Open Flood Mapping - OSM Maps Update First

Open Flood Mapping - OSM Maps Update First

Yes the OpenStreetMap'ers have been on the ball and with on the ground surveys and have updated the Bridges (collapsed or to be demolished).
Now this sounds a cruel but in reality shows the raw power of 'crowdsourced' mapping.


OpenStreetMap Updates [source] have come online within days of the bridge collapse.
Yes there was a fatality more here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Cumbria_and_southwest_Scotland_floods

Now all we require is Flood Mapping Areas from Environment Agency (EA) overlay [available in April 2010?] on the map to show potential flooding on Ordnance Survey (OS) Maps.
Then the analysis of Met Office data [available in raw format in April 2010?]
Then the OFS [Open Flood Map] can provide real-time flood alerts and help communities likely to be affected.

Required from Government sources
1 in 1000 year flood polygons (EA)
1 in 100 year flood polygons (EA)
1 in 50 year flood polygons (EA)
1 in 10 year flood polygons (EA)
1:10,000 vector/raster mapping (OS)
Raw live-feeds MetOffice (geo-xml/json please)

[available April from 2010?]

Now that's a potentially risk-saving mashup of data.

Background on Bridges and Travel Distruption

Fully closed and Collasped bridges.

Collapsed Bridges: 1. Northside Bridge, Workington 2. Navvies Footbridge, Workington 3. Camerton Footbridge, Camerton 4. Memorial Gardens footbridge, Cockermouth 5. Low Lorton Bridge 6. Little Braithwaite Bridge 7. Camerton Church Bridge, Camerton

Closed bridges: 8. Calva Bridge, Workington 9. Goat Bridge, Cockermouth 10.Holmrook Bridge, Holmrook 11. Ouse Bridge, north of Dubwath 12. Isel Bridge, near Cockermouth 13. Cocker Bridge, Cockermouth 14. Southwaite Bridge 15. Broughton Bridge 16. Bridge End, Egremont 17. Spark Bridge 18. Backbarrow Bridge (off A590) 19. Bouthrey Bridge, Water Yeat 20. Station Road Bridge, Keswick 21. Scarness Bridge, Keswick 22. Scale Hill Bridge, Scale Hill 23. Greta Bridge, Keswick 24. Wath Bridge, Cleator Moor

Source: Cumbria County Council, 24 November via BBC News

latest travel news
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/travel/roads.shtml

Flood Recovery Appeal
http://www.cumbriafoundation.org/

Note - Ireland has also had huge problems with flooding over the past week.
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/emergency-flood-fund-to-little-says-opposition-435667.html
And more rain forecast doesn't look good.

Ordnance Survey Maps to go FREE Online

Ordnance Survey Maps [and Data] to go FREE Online by April 2010.

updated: 18th November 2009.

News coverage on this story

Ed Parsons (former CTO at OS now Geospatial Technologist at Google)
http://www.edparsons.com/2009/11/now-why-was-that-so-difficult/

BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8366190.stm

Number10
http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page21343
The Times
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6920761.ece
TechRadar
http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/ordnance-survey-maps-now-free-online-652001
eGov
http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/30951
PublicNet
http://www.publicnet.co.uk/news/2009/11/18/plan-to-make-os-data-available-to-improve-public-services/


Groundbreaking News this is amazing turn-around for UK Government Geo-Spatial Datasets.



Thanks to Sir Tim Berners-Lee (& inventing the World Wide Web)

"The government is to explore ways of making all Ordnance Survey maps freely available online from April"

Today's announcement will be followed by a speech, due next week by the chief secretary to the Treasury, Liam Byrne, explaining how the freeing up of data, alongside the scaling back of other functions of central government, could lead to a "smarter state".


1:10,000 Raster Maps might be available for all in April 2010....
image source for illustration only.
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/images/userImages/misc/products/10kraster/map-image-10k-lrg.gif

This is likely to include Flood Mapping Data, 1:10,000 data [Vector & Raster Datasets], Highways Agency Traffic Data and much more.
reports are conflicting whether 1:25,000 data will be freed (to be confirmed)
"sets of public data currently not freely available include wills dating back to 1858, house values recorded in the Land Registry, maps, and flood-risk data for individual homes"

***More important is vector data as users can create thier own maps/styles with it.
Will be interesting to know the re-licencing of these products and deriving from such sources conflicts with crown copyright.

