Any views expressed within media held on this service are those of the contributors, should not be taken as approved or endorsed by the University, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University in respect of any particular issue.
Digimap is an online map and data delivery service, available by subscription to UK Higher and Further Education establishments. Operated by EDINA at the University of Edinburgh, Digimap offers a number of data collections, including Ordnance Survey, historical, geological, aerial photography, LiDAR, marine maps, land cover mapping, global mapping and census data. For more information about Digimap go to our website: https://digimap.edina.ac.uk Background image Contains OS data (c) Crown Copyright and database right 2022
We have updated three of the mapping datasets in Digimap Roam, so you can now view mapping published as recently as June 2013.
The products updated are:
OS MasterMap: used in the three most detailed zoom levels in Roam.
OS VectorMap Local (VML): the next most detailed maps in Roam, available as alternate “Basemaps” in the 4th and 5th most detailed zoom levels.
Midscale Maps: These maps are made of the Meridian 2 mapping data along with contours. Until now they had been made with Land-form PANORAMA data, but now they use the new OS Terrain 50 contours:
These midscale maps are also available in a backdrop colour scheme which can be accessed by using the Basemaps tab at the top right of the map. The faded colours allow your annotations to show more strongly:
The updated datasets are also available from Digimap’s Data Download service (except MasterMap which will follow in the next few months), a page in Digimap Help details the all the OS products available and their currency in Roam and Data Download:
October is the busiest time for welcoming new users to Digimap and we have already approved over 7500 registrations. As you know it is important to enter a valid email address when registering; this is how we send you a link to your data downloads and how we inform you of any changes or disruptions to the service.
We ask you to give us your academic email address where possible, we know for some this isn’t most commonly used address so please check that you have entered it correctly. Quite often the email address entered seems correct but is missing a particular element, for example:
We get: j.bloggs@university.ac.uk
We need: j.bloggs@student.university.ac.uk
Please make sure that you don’t miss out any parts of the address, you can try sending yourself an email to see if it is right… and it is always worth another check for typos.
Over 2012/13, EDINA conducted user satisfaction surveys for its Jisc-funded services including the four Digimap collection.
A large majority of the respondents found our services easy to use, saved them time and would recommend them to others. The survey results can be found for the services here:
We also examined some of the less positive feedback and suggestions made by our users to improve our services. We have summarised these suggestions in tables, along with our responses and actions, and graded them using the following formula:
Done or due for release soon
Do soon, requires little resource
Already planned
Put on to-do list, needs more effort
Not achievable or beyond scope
The tables report the grades allocated and, where applicable, the explanation of why we have given them that grade:
All the Digimap Roam interfaces are due to change this August, with the provisional date set to Tuesday the 13th. There are three specific changes that all existing users of any of the Roam interfaces need to know:
To search for your chosen location you now click on the Search button found above the map on the right-hand side.
Once you have clicked the Search button a new window will open allowing you to do a simple search for a place name or postcode, or a more advanced search using coordinates on either the British National Grid as a grid reference or Eastings and Northings, or as Latitude and Longitude values.
Print Changes
To make a PDF, PNG or JPG print file of your map you now click on the Print button which can be found above the map on the left-hand side.
Once you have clicked the Print button a new window will open allowing you to change the print options such as paper size, orientation and scale.
Once you are happy with the settings click Generate Print File, you will be asked to save the file created in the usual way for your browser.
Opening and Saving Maps and Annotations
Don’t panic! All your saved maps and annotations from the previous version of Roam will all still be available. To open existing maps or annotations click on the Open button and then My Maps… Once you have clicked on the button a new window will open that allows you to access all the maps and annotations you have saved in any of the Roam interfaces. Annotations are now saved as part of your Map!
In this window you can choose your map and also delete ones you no longer need. If you made a map in a different Roam, opening it will take you to the location and the equivalent zoom level. If it had Annotations, these will be drawn on the new map.
