Industry News
OS: Since OS OpenData launched on 1 April 2010, there has been a huge range of different uses for the data, from mapping elephants across London to adding road routing information with potential benefits for the emergency services.
The most downloaded product in the last 3 months has been OS Street View, with OS Vector Map District (which was released in May) swiftly catching up. The huge variety of applications of OS OpenData have seen the locations of pharmacies & train stations across Great Britain being mapped – using 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster and Code-Point Open – and can be seen at www.data.gov.uk.
Meanwhile, councils are using the datasets to show residents the nearest recycling facilities or latest planning applications.
Meanwhile, councils are using the datasets to show residents the nearest recycling facilities or latest planning applications.
One of the more unusual uses has been to map the position of 250 brightly painted elephants across central London this summer. The Elephant Family charity’s annual Elephant Parade highlights the crisis faced by the endangered Asian elephant, and Lovell Johns created a user-friendly map for the charity.
Ordnance Survey is keen to receive examples of OS OpenData in action and how the data is benefiting people across Great Britain. Anyone using the service should contact them via their website.
Press release ~ OS Open Data ~ Location of pharmacies ~ National Public Transport Access Nodes (NaPTAN) ~ Elephant Parade London 2010 ~ Related press release
LSN: The Learning and Skills Network, working in partnership with BT, plans to make a big impact with BT Qualify, a ‘ground-breaking product, designed to change the face of vocational assessment’. The product improves learning outcomes by improving motivation, accessibility, productivity, team work and control.
WAG: A major project announced last week represents a major advance for supercomputing in Wales and is set to deliver significant long term benefits to business, industry and the Welsh economy.
High Performance Computing Wales (HPC Wales) is a £40m 5 year project to give businesses & universities involved in commercially focussed research across Wales access to the most advanced & evolving computing technology available.
High Performance Computing Wales (HPC Wales) is a £40m 5 year project to give businesses & universities involved in commercially focussed research across Wales access to the most advanced & evolving computing technology available.
HPC Wales will invest in state-of-the-art computing technology, infrastructure and facilities on a pan-Wales basis, high level skills development & training and provide tailor made support services to business.
The cutting-edge computing facilities will be available for use by businesses working independently or in collaboration with academics and will establish Wales as a key international centre for specialist computational research.
The cutting-edge computing facilities will be available for use by businesses working independently or in collaboration with academics and will establish Wales as a key international centre for specialist computational research.
Press release ~ High Performance Computing Wales (HPC Wales) ~
WAG: Deputy Minister for Housing & Regeneration, Jocelyn Davies AM, has shown Budget Minister, Jane Hutt, a housing development in Barry where public money has helped to create job & training opportunities. It is hoped the principles used on the development can be used on other Welsh Assembly Government contracts to create even more opportunities.
Newydd Housing Association’s Jacksons Quay development in Barry has been built using the i2i Can Do Toolkit which provides guidance to Registered Social Landlords working towards the Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) on making targeted recruitment & training a requirement of contracts.
