History:
– The Ordnance Survey originated after the Jacobite rising of 1745.
– Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, identified the need for a map of the Scottish Highlands.
– Lieutenant-Colonel David Watson proposed a military survey of the Highlands in 1747.
– William Roy, Paul Sandby, and John Manson were involved in the survey.
– The survey at a scale of 1 inch to 1,000 yards led to the creation of the Ordnance Survey.
Origins:
– The Ordnance Survey’s roots trace back to the need for accurate mapping after the Jacobite rising.
– King George II tasked Watson with a military survey of the Highlands.
– William Roy’s work on determining positions led to the Principal Triangulation of Great Britain.
– The Ordnance Survey was initiated in 1790 under Roy’s supervision.
– The first one-inch-to-the-mile map was published in 1801 for Kent.
Mapping Progress:
– By 1801, the first one-inch-to-the-mile map was published for Kent.
– William Mudge oversaw the mapping of about a third of England and Wales at the same scale.
– By 1840, the one-inch survey covered all of Wales and most of England.
– Major Thomas Colby walked extensively for reconnaissance work.
– The survey of Ireland was completed county by county in 1846.
Surveying Challenges:
– Major Thomas Colby walked 586 miles in 22 days for reconnaissance in 1819.
– Colby and his team moved to Ireland in 1824 for a valuation survey.
– Surveying in rural Ireland caused suspicions and tensions.
– The Ordnance Survey faced security concerns, leading to maps being withdrawn from sale.
– Mapping progress was interrupted due to other military priorities.
Mapping Products:
– Ordnance Survey’s revenue from paper maps is only 5% annually.
– The agency produces digital map data, online route planning, and mobile apps.
– Large-scale mapping includes 1:2,500 maps for urban areas and 1:10,000 maps.
– Small-scale mapping for leisure includes the Explorer, Landranger, and road map series.
– Ordnance Survey maps remain in copyright for 50 years after publication.
The Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was also a more general and nationwide need in light of the potential threat of invasion during the Napoleonic Wars. Since 1 April 2015, the Ordnance Survey has operated as Ordnance Survey Ltd, a government-owned company, 100% in public ownership. The Ordnance Survey Board remains accountable to the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology. It was also a member of the Public Data Group.
| Welsh: Arolwg Ordnans | |
 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1791 |
| Jurisdiction | Great Britain |
| Headquarters | Southampton, England, UK 50°56′16″N 1°28′17″W / 50.9378°N 1.4713°W |
| Employees | 1,244 |
| Minister responsible | |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology |
| Website | www |
Paper maps represent only 5% of the company's annual revenue. It produces digital map data, online route planning and sharing services and mobile apps, plus many other location-based products for business, government and consumers. Ordnance Survey mapping is usually classified as either "large-scale" (in other words, more detailed) or "small-scale". The Survey's large-scale mapping comprises 1:2,500 maps for urban areas and 1:10,000 more generally. (The latter superseded the 1:10,560 "six inches to the mile" scale in the 1950s.) These large scale maps are typically used in professional land-use contexts and were available as sheets until the 1980s, when they were digitised. Small-scale mapping for leisure use includes the 1:25,000 "Explorer" series, the 1:50,000 "Landranger" series and the 1:250,000 road maps. These are still available in traditional sheet form.
Ordnance Survey maps remain in copyright for 50 years after their publication. Some of the Copyright Libraries hold complete or near-complete collections of pre-digital OS mapping.