The Open button also allows you to import annotations from a file saved on your computer. Click on the Annotations from file… option to open a window where you can specify the file you want to upload.
When using the service you can click on the blue question mark icon for help on how to use this feature.
When it comes to saving your maps and annotations you now just click on the Save button and again pick the My Maps… option. This will open the Save My Map window where you save both the map and any annotations that are on it.
In a similar way to importing annotations, to Export them to a file you click the Save button and then choose the Annotations to file… In the window that opens select the format of the file you want to save and give it a name; clicking Export will then download the file to your web browser’s usual location.
Other Changes
There are several other changes to the interface that make it easier to use some features of Roam that you may have missed in the past, see this previous blog post for more information:
EDINA has launched a new version of Geology Download to replace the existing one and the Lexicon Download. The updated interface can be found in the Download area of the Geology section of Digimap.
The new interface looks very similar to the Data Download service in the Ordnance Survey Collection and so benefits from all the enhanced functionality and ease of use brought about when that interface was developed:
New Geology Download has all the datasets that the old interface provided, with the addition of the Lexicon of Named Rock Units and the Boreholes Index shapefile. We also hope to add some extra datasets in the coming weeks from the British Geological Survey (BGS) OpenGeoscience data holdings.
Both the old Geology Download and the Lexicon Download will be withdrawn on the 31st of August. If you support the use of Geology Digimap please update any support materials or practical exercises you may have created for the old interface.
You can find a “how to” guide for the updated interface here:
At 11:00 am access to Digimap Carto will be closed and by 12:00 noon it will have made its last map. Carto was at the cutting edge of web mapping technology for several years, delivering Ordnance Survey maps to thousands of users while Google was still just a search engine. The high quality EPS and then PDF print files it produced meant that staff, students and researchers could print out maps of anywhere in Great Britain and were no longer limited to their library’s collection.
Carto over the years 1998 to 2013
As time passed Carto could easily keep up with the latest offerings from MultiMap (later bought by Microsoft and eventually becoming Bing Maps) and Google Maps. It had more advanced tools and much better data in the form of OS MasterMap, so as the Java updates got more frequent we all put up with the software being a bit unreliable for a few days before we could issue a fix. However after 2011 the number of Java updates ramped up significantly and the changes became more difficult to accommodate. Once anti-virus software began seeing Carto as a potential threat and preventing it operating we decided that maintenance was unsustainable.
EDINA realised that continuing to support Carto would be too costly in terms of developer time spent fixing problems rather than improving and enhancing the service. In the meantime the rest of the world had become much more accustomed to viewing maps online in a web browser; EDINA’s other mapping service, Roam was able to take on much of what Carto was offering without confusing or frustrating its users.
Some recent changes to the capabilities of the web mapping platform that Roam uses meant that we could finally offer a Carto replacement without the need for any software to run on the end user’s computer. These changes have allowed us to withdraw Carto and let Roam to take on all the mapping duties for Digimap. We can now get on with the business of all those improvements and enhancements we have been wanting to make. We hope you will like the changes that we are aiming to have in place this August:
As part of ongoing efforts to improve the usability of data delivered by Digimap, we have made some significant enhancements to one of the Ordnance Survey licensed datasets.
OS VectorMap® Local is a relatively new product from Ordnance Survey providing slightly less detail than OS MasterMap but still very useful for detailed backdrop mapping. Individual buildings are shown as well as roads, rivers, landcover and contours. The vector version of the data is provided by Ordnance Survey in GML 2.1.2. This is a standard geospatial data format developed by the Open Geospatial Consortium; however it generally needs to be converted into a proprietary format before being used in GIS and CAD software.
To make using this data easier we are now providing OS VectorMap Local in both Shapefile and DWG formats. Shapefiles can be easily opened in ArcGIS and most other GIS programs including OpenSource GIS software such as QGIS and gvSIG. DWG is the native format for AutoCAD and can be used in many other CAD systems as well.
