There have been various outdoors reactions to the anti-climactic unveiling of the terms of the freeing up of Ordnance Survey data today, but the most amusing response came from Anquet who've just announced the most expensive map ever...
Anquet...
The Full Monty is priced at £2,500 and comprises OS 1:25k Explorer and 1:50K Landranger mapping covering the whole of Great Britain Its launch, says Anquet, had been timed to coincide with today’s announcement regarding OS data, which was expected to make OS Landranger and OS Explorer map data freely available but in the event failed to deliver either.
Initially the idea was conceived as a promotional giveaway, but has ended up as the world's most expensive product the mapping company has ever released.
Ed Marriage of Anquet explains:
“ We had planned to give away 200 Full Montys, along with our award winning software to walkers, climbers and cyclists to celebrate free OS data. As it turns out we can’t do that because the royalty charges still apply. So now our promotional giveaway has become the most expensive map bundle we’ve ever produced. It’s still a lovely thing to own if you’ve £2,500 sloshing around.”
The company is hopeing the product will appeal to financiers working at the recently nationalised banks, non-domiciliary Lords, footballers and even very wealthy ramblers. You can order at www.anquet.co.uk/OS-Full-Monty-25k-50k.htm
Memory-Map...
Memory-Map has a slightly different slant, emphasising that at least the Great Britain Road Map 1:250,000 and the Great Britain overview 1:1,000,000 map will all be available “free…without restrictions” and is planning to make the relevant maps available for free.
MD Ray Badminton says: “This announcement is good news as we hope to be able to offer the free map data to all our customers as soon as the ‘without restrictions’ terms are confirmed by Ordnance Survey. For example, we expect our ‘Digital Map Shop’ customers to be able to download the free maps direct from our servers within the next few days.
"Our pricing for digital Landranger and Explorer maps will not change but the products will now include access to the newly available free data such as the OS Street View® street level maps for all of Great Britain.”
The Ramblers
Last but not least, the Ramblers accuse the Government of having 'lost its nerve on releasing Landranger and Explorer maps'. The walking organisation gives a diplomatic cautious welcome to the principle, but is 'disappointed that standard walkers maps have been left out of the package'.
Ramblers Everyday Walking Officer, Des de Moor, comments: “While Street View and some of the other free data will be useful and this is a step in the right direction, we’re very disappointed that the government apparently lost its nerve with releasing Landranger and Explorer.
“These maps provide a familiar view of the walking environment for many millions of walkers and making them free for re-use, would have provided the easiest and most effective way to enable keen volunteers to share their walking knowledge with others.
“We know one of the reasons people don’t walk more is that they don’t know good places to walk, and access to mapping is essential in overcoming that barrier. And more people walking more often is something the government agrees is a good thing, helping tackle obesity and even climate change.”
What It Means For You...
'Not much,' comments OM editor, Jon Doran.
