The Linking Open Data dataset cloud by Fenng

Exciting news for UK data this week as the new UK data website, www.data.gov.uk, had its official launch. It’s been in beta for a while but is now fully functional and open for business, providing access to a range of datasets. Importantly, as well as the more traditional download of files in formats such as Comma Seperated Variable (csv) text files, the site promises to provide information in the form of Linked Data. This is a massive advance towards the semantic web with data freely available to be used and reused by all manner of web apps, promising virtually limitless potential; graphed, mapped, and mashed up in a myriad of ways.

This news follows hot on the heels of the consultation document on the future of Ordnance Survey data which promises to make more high quality map resources far more widely available. So in addition to having access to government data such as crime, education and health statistics, we will soon (assuming the consultation goes the way it ought to) have access to basemaps to plot it all on and administrative area boundaries to analyse by.

» Continue reading “heritage.data.gov.uk …?”

Some news regarding the Ordnance Survey and spatial data in the UK has come to me via the wonders of GIS User and my work. Once again, OS licensing is the key issue but now there is a another driving force on the scene which may have an impact. » Continue reading “Time’s up for the Ordnance Survey…?”

“…and the whispering sound of the cool colonnade” wrote Cowper, reminiscing over the loss of his favourite trees. Well almost. Bit of artistic license taken with the species so as to fit the recent felling of a favourite group of trees in Bristol; a group of Giant Redwoods, grown from some of the first seeds ever brought to this fair country and recently felled by Bristol City Council. There’s a photoset of the sad event on Flickr and a letter eloquently recalling personal experiences of the trees as well as their history here. The plan for Ashton Court states:

“It also requires 11 redwood trees to be removed to restore the original panoramic views from the Mansion garden. At least 150 new trees will replace those that need to be removed.”

So some cultural heritage is destroyed in favour of some more ‘important’ cultural heritage. Some tangible trees removed for the sake of an aesthetic view. Take a group of kids, any group, and show them the view. Watch them be underawed in the extreme. Then show them some pictures of a Giant Redwood from the USA and explain that the reason they can’t go and time how long it takes to run around a living, breathing specimen hundreds of years old is because the council planners thought a view from the garden is more important.