Ordnance Survey consultation response

A List of consultation questions



Introduction: In this response to the Ordnance Survey consultation, Traveline highlights the benefits of up to date information to help construct timetable data and display journey plans to users.

In responding to the questions asked, it is evident that some Traveline services will take advantage of the proposed changes to improve their mapping, others will opt instead to take the cost saving rather than maintain or improve the quality of mapping used.

Some issues important to Traveline are not represented well in the questions such as how up to date the maps will be and whether improved footpath data will be available.

The biggest single issue for all the Traveline community is around derived data and IPR and a clear statement is essential of what falls in and out of this following the use of OS products, be they free or charged.



Question1: What are your views or comments on the policy drivers for this consultation?

Traveline is aware of the initiative called Making Public Data Public to open data government data.

Traveline is a partnership between local authorities and transport operators which gathers data and publishes timetables and journey plans to its many users. It also provides its data to others, including the government's Transport Direct service.

While recognising that end users want free services we are familiar with the issues about how the services are paid for and the need to balance public funding and charges to those who use our data.


Question2: What are your views on how the market for geographic information has evolved recently and is likely to develop over the next 5-10 years?

Maps have always been important to Traveline in the assembling and processing of data and in the call centres to help agents locate people and give accurate directions over the phone. However now that the internet and mobile services are used so much more than the telephone, the presentation of maps to the user are an important part of the delivery of the Traveline service.

We are also expecting that in 5-10 years our data will be used much more in
systems from Third parties including navigation on mobile devices. The current confusion about whether our timetable includes information derived from OS material is an obstacle that Traveline would like to be clarified and resolved.


Question3: What are your views on the appropriate pricing model for Ordnance Survey products and services?

Several Traveline regions have decided to move away from using OS products either to use an alternative provider or to remove mapping from the service. The uncertainties about the OS charges and difficulty clarifying them may have been as much a factor as the actual cost. An appropriate pricing model could address this.

When Traveline started it was assumed that it could use maps from local authorities under the MSA. Most regions planned to do so. Now on the internet only the North West, Yorkshire, Wales and South West regions continue to do so. Others have migrated to GoogleMaps?, Multimap, Navteq or as in West Midlands no longer show a map.


Question4: What are your views and comments on public sector information regulation and policy, and the concepts of public task and good governance as they apply to Ordnance Survey?

The regulations assume the re-use of data which has been collected for a different purpose. Traveline is like OS in that it exists to collect and disseminate information. When funding is under pressure the future of the service is made more secure by being able to generate income from the provision of data.

The definitions of public task in 4:32 all include "creation, maintenance and licencing" of information. Options of defining the "public task" less comprehensively could be considered and could coordinate data from other sources. For instance Traveline partners produce data such as the location of bus stops which have been offered to OpenSteetMap? and could be included in OS maps in a similar way.

A group, similar to the Public Weather Service Customer Group mentioned, could enable the definition of the public task to be varied in response to changing circumstances and perhaps the ability to tailor packages more closely to Traveline's requirements.


Question5: What are your views and comments on the products under consideration for release for free re-use and the rationale for their inclusion?

The Meridian2 data which includes "a full named and attributed road network" will be of interest to Traveline partners who create timetable data.

It is not clear whether Meridian2 will be kept as up to date as Mastermap data. If users dowwngrade to free map data that is less up to date than what they previously used, then this could be a retrograde step.

The proposed Creative Commons-Attribution? 2.0 or successor or equivalent licence is welcomed if it overcomes the current restrictions and uncertainty surrounding the reuse of derived data. However it would be perverse if restrictions on using data derived from OS materials were to become a reason for not upgrading to the better mapping products.

Traveline is keen to improve the local walk route information it provides and recognises the contribution to health of having good data about walk routes. If, as seems likely, public footpath data is not available in a vector form in the free data then this may make it more difficult to improve information about walking.


Question6: How much do you think government should commit to funding the free product set? How might this be achieved?

With public funding constraints it is important that what funding is available is used to enable those activities which other sectors will not provide for.

Google Maps, Multimap and OpenStreetMap? provide free mapping. We would find little benefit from another source of free mapping unless it was more up to date or of better quality.

The Australian and South African models of a tax on the land registration could be extended to the building of new roads and many other infrastructure and it may be the role of the OS to monitor these changes and source the relevant data.

Crowd sourcing is proving increasingly relevant in helping to reduce costs and should be considered too, particularly as satelite photographs and good GPS equipment is now more available. Traveline has released the NaPTAN bus stop data to OpenStreetMap? and is benefitting in some areas from feedback from the OSM community of volunteers.


Question7: What are your views on how free data from Ordnance Survey should be delivered?

An online download centre or API service may improve the ease of downloading maps and help ensure the systems Traveline uses have the latest available information.

Whether the system providers used by Traveline will use the proposed API to change the way they supply maps to user is not known.


Question8: What are your views on the impact Ordnance Survey Free will have on the market?

Traveline may switch to OS free from some non OS map providers. However if those providers use OS free to innovate, Traveline may wish to use the better mapping products they can provide.


Question9: What are your comments on the proposal for a single National Address Register and suggestions for mechanisms to deliver it?

Most Traveline regions economise by restricting the PAF coverage to their own regions. Most enquiries are satisfied and there are diminishing returns in taking PAF data from further afield. A different funding model might encourage them to take a national set of postcodes so they can give a better answer to some enquiries.


Question10: What are your views on the options outlined in this consultation?

What Traveline does under the different options is likely to be dependent upon whether the Meridian 2 Data will be sufficient to meet its needs and leads to a move away from Mastermap which under options 1 and 3 may become more expensive.

If under Option 2 Mastermap becomes available at no extra charge this is likely to be the preferred data.

The "cost reduction and efficiency measures to be undertaken by OS" are not detailed. We consider that greater dialogue with map users and partners might reduce costs and improve the maps by helping faster updating of data changes.

Charging fees from those who make changes to the data is unlikely to affect transport operations but is a principle that Traveline is familiar with in the registration of bus timetables with VOSA.


Question11: For local authorities: What will be the balance of impact of these proposals on your costs and revenues?




Question12: Will these proposals have any impact on race, gender or disability equalities?

Traveline have not identified any direct impact of the changes. However better mapping and innovative interpretation of maps can impact on personal security and overcoming disability.