Northgate launches ‘Lifeboat’ ......

11 July 2007, 2:20pm

Northgate launches ‘Lifeboat’ to help councils realise benefits of OS MasterMap

Northgate Information Solutions, a leading provider of innovative technology solutions and services, today launches ‘Lifeboat’, a new system designed to help local authorities manage the transition to enhanced data provided by the Ordnance Survey (OS).

From the end of September 2008, OS is withdrawing its Land-Line mapping product to replace it with the intelligent database, OS MasterMap. Yet hundreds of local authority systems that rely on the location information within Land-Line – from transport, environmental health, street-scene to housing – are not yet compatible with the new database.

Northgate has developed ‘Lifeboat’ to support councils to fully realise the benefits of their OS MasterMap investment on an incremental basis. Through converting OS MasterMap data into a format compatible with existing systems, ‘Lifeboat’ will enable:

1. a staged approach to implementation, which allows councils to manage change effectively;

2. a sustained focus on delivering services to citizens through ensuring continuity;

3. a more flexible approach to technology investment through giving councils the space to chose the most appropriate upgrades or replacements where required.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Land & Property at Northgate Public Services, said today:

“OS MasterMap will provide local authorities with a leading digital mapping product, and organisations across the country are keen to realise the benefits. It is essential that councils are able to manage the change efficiently and without adverse impact on the services they deliver to citizens. ‘Lifeboat’ has been developed to provide a cost-effective and incremental approach to implementation, enabling councils to avoid the ‘big bang’ approach that can put additional pressure on both time and resources.”

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