Memorandum by the Association of Regional
Observatories
The Association of Regional Observatories (ARO)
represents the English Regional Observatories; observatories have
extensive experience of using data and geographic information
to inform public service delivery, regional policy, strategy development
and performance monitoring. ARO works closely with the English
Regional Development Agencies and Regional Assemblies to maximise
the quality and accessibility of the evidence base available to
support regional policy.
ARO welcomes the opportunity to contribute to
the Communities and Local Government Select Committee's inquiry
into the Ordnance Survey. The importance to regional observatories
of the geographical information produced by Ordnance Survey is
difficult to understate; the data is key to the role that observatories
play within the public sector, in enabling delivery agencies to
target areas of need, and in monitoring the progress of regions.
The opportunity that exists to serve the public good through the
provision of geographical information is, however, hindered by
the approach that currently governs Ordnance Survey operations.
The concerns held by the Association of Regional
Observatories reflect the conflict that exists between the Ordnance
Survey as a provider of public service information, and the commercial
principles which underlie access to data for other public sector
organisations. Access to data is prohibitively expensive, particularly
for small organisations who do not make use of a lot of the products
marketed by Ordnance Survey. The commercial drive behind the current
provision also leads to concerns that less profitable data sets
will not be sufficiently maintained, undermining the quality of
mapping that Ordnance Survey currently achieves.
The licensing of data is complex and restrictive,
with ramifications that affect the competitive nature of the geographic
information market. Licensing for regional observatories is covered
at present by the Pan Government Agreement, which is currently
being renegotiated. The contractual terms, particularly around
"derived data", are unfavourable to the market, with
the proposed contract requiring all derived data to be deleted
and recreated if an agency moves to another geographical information
supplier. This evidently impinges on the competitive nature of
the geographic information market, as the cost implications of
changing supplier (necessitating the deletion and then recreation
of derived data) are significant. This lack of competition also
means that the Ordnance Survey maintains a position of monopoly,
removing the ability of public sector agencies to achieve best
value through competitive tender.
Since the Ordnance Survey's inception as a trading
fund in 1999, there have been rapid and considerable developments
in geographical information systems which enable public sector
delivery agencies to better target activity. These systems are
dependent on reliable, cost-effective access to Ordnance Survey
data; however, the current licensing system does not adequately
respond to these developments, stifling both the effective use
of current systems and future innovation in this area. These geographical
information systems have the capability to have a significant
impact on the effectiveness of public service delivery, for the
benefit of the public sector and the taxpayer; the Association
of Regional Observatories would therefore suggest that the Communities
and Local Government Select Committee consider this issue in more
detail.
The breadth of information covered by the Pan
Government Agreement exceeds the data needs of many small users,
and this factor, along with the restrictive nature of the licensing
and the uncertainties that exist around subscription increases,
means that a number of members of the Association of Regional
Observatories are considering whether the Pan Government Agreement
represents the most cost-effective approach to the purchase of
geographical information. The data needs of observatories may
well be better served through the procurement of information from
Ordnance Survey on a limited, need-driven basis, which would result
in withdrawal from the Pan Government Agreement negotiation process.
If other signatories to the agreement were to follow suit, the
continuation of negotiations would be undermined, and this may
ultimately lead to the collapse of the process. The resulting
situation would surely lead to parties procuring directly from
Ordnance Survey, reducing the effective use of geographical information
and ultimately acting to the detriment of the public good.
The Association of Regional Observatories supports
the argument of the Local Government Association (amongst others),
who contend that certain data produced by the Ordnance Survey
(such as some `core reference geographies') should be categorised
as a public good, which should therefore be available to other
public agencies without restriction. This would enable the public
sector to more effectively utilise geographical information, whilst
allowing Ordnance Survey the opportunity to achieve commercial
gain through the provision of non-core or value-added services,
for which some parts of the public sector may continue to be a
market. This would also be consistent with recent European Directives,
which seek to eliminate obstacles to data re-use, and to encourage
greater public access to geospatial data.
At present, it seems that the operational stance
of Ordnance Survey constitutes a barrier to the effective use
of geographical information in the public sector. The Association
of Regional Observatories welcomes the inquiry of the Communities
and Local Government Select Committee into the role of Ordnance
Survey, and would welcome the opportunity to contribute further
if the Committee proceeds in that manner.
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