Al wrote:
>Oh, I'd love to, if I had both OS's budget, staff, databases old and new,
>expertise, and, by the way, website with professional programmers
I sympathise. The 1:50000 Gaz is not the best in the world and the OS would,
I'm sure agree it could be greatly improved. Trouble is, these days, they
concentrate on what makes money. A good gaz from OS would cost us the earth!
And extended meta-data such as historic links to old counties would not be a
real money-spinner for them, I guess. That's why there is a need for the GB
Mapping and GIS "community" to fill the gaps left by the OS. Other mapmakers
don't fill the voids for the same lack of profit.
On the other hand the OS is currently undergoing a massive "listening" phase
and the Digital National Framework has now begat OS MasterMap which in
itself lends nicely to a gazetteer cos it's all object-based and can [and
should] be held in a database. Of course, it costs the earth...but maybe OS
could build an online gaz and put it on their website for free use, as you
suggest. It'd be a start. Come on Vanessa, go for it!
Steve
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