’s about laying down the foundations for the next 100 years for a more data-driven and resilient future. Discover more
