Goal 1
Promote innovation for economic benefit and social engagement
Supporting Government’s objectives to make data more accessible and to encourage innovation by individuals and commercial companies, Ordnance Survey will promote the innovative use of geographic information and its potential application.
Ordnance Survey will provide support to all of its users in their use of geographic information so that they in turn can support their customers and the wider public.
Key components of this goal are:
An extended OS OpenSpace service
This will provide additional data and usage rights to support the creation of any new publicly accessible application. It will provide greater access to free use of a number of Ordnance Survey products from 1:10,000 scale through to 1:1 million scale. It will also include official boundaries information.
This service will benefit individual developers and organisations such as commercial companies, local community groups, national special interest groups and smaller charities that will be able to develop applications as long as there is no direct commercial gain from the specific application itself. Advertising and sponsorship alongside the application will be encouraged.
There will be limits within the system to ensure that the new OS OpenSpace service has a minimal impact on existing commercial users of the data but these limits will be applied in a more collaborative way.
An upgrade path from innovation through to commercial services
Through the creation of an innovation ladder Ordnance Survey will provide a clear path for those that wish to progress their ideas from early-stage right through to commercial development. The existing developer programme will be opened up to a wider developer community and financial entry barriers will be significantly reduced.
Removing minimum royalty charges for partner licenses
For organisations licensing data as value-added resellers – new or existing - there will be NO minimum royalty for the first year and a minimum royalty of only £1,000 per year thereafter. Where Ordnance Survey is providing a national dataset of its most valuable data (OS MasterMap Topography Layer) the minimum royalty of £1,000 will apply from year one in order to cover the additional costs of supplying that data.
Develop the Ordnance Survey Innovation Network
Ordnance Survey wishes to create a friendly on-line community of commercial and non-commercial developers, partners and resellers who can share ideas about innovative uses of Ordnance Survey data and other data. The network will help individuals as well as small and large organisations to develop ideas, deliver projects and even commercialise their ideas, through making connections with other network members who can help them with the development of technology, services, products or seed financial funding.
Comments and views on the implementation of this goal and how it might be improved to encourage innovation further are welcomed.
To promote innovation you’re going to have to open up the derived data rules. It’s ludicrous that other people’s data, such as cycle routes from charities, administrative boundaries from the boundaries commissions, or recycling facilities from a council, can’t be published without restrictions just because they’re defined in reference to an OS map.
Inviting comments on OS’ business strategy is welcome. It would be even more welcome to invite comments on all issues rather than the four which are accessible.
The Operational Efficiency Review states that the OS proposals are “a significant and ambitious programme of change.” From the information so far provided it is difficult to be sure that this will be the result.
Since becoming a Trading Fund many years ago OS has been a public sector body operating commercially in the private sector but with some specific (potential) “public good” duties. What is referred to as a new commercial strategy is not, in reality, a significant change to the existing strategy.
This should be of concern. The past 10 years have shown that the current business model has flaws and needs to change. OS needs a business model which is straightforward so that it can either serve the private sector or develop sustainably alongside it. The constant friction with the private sector and many of its important customers must cease.
The “new” strategy is still not straightforward – and nor are the possible new licensing arrangements. The introduction of a new commercial arm in reality creates two separate commercial arms adding to potential confusion. In other words it would seem the friction will probably continue.
The proposals reverse many recommendations from previous independent reviews. Because this is an important step for OS (and potentially other PSI Holders), it is essential that the Shareholder Executive report is published so that the rationale can be properly understood. Already some of the public justifications for the proposals have been questioned.
OS argues that its strategy focuses on stimulating innovation. It does not promise to ensure fair competition in the market-place and yet it is this is which stimulates innovation. Entrepreneurs want to understand the risks they are taking. Having a price for input data that varies substantively according to commercial success is unattractive. Revealing usage plans is likewise unappealing, especially to a data supplier which has been accused of plagiarism in the past. It also seems that OS is still not intending to allow access to competitors to all of its data but only some of it.
The new terms on OpenSpace are very welcome. Are you considering making 1:25k raster available?
Thanks for your question. I’m afraid at this stage we can’t say specifically in relation to 1:25k but we are considering adding new datasets to the service in the second half of the year.
I welcome the opportunity to comment on this change of strategy from the OS. The devil in all this (and for all the goals) will come in the detail that gets rolled out in the coming year. I hope that consultation comments are able to shape some of this,
Currently I am concerned that in this goal there is little here that is new, or can provide a measurable benefit to government, business, third sector and/or citizen. Currently the OS seems to have a remit to be all things to all people. It would be simpler (and more achievable and fairer on the OS themselves) if there were clearer strategic objectives as either a government department (i.e, outside the market place) or a private company (i.e. in the market place). At least then we know where we are starting from.
A great goal to have, however the scope could be broadened to economic and environmental benefit and social engagement. The challenges faced by society include climate change and sustainable development. By promoting innovation for economic and environmental benefit as well as social engagement, people will be able to better discover the natural world, engaging with Ordnance Survey data to help decision-making for our environment as well as our economy.
The extended OpenSpace service should seek to benefit any charity not just the smaller ones. Having limits within the system will act as an unnecessary barrier to innovation. If use of the system is non commercial, then no limits should be applied. This makes it simpler to operate and understand, and removes barriers to use particularly for the voluntary sector or anyone operating non-commercially. The key to innovation is freedom to explore and operate without unnecessary limitation. A limit on the number of hits would directly restrict the aspirations for any application, reducing the business case for its development. If a charity wished to develop an application which is useful and popular, it may not be possible within OpenSpace because of these limits. It would be better for the charity to demonstrate that the development of a new application would not have a significant impact on commercial use of data rather than to be concerned by the number of hits.
There could be a grant system available to promote innovation in the voluntary sector – alongside reduction of any financial barriers for commercial use.
Currently the partner network does not fit the voluntary sector. Significant charges still apply such that only the larger charities can enjoy partner status. A special type of Partner or Associate is needed to help the voluntary sector participate. The voluntary sector provides crucial support to the public sector and access to Ordnance Survey data is just as crucial for the voluntary sector as the public sector.
Perhaps users or partners should be categorised by whether they are “social engagement”, “economic benefit” or “environmental benefit” so that charges can be assigned separately with reduced or no charges for social engagement or environmental benefit.
Development of the OS Innovation Network is a great idea and should seek to encourage users as well as developers, partners and resellers. We need to enable the voluntary sector to participate too.
This is a comment for Goal 4. Could the increased efficiency drive seek to curtail CO2 emissions and to achieve better business outcomes per tonne of CO2 emitted by Ordnance Survey in pursuit of its business strategy? With this angle on CO2, and an aim to drive down CO2 emissions by say 3% per annum, this will help the UK to meet emissions targets and will enable Ordnance Survey to play its part in creating and supporting a sustainable Britain.