Transparency Report: Government Requests Map

Transparency Report: Government Requests Map

"We’ve created an interactive map of Government Requests that shows the number of government inquiries for information about users and requests for Google to take down or censor content. We hope this step toward greater transparency will help in ongoing discussions about the appropriate scope and authority of government requests."


United Kingdom
In the UK for example, the map shows that there were 1,343 requests for data between January and June 2010. There were also 48 requests for the removal of content, regarding 232 items. The majority of this content was within the web search category.

Transparency Report: Traffic Chart
http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/traffic/


Transparency Report: Traffic Map
http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/governmentrequests/

OS OpenData™ Consultation Government Response

OS OpenData™ Consultation Government Response

BREAKING NEWS

Ordnance Survey launches free downloadable maps

Move marks radical departure from previous OS financial model under which every piece of map data had to be paid for

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/apr/01/ordnance-survey-maps-download-free

What's Free?

• OS Street View http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/streetview/
  
• 1:50 000 Gazetteer http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/50kgazetteer/ [note: 1km resolution so dots ontop of each other]
  
• 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster - http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/250kraster/
  
• OS Locator http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/oslocator/
  
• Boundary-Line http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/boundaryline/
  
• Code-Point Open* - http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/codepoint/
  
• Meridian 2 - http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/meridian2/ [ROADS! and classified]
  
• Strategi http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/strategi/ [Meridian2 better]
  
• MiniScale http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/miniscale/
  
• OS VectorMap District* (available 1 May 2010)
• Land-Form PANORAMA http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/landformpanorama/ [an old DTM needs cleaning up but can be useful if polygonised]

*still needs to be defined.
source:
http://ernestmarples.com/blog/2010/03/government-response-to-ordnance-survey-consultation-published/

Release of data for free
In response to this support, government will release a range of Ordnance Survey data:
on 1 April 2010, known as OS OpenData™.
The datasets to be released are those set out in the original consultation document as the Free package, with the following changes:

• replacement of 1:25 000 and 1:50 000 Scale Colour Raster products with OS VectorMap District

• addition of OS Locator™ and Land-Form PANORAMA to the product list

• replacement of Code-Point by Code-Point Open, which provides accurate locations for 1.7 million postcodes in England, Scotland and Wales.
@mapperz

Straight to the PDF
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/1528263.pdf

Live links tomorrow!
Happy Mapping... and downloading from

http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/opendata/ (1st April 2010)

1st April 2010 Ordnance Survey Data FREED

1st April 2010 Ordnance Survey Data FREED


(for illustration only) actual - http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/
The Public will be able to access Ordnance Survey Data from 1st April 2010. (no fools day?)
*not MasterMap

direct from Number 10 Downing Street:

"And following the strong support in our recent consultation, I can confirm that from 1st April, we will be making a substantial package of information held by ordnance survey freely available to the public, without restrictions on re-use. Further details on the package and government’s response to the consultation will be published by the end of March."

source: http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page22897

related.
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/mar/22/gordon-brown-superfast-broadband
bottom paragraph

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.