CLG have recently published a Transition Plan for the Public Sector Mapping Agreement for England and Wales. A very useful document for anyone outside of the parties to the agreement who wants a bit more detail about what is going on.
Under licensing the doc says
PSMA licensing aims to ensure that the public sector can use the data provided under the agreement, and data derived from it, as widely as possible to deliver its core tasks. The licence aims to make it straightforward to use GI by providing simple, readily understandable terms.
That sounds encouraging.
On Derived Data it goes on to say
The PSMA will also include wider rights in relation to derived data, notably:
(a) new rights in relation to “Free to Use Data”. This is a limited category of derived data for which Ordnance Survey will grant a perpetual, royalty-free licence to use and sub-license, subject to very limited conditions; and
(b) a process for considering any requests from public sector users to allow royalty-free, perpetual use of derived datasets falling outside (a) above.
Not sure what that means particularly in terms of the “Google” issue but perhaps it will become clearer soon (I certainly hope so)
In the section on implementation there is a real nugget
Local government (through the Local Government Group) and Ordnance Survey are working closely to explore the options for working in partnership to produce a National Address Gazetteer (NAG) which could be made available under the PSMA as well as to the wider market. Further information on this initiative will be provided during autumn 2010.
Now I wonder what that means? Champagne or tears in Adam Street?
4 thoughts on “PSMA – an update”
Crack on indeed. The inclusion of Vector Map Local in the PSMA is also good news.
I would still like to see clarification on the Google issue as I want to offer choice on line regardless of derived data.
Great to see movement after all these years on NAG. Good times ahead………..if we still have a job!
Who would have thought that this time last year we would be looking forward to a centrally funded, Public Sector Mapping Agreement? Not me, that’s for sure. Bringing together the 3 pre-existing collective purchase agreements makes a great deal of sense to me, MSA, PGA, NHS DMA. The pace of the work to put this together has been phenominal and quite unbelievable. I think this will bring real benefits to the whole public sector who won’t have to worry about doing stuff with their data (for the business of government) and can just get on with it. Those who in the past had been put off by the cost of OSMM can now just crack on.
NAG – all I’ll say is “its about time, and what a good idea.” I don’t mind how they get there but just do it.
Exciting times ahead for sure.
“core tasks” this is a potential sticking point… for example could a student take some pinlic sector derived data and use it as a basis for research? Some organisations will take a broad view.
On derived data the phrase “subject to very limited conditions;”‘is worrying
The “google issue” the PSMA probably won’t fix this as departments will still not be able to grant the irrevocable licence Google wants.
Addressing – at least this should restart the conversation. An additional driver a NAG could negate the need for LAs and RM to publish their data (LLPGs/PAF) under INSPIRE.
Discussions continue