Multimap - Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Mapping Available

Multimap - Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Mapping Available

update 26/01/2009 11.36am: from the forum link below- there has just been a reply from Multimap:

"We've worked with OS to get the data which features in the OS OpenSpace API (such as the 1:50k Landranger maps), also published in the Open API. Unfortunately, the 1:25k Explorer maps are not currently available through OpenSpace, so we can't currently make them available in a product such as the Open API. We can however make them available through our commercial API product (Multimap API)."
Julian Skeels, Senior Program, Manager Multimap

Come on Ordnance Survey free up your data! before your sold by the treasury...

“A STRING of state-owned household names including the Met Office, mapmaker Ordnance Survey and the Forestry Commission, are being prepared for sale by the government in the next two years to raise cash for the stretched public purse. ”
source:
James Ashton - The Times (November 23, 2008)


Finally 1:25,000 [Explorer] Mapping is available online for viewing and printing thanks to Multimap (Microsoft cash injection?).

This is the best overall mapping product Ordnance Survey produce for leisure tourism activities in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland).

View map of Malvern, Malvern Wells, Worcestershire, England, WR14 4 on Multimap.com
Get directions to or from Malvern, Malvern Wells, Worcestershire, England, WR14 4

[RSS Readers cannot show the embedded map so please visit http://mapperz.blogspot.com/ to see the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Mapping embedded in the blog - thanks]

Now users can see official public footpaths, more detailed contours, field boundaries etc.

This beats the only other current accessible service from Ordnance Survey 'Get a Map' service hands down.

Available Multimap Open API? No (currently - see comments & update)
Is this available in the MultiMap API? Yes
Possibly, with an experienced developer would be able create a workaround to switch the tiles when the map zoom scale is higher than 16. (this has been done! borderline with ToS)
Though it would be adviseable to wait and see if Multimap updated thier documentation on the Open API
*note the updated red notations (need to be dated) these have been like this for a while now.

Legend
A full legend of all the map symbols and representations
http://leisure.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/leisure/tscontent/products/os/explorer/symbols/25k_English_Legend_March08.pdf

Tile Source Structure.
http://mc2.tiles-cdn.multimap.com/ptiles/map/mi932/16/031313/100323/232.png
(does allow access to the raster png files but not recommended to do direct access to them as likely to be breaking multimap terms and conditions and ordnance survey copyright).

Source and a good question
http://forums.multimap.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=165

Official Blog Post
http://blog.multimap.com/2009/01/21/os-explorer-maps-on-multimapcom/