Ordnance Survey Map Data - Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Access to this data is only possible on a specific PC in the Map Department
The Data / Viewing and Printouts / Further Information / Digimap / Cambridgeshire Collection
Great Britain
Since 1998 Ordnance Survey of Great Britain (OS) has voluntarily deposited an annual snapshot of its large scale map data (scales of 1:1,250, 1:2,500 and 1:10,000) in the six Legal Deposit Libraries (British Library, National Library of Scotland, National Library of Wales, Bodleian Library Oxford, Cambridge University Library and Trinity College Dublin).
From 1998 to 2005 we received the map data in the OS Land-Line® data format which is structured around 'tiles' (squares of varying extent, similar to conventional map sheets). Since 2006, however, we have received it in OS MasterMap® (OSMM) data format which is based on features (buildings, roads, railways, etc.). These features have date information recorded for them allowing a more specific record of landscape change and they can also be coloured to create a more intuitive and clearer map. While the Address and Imagery layers of OSMM are not deposited, the LandForm PROFILE dataset, surveyed at 1:10,000, provides contour lines and height information.
Northern Ireland
Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland (OSNI) also voluntarily deposits snapshots of its large scale data. The first year deposited is 2004.
HOW TO VIEW THIS DATA AND TAKE PRINTOUTS
From a dedicated PC in the Map Room it is possible to view these detailed maps on screen and to take a limited number of printouts for non-commercial private research purposes.
It is possible to search for an area in three ways: by zoomable map, or place name gazetteer or by grid reference.
It is also possible to compare two maps of different dates side by side, to zoom and pan, to turn contours and grid lines on or off and to measure distances.
Colour printouts are of A4 size (on A3 paper) and cost £1 each. They can be centred on any location with portrait or landscape orientation and you can add your own title. The prints must be for private or non-commercial purposes.
Although contours can be viewed at any scale they can only be printed at 1:10,000.
Further information can be found on the following web pages:
Cambridge University Library Readers' Newsletter (April 2008). See the last five paragraphs of this article on the newly refurbished Map Room.
Ordnance Survey: http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/osmastermap/faqs/general013.html and http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/media/news/2008/march/depositlibraries.html
Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland: http://www.osni.gov.uk/mapstore.htm
British Library Map Library: http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelprestype/maps/digitalmapping/index.html#OS
National Library of Scotland Map Library: http://www.nls.uk/collections/maps/subjectinfo/os-mastermap.html
Dotted Eyes (the developers of the Map Viewer): http://www.dottedeyes.com/web_mapping/blog/2007/01/22/legal-deposit-libraries-os-map-viewer-live/
Cambridge University students or staff who require maps of a large area or who wish to use map data in some other software (e.g. a Geographical Information System, GIS) might find that Digimap is more appropriate. Digimap includes the data for the current year only, plus some more historical maps (mostly County Series OS maps) and does not include maps of Northern Ireland. Use of Digimap is free to staff and students of the University but users must register and this may take a few days. See http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/deptserv/maps/digimap.html or Information Sheet 1F which is available in the Map Room or at http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/maps/documentation/1FDIGIMAP.doc
Similar OS map data, but for Cambridgeshire only, is available in the Cambridgeshire Collection which is part of Cambridge Central Library in Lion Yard. See http://hipweb.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/subscriptions/gis.htm, http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/leisure/archives/local_history/cambs/ and http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/directory/cambridge_central_library.htm