This ties in with our story in today's Technology section - though the key thing is, of course, that mashups in this way will only be available to nonprofit organisations.
From the press release:
OS OpenSpace enables web-savvy users to build mash-ups with a range of Ordnance Survey data in line with government aims to make public sector information more accessible.
Under an application programming interface (API) developers will register for a feed of data to experiment with non-commercially. It includes a range of mapping scales covering the whole of Great Britain down to street level.
But before you hang out all the bunting, it's only for some just now:
This week’s stage involves a hands-on preview to a dedicated group of developers who will have exclusive access to test functionality and build applications ahead of a public launch early in the new year....
The point of the Free Our Data campaign (in case it's new to you) is that we argue that data like the OS maps should be available for free commercial reuse (at present it's charged-for, and can be very expensive), and the cost of providing their services funded directly out of taxes. Then, commercial companies could thrive and compete without the drag of the data cost. (As an example, consider the multiplier effect of GPS - which I wrote about here.) ...
Posted by
Peter Suber at 12/16/2007 02:51:00 PM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