This data is now available for download from the Data Download application in the Digimap Ordnance Survey Collection. VectorMap Local is in the Vector Data section; to change the format of the data you are downloading click on the Change link under Options once you have added it to the basket.
Click image to view full size.
Creating the data:
TO achieve the best results when recreating the data in different formats we had to use different software products for different formats. To convert the data to Shapefile we used the OpenSource Software GDAL program called “ogr2ogr” and for the DWG conversion we used FME from Safe Software. The image below shows part of the FME Workbench project used to convert the data to DWG.
Click image to view full size.
1: Shapefiles
To convert the GML to Shapefile we created a lookup table between the Feature Codes in the GML data to Shapefile Layers. As Ordnance Survey do not provide any guidance in their User Guide as to how to group features in VML , we analysed the data and experimented with various groupings, so that in the end we split the data into a possible 22 separate Layers. These layers may contain multiple feature classes but as they all have the original feature codes on them as attributes as well as all the other original attribution, further distinction between features can be achieved for representation and querying.
Example of the Shapefile data in ArcMap:
Click image to view full size.
A simple set of Layer Files has been created for use in ArcMap and can be downloaded from the VML Help page.
2. DWG
To convert the data to DWG we had to go through a similar process (as well as our data team becoming much more familiar with AutoCAD). We originally intended to produce DXF format data but this turned out to be a problem. We had to make some decisions about how to store attribution in the output data and one of the main considerations was the size of the resultant files. To begin with when we converted a tile of VML that was 60Mb of GML, it expanded in size to 240Mb when converted to DXF containing attributes as Inserts. This was unusable in systems we tried so we had to work on ways of making the files smaller. The first thing we did was change the format from DXF to DWG. As both formats are commonly read by various CAD systems this seems a reasonable thing to do although it may make the data slightly less interoperable. This changed the file size to 44Mb for our sample dataset. This was still quite large and some systems were having problems with this, especially when dealing with tiles in dense urban areas. We therefore decided to change the way we were storing attributes in the data. Instead of using Inserts we used Extended Entity Data (or XData) which was one of the options available in FME. This stores a fixed amount of information against an entity in the drawing. We use this to store the attribute information that was in the original GML data, including the original feature code. It’s a bit more difficult to work with this data but it can be viewed in AutoCAD Map 3D by using the Express Tools –> Tools –> List Object Xdata or typing xdlist in the command prompt.
Using XData brought the size of our sample tile down to 10Mb and was usable in all the systems we tested it with. If you need access to the attributes either as Inserts or as Map 3D Object data please let us know.
As part of the conversion process we defined the representation for features in the DWG file, including point symbols and area fills. Features have also been grouped together into separate Layers as we did with the Shapefiles.
Example of the data in AutoCAD:
Click image to view full size.
Finally, after getting the project set up in FME and a thorough testing of the data, we ran the batch process to convert the data. This took nearly 3 days per format to convert the full load of our national coverage of VML data. This data will be updated on the normal update schedule, as we get updated VML from Ordnance Survey as Change Only Updates so future conversions will be much quicker.
Remember,both these datasets are available through Data Download by selecting VectorMap Local and then changing the format after you have added the data to your basket.
We intend to produce alternative formats for other products, including OS MasterMap, so we would very much like to hear your thoughts on the data that we have produced so far and let us know if this meets your needs.
As part of our work to demonstrate the impact of Digimap, EDINA has calculated the commercial value of all the data downloaded and maps created for printing. We calculated the values per institution for the period August 2012 to May 2013 then totalled them; this came to approximately £39 .5 million. This estimate is a conservative one as we reduce the quantity of data downloaded by 60% to account for duplication. When all the maps printed and data downloaded were included in the calculation (i.e assuming users would continue to take their own data and maps, and not share them) the value rises to nearly £71 million.
Click to enlarge image.
