A question for Ordnance Survey experts

[SlowerThanASluggishSloth]

Thanks, but I'll email them instead. (I don't like paying for 0845 calls!)

Like you, I resent paying for 0845 calls. Help is at hand:

http://www.saynoto0870.com/search.php
You can search on 0871, 0870, 0844, 0845, 0800, 0808 or 01/02/03 number

 

[ColinJ]

Like you, I resent paying for 0845 calls. Help is at hand:

http://www.saynoto0870.com/search.php
You can search on 0871, 0870, 0844, 0845, 0800, 0808 or 01/02/03 number

The search doesn't find the 0845 number given earlier, but a search for Ordnance Survey found one for their switchboard!

I don't like paying for geographic numbers either though, so I'll wait for a reply to my email!

 

[bof]

The silliest OS censorship was of the huge atomic weapons base at Aldermaston, visible with the anked eye from space. Certainly until the late 90s maps were being sold with it not shown. For instance this example which has to be after the mid 90s when Explorers were first published, though it is not dated . Google will show you its full extent and it is pretty visible from the ground!

 

[Garz]

First rule of OS club is you don't mention the 'Factory'

 

[ColinJ]

The second rule of - - is you don't mention - -!

 

[Alun]

There are some features which the OS shows incorrectly to catch copycats. I seem to think one was a church in Todmorden, but I could be mistaken.

 

[Svendo]

There are some features which the OS shows incorrectly to catch copycats. I seem to think one was a church in Todmorden, but I could be mistaken.

I remember seeing this on TV, quick google found the 'Trap Street' entry which refers to the 2005 mapman programme. IIRC the fictitious pedestrian street had to be corrected as the area had been redeveloped and a real street was now where it had been marked, so the map needed to be accurate. They also said they have things like short cul-de-sacs in the depths of industrial parks that curve the wrong way etc.
The page mentions a case where the AA stole OS data and got caught, this blog has more information on that case.

 

[andrew_s]

A couple of Navteq (as used by Garmin and Bing) "easter eggs" I found when OSM surveying) are:
a) the road down to the ferry on Bressay (opposite Lerwick, Shetland) about 100m south of where it really is
b) Ham Road, Ashleworth has been shoved SW by 100m between 2 junctions BingMap GoogleMap
TeleAtlas (TomTom, Bikehike, Google Maps) and OS are correct in both cases.

 

[Svendo]

b) Ham Road, Ashleworth has been shoved SW by 100m between 2 junctions BingMap GoogleMap
TeleAtlas (TomTom, Bikehike, Google Maps) and OS are correct in both cases.

That's very obvious if you click the bing link then click aerial view. <resists urge to waste evening scanning bing and google maps in satellite with roads on for errors/traps>

 

[Garz]

There are some features which the OS shows incorrectly to catch copycats. I seem to think one was a church in Todmorden, but I could be mistaken.

I laughed at this for what can only be described as more sinister reasons...

 

[Svendo]

I found one (I think) here, a street in Rochdale that is either an accidental or deliberate mistake. Aboukir Street seems to bend through 315 degrees and then through a load of shops!

 

[ColinJ]

Well, I finally got a reply from OS which was basically - "We can't help you and we don't keep copies of old maps - pre 2008"!