The online maps would be free to all, including commercial users who, previously, had to acquire expensive and restrictive licences at £5,000 per usage, a fee many entrepreneurs felt was too high.

Noted on the Guardian:
Today the union representing staff at the OS stated that Brown's pledge was in "complete contradiction with the OS's own plans to explore commercial opportunities and find new ways of raising revenue".
Read more
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/nov/17/ordnance-survey-maps-online
(and thanks for running the Free Our Data Campaign over the years)

Northern Ireland Flood Maps [Now Available]

Northern Ireland Flood Maps [Now Available]



Flood Maps for Northern Ireland have now been released and available online


Historical Data is available

Searching by Postal Address is made easy:

"The Strategic Flood Map (NI) - Rivers & Sea has been developed by Rivers Agency in co-operation with the Department of the Environment (DOE). The primary aim of the Strategic Flood Map is to provide an illustration of the areas throughout Northern Ireland that are estimated to be at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea."

"Rivers Agency has made all reasonable efforts to ensure that the Strategic Flood Map (NI) is of a quality and reliability consistent with its purpose. However, there is no guarantee that the information contained within the Strategic Flood Map (NI) is accurate, complete or up to date and therefore the responsibility rests with the user to undertake appropriate validation."

The slippy Maps look good, the interactive legend works well.

"Rivers Agency will not be responsible if the information contained in the Strategic Flood Map (NI) is misinterpreted or misused and therefore users must satisfy themselves that the map is suitable for their intended purpose. In no event shall Rivers Agency, under any cause of actions of any kind, arising out of or related to the use of the Strategic Flood Map (NI) be liable for any loss of profits or direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or other loss suffered by the user."


Note on all images on this post:
"All intellectual property rights within the flood map and within this website generally are owned by Rivers Agency or its licensors and are subject to Crown Copyright."

"You may make use of the information contained within the Strategic Flood Map (NI) provided that it is not for any commercial, business, professional or other income generating activity and provided that the usage is not detrimental to Rivers Agency, its activities or the environment. Please contact us if you need permission for any other use." Provided that you comply with the aforementioned restrictions you may take up to 50 copies of the Strategic Flood Map for use by yourself (for non-commercial and internal use) by printing out the page you are viewing. PDF link

Full Users Guide [PDF Format]
http://www.riversagencyni.gov.uk/user_guide-strategic_flood_map__ni.pdf

Maps Slow? - This is due to the High Demand and Limited Bandwidth - if slow try in a couple days

Note: Mapperz was given permission to use the above images - please seek permission if you want to post/blog or email them.

Thanks to dardni for making this post possible.
http://www.dardni.gov.uk/

East Coast England Flood Map

East Coast England Flood Map


Source: BBC News/Environment Agency/Science Media Centre


Flood warnings are in place in Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England, as a tidal surge builds in the North Sea.


Why is this happening?


Source: BBC News/MetOffice

• Prevailing SW winds carry depression to NW Scotland
• "Mean" current forces surge to right of wind direction
• If low also moves east, surge is forced southwards
• Shallower seabed means surge elevations higher in southern parts of North Sea
• Spring Tides

Full Story on the BBC News Website

Has this happen before?
Yes in 1953 but with out the technologies in weather and sea surges prediction caused widespread flooding.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/understanding/1953_flood.shtml

MyMaps Helping to Map UK Floods

Update

BBC Berkshire's interactive flood map

"The latest flood warning information, locations of emergency centres, photos, video and audio reports from our correspondents - all plotted on our interactive map of Berkshire."

BBC Berkshire Flood Map Feature

MyMaps helping Map UK Floods and useful up to date information


This MyMap records the flooding in Berkshire


The Power of MyMaps is use to display visually and geographically
Thanks to Ed Parsons for finding a map that is more useful and up to date than the Official Government Websites.

This map shows the bowsers available in Gloucester and Cheltenham

The cause of the flooding seems to be pointing at the jetsteam shifting south more than normal El Niño and La Niña (the rising and lowering of pressure and temperature in the pacific ocean)
could be possible causes, though human impact seems to cause more fluctuations in this natural process


Images: BBC and the Met Office