We know that some data is downloaded multiple times within an institution, for example by the students in a class exercise or for specific study sites. We found that only 40% of the data taken from Digimap over a period of time was unique to an average institution. We believe that if institutions were paying commercial rates for their data it would be more likely that they would try to download it once and then circulate it to those who need it; for this reason the value calculations only include 40% of the total. However, there is considerable variation between institutions as to how much is unique; those that do more research or are smaller in size tend to have a greater proportion of unique downloads, so we have included the 100% figure as a ceiling value.
In total, over the past three academic years over £190 million (£100 million at 40%) worth of print maps and data has been served up from Digimap to subscribing institutions.
How the Costs are Calculated
Click to enlarge image.
The costs used in our calculations for the data downloaded come from the data suppliers, and include any relevant multipliers or discounts made publicly available on their websites.
The data values are calculated on a per product / per institution basis, with the data preparation and licensing charges assigned only once per product, per institution. Many of the data collections are licensed based on the number of users who have access to the data; with increasing numbers of users a multiplier is applied to a base cost. We applied the relevant multipliers based on the number of active registered users for each collection at an institution. SeaZone data is provided commercially through a third party website; we picked the closest match possible to the data we provide though this does have a lower cost, again making the estimates conservative.
We capped data values at the price it would cost to take national coverage of each product, making it impossible to charge more for any one product than it would to supply the entire dataset for use by the whole institution.
The values for the print maps (including saved images in Carto and Ancient Roam) are calculated by finding the cheapest available commercial map prints from websites such as eMapsite, NLS and FiND. These values are updated every time we calculate the values.
What We Didn’t Include
Click to enlarge image.
No monetary values were assigned to the millions of screen maps that are produced from Digimap; we couldn’t find a comparable site! Also, the value calculated doesn’t take into account any of the support materials, training courses and help desk facilities that are all part of the Digimap service.
No OpenData downloads or maps created from OpenData are included in the calculation, despite the advantages of producing them from Digimap over other websites.
However the biggest saving that isn’t included in these value calculations is your time. We only charged the data supplier’s preparation and licensing costs once per product or order, in line with each companies policy. In reality there would be many orders occurring throughout an academic year as new research questions are raised. This all costs time, time which the data suppliers will charge for or that institutional staff would have to take to put in requests for data or to create and manage a repository for spatial data.
Digimap does all this work for its subscribers along with providing a high quality mapping interface, 24 hour access to expensive high quality data and maps.
Over the coming weeks we will be sending out each institution’s values to Digimap site representatives. If you are interested in the value of the maps and data your institution has been using then get in touch with them. If you are unsure who your site representative is then please contact us:
Geoforum aims to bring together staff who support the use of Digimap and other geoservices from subscribing institutions around the country and showcase what’s new and upcoming from EDINA. It also gives people an opportunity to ask the Digimap team questions and to chat with others about how support and promote geoservices.
There was a live blog running throughout the day which is still available for you to read and find out what happened.
Keynote Address
The keynote was delivered by Shelley Mosco of The University of Greenwich and was titled: Digimap Data and a non-traditionalist approach. Shelley is a member of the The School of Architecture, Design and Construction and described the ways in which spatial data could be used to inform design. Shelley was keen to stress the importance of spatial data and GIS in the implementation of Building Information Models (BIMs). BIMs have been used in large engineering projects for some time, however the government is making them mandatory for all publicly funded building projects in England and Wales. This means that commercial organisations will be looking for students to have been trained in the concept of BIMs and the software that drives them. You can find out more about BIMs through the following links:
BIM Task Group – government site promoting best practise for BIM
COBie – Construction Operations Building Information Exchange
Two of Shelley’s current MSc students also gave brief overviews of their experiences of learning about GIS and using spatial data in their projects. Both David Parfitt and Robert Park were self-confessed GIS newbies, but they managed to get data from Digimap and use it in their conservation projects. The data allowed them to visualise and analyse the environment and provide evidence to support their proposed designs. Their demo’s were excellent a they really showed the power of simple GIS analysis.
