Page 9 - ALG Issue 4 2023

ordnance survey collaboration
Can You Help to Put Allotment Names on the Map?
Frequently asked questions
WHAT WILL ORDNANCE SURVEY DO WITH THE INFORMATION?
Ordnance Survey will store the information in its master database for use by our customers.
WILL THE INFORMATION APPEAR ON OS MAPS?
The information will be most readily available in OS’s Open Greenspace dataset which is freely accessible and will be visible in the OS Maps app and website.
The relatively small scale of Explorer and Landranger maps means that names will not appear on these maps.
WHO ELSE WILL USE THE INFORMATION?
Information about allotments and growing spaces is used by local and central government for planning and land use modelling.
Additionally, arm’s length government bodies such as the NHS, Nature Scotland and Natural England use the information to identify citizens access to ‘Greenspace’ and similar uses.
CAN I RECORD NAMES IN DIFFERENT
NAS and Ordnance Survey (OS) have joined forces on a new project to make allotment data in Britain the best it can possibly be.
OS is asking allotment holders up and down the country to take part in an online crowdsourcing effort to fill in missing blanks about allotment names in its records.
By targeting NAS members, Britain’s national mapping service hopes
to collect as much information as quickly as possible into an interactive map specifically designed to capture allotment names.
Recent analysis carried out by OS
has found that many of the 13,000 allotments in their data have no recorded name. The discovery was made after a sample of allotments was tested in the London Borough of Ealing. On realising this problem was replicated nationwide, OS and The National Allotment Society came together to seek expert help from NAS members happy to share their knowledge of allotments names from their own neighbourhoods.
To collate the information, OS has created a WebMap that shows the allotment sites and community
growing spaces OS has data for, as
well as any names already stored. OS is encouraging members of NAS to look at their local allotments and help identify any of the following:
• Missing names for unnamed allotments or community growing spaces.
• Missing allotments or community growing spaces.
• Suggest any corrections to names incorrectly recorded.
• Identify any allotments or community growing spaces that no longer exist.
Emergency services rely on OS data when they respond to incidents such
as accidents or heart attacks. By
having updated allotment name data available to 999 switchboards, response times to any incidents on allotments will be quicker. Improving the data
will also benefit local authorities, the NHS and central government to help better understand residents’ access to greenspaces.
The problem with missing allotment names stems from inconsistencies in how data is captured and maintained by local government authorities, as well as the challenges associated with capturing allotment names from aerial imagery.
OS believes crowdsourcing allotment information with the support of NAS members would make collecting data much faster and more accurate because of the community’s interest and passion for allotments. Once the data has been submitted and OS has verified it, the data will be open for the NAS to share.
Anyone interested in making sure their allotment site’s name is on the map
and is represented accurately in the national mapping agency’s data can visit https://labs.os.uk/prototyping/ tools/nsalg/ to submit information.
When you have accessed the WebMap, search out your location and fill in any missing data your allotment has.
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names based upon your local knowledge. Whilst the internet is a marvellous resource, Ordnance Survey has to ensure that the intellectual property rights of others are respected.
WHAT IF I HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS?
Please email allotments@os.uk
LANGUAGES?
Ordnance Survey records names in English, Welsh (in Wales) and Gaelic (parts of Scotland) where the name is in use. Names in Welsh or Gaelic can be entered.
WILL THE NAMES BE VALIDATED? All the names submitted will be reviewed to look for duplicates, spelling mistakes and so on.
CAN I USE OTHER SOURCES TO ADD NAMES? Please only enter
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 9