Complexities of digital map data distribution across a large engineering enterprise

The UK´s Ordnance Survey (mapping agency) describes their MasterMap data format as “an unbroken web of 400 million features stretching from Lands´ End in the South West of England to John O´Groats in the North East of Scotland” or in other words, it encompasses all of Great Britain. This digital dataset is not stored in traditional `tiles´ covering defined regions, but as data that can be served on demand from a spatial database delivering all object information within boundaries defined by the requestor. This paper identifies the complex challenges and business strategies of a large and diverse engineering consultancy in adopting the new MasterMap data format including; IPR issues when working for multiple `data owning´ customers related to sourcing licence data; constraining to required areas for projects; distributing data across a wide area network to various design disciplines; interoperability of data with GIS and design tools and providing change-only updates of data during the lifespan of a development project.