You can view the slides from this presentation here:
After the Keynote was a presentation that focused on Open or “Free” resources for geospatial teaching and research. The presentation looked at software, web-mapping and data. The main resources are listed below:
Data
OS Open data is available through the Digimap Data Download service.
ShareGeo Open is a repository for open geospatial data. It has lots of useful and interesting datasets on a variety of subjects such as wind farms, crime, boundaries and DTMs
QGIS – one of the best open source GIS out there. Lots of functionality and plugins that allow you to perform complex spatial analysis. It is also well supported by forums.
GRASS – a remote sensing package aimed at serious remote sensor’s. If you are a newbie to remote sensing, you can access GRASS tool through the GRASS plugin for QGIS which makes things really simple.
Web-mapping
Digimap is a great web mapping tool, but how can you create your own interactive web map for your website?
MapBox – simple intuitive web site that helps users build interactive web maps. Basic functionality is free, more advanced functions are available for a small fee.
Leaflet – the engine behind MapBox, it is free but requires user to do a “bit” of programing
Openlayers – an alternative to Leaflet which is more flexible. Openlayers powers Digimap. Requires a fair amount of programming knowledge.
MapServer – implements Openlayers for enterprise scale operations. MapServer is also used for Digimap services.
You can view the slides from this presentation on slideshare here:
After lunch the lead of EDINA’s geoservices Support team, Emma Diffley, shared what we have been busy working on.
Interfaces
Digimap is being streamlined, each collection will eventually have just a Roam and a Download. These interfaces will all look and work in a very similar way. The aim is to make the service more consistent and easier to use, but also much easier to maintain.
EDINA will be withdrawing Digimap Carto on 31st July 2013. Carto, launched in 1996, is harder and harder to maintain, so we have taken the best bits and put them into Roam.
On top of the Carto functionality already added to Roam the following improvements are coming soon:
an improved way of saving and opening maps and annotations
a Basemaps button to change the style or even mapping product you are viewing at each scale
The Download interfaces will also going through a similar process.
Data
A single consistent style for all the vector products through all the scale levels accessible through using the basemaps button in the new Roam.
VectorMap Local (VML) in shapefile and DWG formats
ArcGIS layer files for symbolising VML shapefiles coming soon
OS MasterMap Topo available as DWG is being planned
Support
There is a new Resource Centre, which does not require login, with answers to questions, videos, case studies etc.
Beyond Digimap
GoGeo has added more resources and now highlights the “Editor’s Picks”
ShareGeoOpen now has over 210 resources all of which are open and free to use
FieldTrip GB is a mobile app for capturing data, see below
GeoTagger – a tool to allow you to edit the metadata for your photos
Cartogrammar – upload your data and visualise it in different ways
UKBORDERS is now the UK Data Service Census Support Unit
On the horizon
We are still awaiting news on funding, but are lots of things we would like to do. Currently our focus is to “mobilise” more services and we will be continuing to add new support materials once the latest round of Roam and Download changes have been made.
If there are things you would like us to do we really want to hear about them. Recommendations from the user community carry real weight for us, and we are keen to hear ideas on new data or services we should be providing.
You can view the slides from this presentation here:
The final part of the day was about EDINA’s new mobile app for carrying out field work Fieldtrip GB. It simplifies the process of capturing data in the field against quality cartographic mapping. It is equally at home in urban environments as it is in rural ones. Custom forms allow users to design their own data capture projects and collect exactly what they need for their research. The session gave a brief overview before running a “live” group data collection exercise. A custom form was created and deployed to participants mobile phones. They then headed outside and captured data on things like building fabric and design. After 15 mins everyone reconvened and the collected data was “synced” and exported to Google Earth.
You can view the slides from this presentation on slideshare here:
As mentioned earlier, there is a transcript of the whole day in the form of a live blog so if you didn’t manage to attend and want to find out what happened please have a look.
EDINA’s Geoforum 2013 was a great success with over 50 academic and support staff attending four very well received presentations:
