When a business as connected to data and as longstanding as Ordnance Survey (OS), the national mapping service, develops a new way of users accessing data, it not only improves time and effort but allows for whole new ways of operating. In the last part of 2022, OS unveiled OS Select+Build and new OS NGD APIs, the latest in tailor-made data selection for its users – from government departments to SMEs.
As an organisation that is focused on publishing highly authoritative and accurate data – with 20,000 updates to the core database every day – OS had to evolve an existing legacy business model into something that could cater to the needs of modern users whilst remaining true to its cause.
DataIQ sat down with Jessica Gaskell, PSGA investment lead and Dean Paulley, strategic product manager at OS to find out how this new development in data access and usage came about, and what it will mean for the future of OS data.
Data redesigns and customer needs
Historically, when accessing data from OS, customers had to select from pre-designed packages and then sift through what they did not need. “We have taken the opportunity to totally redesign our data and put that into what we know as the National Geographic Database (NGD),” said Paulley. “We have then given our customers direct access to that database.” The approach was two-fold: not only did it enhance and improve the data offering for customers, but it ensured the access was as simple and secure as possible. “With this new approach and the OS Select+Build system, we are giving customers the ability to pick and choose what they want,” said Paulley.
New application programming interfaces (APIs) mean customers can easily access the database and search for the information they need. Prior to this, OS provided data in packages which meant customers were accessing information that was not wholly relevant to their specific use case and would therefore have to be filtered out. Now, the new system means customers can identify and access only the information they need to achieve their goals.
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