fe4d7be0_nance_Survey_official_response__The_Ordnance_Survey_replies___
[The Guardian says...] One government makes the data it collects available free to all: the United States. It is no accident that it is also the country that has seen the rise of multiple mapping services (such as Google Maps, Microsoft’s MapPoint and Yahoo Maps) and other services — “mashups” — that mesh government-generated data with information created by the companies. The US takes the attitude that data collected using taxpayers’ money should be provided to taxpayers free. And a detailed study shows that the UK's closed attitude to its data means we lose out on commercial opportunities, and even hold back scientific research in fields such as climate change. Who are the culprits? Besides OS, with its vast and valuable map data, there are the UK Hydrographic Office (which collects tidal and naval navigational data), the Highways Agency (which collects traffic data) and even the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting.
There is no uniformly consistent large-scale mapping of the USA. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) — Ordnance Survey's equivalent body in the USA - does not in fact make large-scale map data available free and the quality of the largest federal scale, 1: 24,000 - similar to the level of detail in OS Explorer maps - is widely recognised as variable because of funding issues. Much of the data, as reported by USGS officials themselves, has in circulation for more than 30 years since it was last revised. Much of the reason the USA has a large commercial map sector is due to the variable quality of central government mapping. However the private sector in the USA has no obligation to map either to consistent national standards, consistent currency or even to provide complete coverage.
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