Ordnance Survey to charge schools for datasets

09 April 2010, 10:29am

With the general election in full swing, efficiency savings are the top of the agenda – and education is an area where all parties believe savings can be made.

Yet it seems that while politicians are offering ways for schools to save money – through the use of School Business Managers to save on procurement for example – they are now making them pay for essential classroom resources at the same time.

Yesterday Dr Richard Waite, Managing Director of ESRI (UK) Ltd urged the Ordnance Survey (which is answerable to central Government) to re-consider introducing charges to schools for the use of Ordnance Survey mapping data, which is essential for high quality geography lessons, managing school catchment areas and estates management.

In a presentation to the Geographic Association, Dr Waite said “Under the Ordnance Survey MapPilot trial, local authority funded schools have free access to a range of Ordnance Survey datasets. This trial will close from 14th May and be replaced by a scheme to be run by EDINA, under which schools will each be charged £50 pa for this data access. Last week, the Prime Minister announced that a number of Ordnance Survey datasets will now be made available free of charge, for any use, by anybody.

“On behalf of all schools, I am astonished that the Ordnance Survey is intending to start charging schools for its datasets. How can the Ordnance Survey now be making some datasets available for free to all, whilst at the same time introducing a charge to schools for data sets that were previously free?”.

Dr Waite urged his audience and the Geographical Association to do all they can to lobby the Ordnance Survey to change its mind on introducing these charges: “I fear that many schools will simply give up on Geographic Information and the use of digital maps or choose not to engage with it, if this charge is imposed. But this is precisely the time when we should be encouraging such a take-up, as stated by the Prime Minister when he announced the release of Ordnance Survey data sets for free last week.”

www.esriuk.com

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