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In 'The Guardian' (hard copy, at least) of yesterday, Wednesday 23
November 2005, section 'Epublic' was a report by Michael Cross 'Make
room in your little black book . . .'.  

 

This featured the ongoing controversy about the OS, that has "announced
plans to add millions of new items to its database of 27m properties
around Britain to make it more useful for emergency crews and local
authorities", a proposed NSAI [= National Spatial Address
Infrastructure] to be run (and Crown Copyrighted) by the OS, and the
already existing NLPG [= National Land and Property Gazetteer].  

 

The OS's 'MasterMap' database already holds addresses - but not of the
'Opwas' [= Objects without postal addresses] such as public buildings or
utility installations - and is trying to improve this by adding pub
names, churches, and Welsh-language forms of similar 'aliases'.  The
feature article is colour-illustrated by a public toilet at Portobello
(the one in Edinburgh?).  A situation of avoiding duplication of effort
and money is currently that of 'stalemate'.  

 

Francis Herbert

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