ESRI UK comment on the Prime Minister’s 22 March

24 March 2010, 9:58am

Dr Richard Waite, Managing Director, ESRI UK has provided a comment on the Prime Minister’s 22 March speech, in reference to his statement about making OS data freely available:

“The vision for making public data more freely available is welcome. However, by announcing the conclusion of a consultation that only closed last week, it appears the Government has disregarded industry submissions and as a result risks damaging the Ordnance Survey and the UK economy, while missing a key opportunity to deliver real change.

We work on a daily basis with a very wide range of public and private sector customers who need large scale Ordnance Survey data in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their organisations. Currently the cost of this data puts it beyond the reach of many organisations, particularly in the private sector. If we are to create real economic value for the UK, it is the availability of large scale datasets, at reasonable prices, that needs to be addressed, rather than releasing mid- and small- scale datasets for free.

We appear to be moving towards a decision to release a selection of mid- and small- scale Ordnance Survey products for free, without due regard being given to the future funding of the Ordnance Survey or whether this will drive real economic growth for the UK. This gives us serious cause for concern.”

www.esriuk.com

Making Public Data Public: a consultation

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