66
P.A.G. Watts
The GIS Dimension
In the last quarter of this century, Ordnance Survey has been in the vanguard of digital
conversion. The Agency can now offer a full and comprehensive range of nationally
available products in computer readable form. These are ideally suited, inter alia, to the
“best practice” needs of Coastal and Shoreline applications, particularly within a GIS
environment. Taken together, the surveys and digital topographic data that underpin
these products and services are widely recognised as forming the National Topographic
Database of Great Britain (NTD). Today NTD provides the most comprehensive and
nationally consistent record available of the landscape of Great Britain. Data extends
down to Mean Low Water for England and Wales, and to Mean Low Water (Springs) in
Scotland, and includes almost all of the “detached” terrain that remains exposed at
Mean High Water (Springs).
While each of the many available representations of NTD will be critical for
one or more specific Coastal Zone applications, there is also value in having the ability
to model change over time. This provides a means to deduce historical shoreline
evolution, and can aid forward modelling scenarios. In Britain the historical dimension
is well catered for through increasing use of historical mapping such as that available
from OS’ extensive archives.
OS has been mapping the landscape of Great Britain continuously since AD
1791. Since the 1850s a range of large scales map series and editions (i.e. at 1:10, 560
scale and greater) have been available across the whole of Britain. They depict the then
contemporary topography in considerable detail, right down to low water mark, and
over time have been supplemented by a full portfolio of smaller scale general
topographic mapping offering a regional and national perspective. These historical
mapping epochs are rapidly becoming available from OS in raster form. Together with
other historical mapping at 1” to 1 mile scale and smaller (particularly at 4” to 1 mile
and 10 miles to 1”), they offer a particularly valuable audit of historical changes to the
shoreline and its hinterland. This may in turn give useful indications of possible
continuing trends of shoreline evolution, especially for areas where a “natural”
management regime is adopted.
Mapping the Changes
In the last fifty years OS’ complete portfolio of maps and plans has been overhauled and
regularly revised. It has also been supplemented by wholly new post-war surveys of
urban areas at 1:1250 scale, and of mountain and moorland areas at 1:10,000 scale. In
addition, since 1945 new maps have been produced and maintained at 1:25,000 scale.
More recently, during the 1970s, the famous 1” to 1 mile, general purpose topographic
mapping of Britain (OS’ “first published” series tracing its origins back to the early
1800s), was superseded by a new mapping series at 1:50,000 scale.
At the heart of this post-war activity, and at the core of OS’ current and future
business, is the continuous and consistent maintenance of the currency and content of
NTD and consequently the many mapping and latterly digital data products derived
from it. This work has been driven primarily by the philosophy so eloquently outlined
by the Davidson Committee back in 1938. Continuing the quotation mentioned above .
P.A.G. Watts
The GIS Dimension
In the last quarter of this century, Ordnance Survey has been in the vanguard of digital
conversion. The Agency can now offer a full and comprehensive range of nationally
available products in computer readable form. These are ideally suited, inter alia, to the
“best practice” needs of Coastal and Shoreline applications, particularly within a GIS
environment. Taken together, the surveys and digital topographic data that underpin
these products and services are widely recognised as forming the National Topographic
Database of Great Britain (NTD). Today NTD provides the most comprehensive and
nationally consistent record available of the landscape of Great Britain. Data extends
down to Mean Low Water for England and Wales, and to Mean Low Water (Springs) in
Scotland, and includes almost all of the “detached” terrain that remains exposed at
Mean High Water (Springs).
While each of the many available representations of NTD will be critical for
one or more specific Coastal Zone applications, there is also value in having the ability
to model change over time. This provides a means to deduce historical shoreline
evolution, and can aid forward modelling scenarios. In Britain the historical dimension
is well catered for through increasing use of historical mapping such as that available
from OS’ extensive archives.
OS has been mapping the landscape of Great Britain continuously since AD
1791. Since the 1850s a range of large scales map series and editions (i.e. at 1:10, 560
scale and greater) have been available across the whole of Britain. They depict the then
contemporary topography in considerable detail, right down to low water mark, and
over time have been supplemented by a full portfolio of smaller scale general
topographic mapping offering a regional and national perspective. These historical
mapping epochs are rapidly becoming available from OS in raster form. Together with
other historical mapping at 1” to 1 mile scale and smaller (particularly at 4” to 1 mile
and 10 miles to 1”), they offer a particularly valuable audit of historical changes to the
shoreline and its hinterland. This may in turn give useful indications of possible
continuing trends of shoreline evolution, especially for areas where a “natural”
management regime is adopted.
Mapping the Changes
In the last fifty years OS’ complete portfolio of maps and plans has been overhauled and
regularly revised. It has also been supplemented by wholly new post-war surveys of
urban areas at 1:1250 scale, and of mountain and moorland areas at 1:10,000 scale. In
addition, since 1945 new maps have been produced and maintained at 1:25,000 scale.
More recently, during the 1970s, the famous 1” to 1 mile, general purpose topographic
mapping of Britain (OS’ “first published” series tracing its origins back to the early
1800s), was superseded by a new mapping series at 1:50,000 scale.
At the heart of this post-war activity, and at the core of OS’ current and future
business, is the continuous and consistent maintenance of the currency and content of
NTD and consequently the many mapping and latterly digital data products derived
from it. This work has been driven primarily by the philosophy so eloquently outlined
by the Davidson Committee back in 1938. Continuing the quotation mentioned above .