Road Routing Information includes additional information on bridge height and vehicle restrictions, traffic calming, one-way roads and essential information about each junction.
Created from aerial photography, the Imagery Layer will provide a detailed and comprehensive aerial map of Great Britain. All images will be orthorectified -- correcting the positional and geometric distortions that arise both through the camera's position relative to points on the ground and through variations in height on the ground surface.
It is additions such as the ITN layer that have enabled Ordnance Survey to build some interesting proof-of-concept applications. One, using route-planning software hosted on servers for access by smartphone or GPRS-enabled PDA users, can track a driver's progress as they, for instance, head in to London for a meeting. "You can add traffic alerts to the route planner," says Wilkins, "and if there's a delay the system will automatically generate an email saying you'll be X minutes late, calculated on the state of the traffic and the quickest alternative route."
As the driver enters the central London congestion charging zone, the system can detect this and pay the charge by SMS. By tapping into the spatial data within the MasterMap, it can then give a selection of car parks and, could in theory pay the car park ticket. "If the meeting overruns, the system could be set up to suggest local restaurants -- there would even be opportunities to view the menu over your mobile phone," says Wilkins. "We've been spending a lot of time showing operators some of the types of applications that are possible with the latest MasterMap functionality. We see a lot of mileage in this."
Talkback
In almost every other country in the world map data is FREELEY available for use by the citizens of the country , Why is it then that mapping data in the uk an SUPPOSED FREE country is so UNOBTAINABLE with out paying LARGE AMMOUNTS OF MONEY .
If someone wanted to build an alternative to the M$ Corps ripoff Autoroute on Linux based Platform we are unable to because of the excessive costs nailed on us by the Ordinacne Survey and Government it is an ABSOLUTE TOTAL FARCE
and needs to be stopped pronto
Not sure if the last guy to comment read the first page of this article where is says that the UK has one of the most comprehensive mappings of any country... It's unfortunate rule in life that good things cost good money.
This certainly looks like an exciting area to keep an eye. The possibilities for use seem almost endless.