
11 October 2007, 4:44pm
Great Britain's national mapping agency, Ordnance Survey, has appointed Bob Goodrich as its new Director of Information Systems (IS).
Bob, who will lead a team of around 240 people, will have overall responsibility for Ordnance Survey's entire technology infrastructure, including the implementation of a new seamless database management system, a project unique in terms of its scale and complexity.
Bob is moving from his current role as an IS programme director. He originally trained as a cartographer before moving to research and
development, and finally information services. It was there that he was instrumental in the 2001 delivery of OS MasterMap, the largest seamless geospatial database in the world.
Bob says, "I'm very excited about being given this opportunity. I want to ensure Ordnance Survey has a strong and sure technology footing, helping it become more flexible, reliable and robust so that we, our commercial partners and customers can reap the benefits.
"Key to that vision is the implementation of our seamless data management system, which will improve the speed and efficiency of how we
handle and generate our geographic information. With the team and technology we now have in place, I've never been more confident of delivery."
Vanessa Lawrence, Ordnance Survey's Director General and Chief Executive, comments, "This is an important role and we have been through
a very detailed process with a strong field of candidates to get to this point.
"Bob will bring to the role a strong knowledge of Ordnance Survey and its people together with a real understanding of where we need to go with our technology platform."

Each month we select a hot topic and a leading figure in the industry to write about it.HAVE WE REALLY LEARNT THE LESSONS FROM LAST YEAR’S FLOODS?
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Paul Livett
Chairman of GroundSure