Ordnance Survey International

Last updated
Ordnance Survey International
Formation1946
Dissolved2001
TypeGO
PurposeProvided a central survey and mapping organisation for British colonies and protectorates
HeadquartersSouthampton
Parent organization
 Ordnance Survey
Staff
None

The Ordnance Survey International or Ordnance Survey Overseas Directorate its predecessors built an archive of air photography, map and survey records for the United Kingdom from 1946 to 1999. The Ordnance Survey International Collection (formerly the Ordnance Survey International Library) held mapping records that were acquired outside the UK. [1]

Contents

Although the international division opened in 1946, the OS had been involved in overseas work for almost a century (notably the 1864-65 Ordnance Survey of Jerusalem). [2]

The agency was closed in 2001. [3]

History

The agency

In 1946 the Directorate of Colonial Surveys (DCS) was established by the Colonial Office to provide a central survey and mapping organisation for British colonies and protectorates. [3] In 1957, with the imminent decolonisation of many British territories, it was renamed the Directorate of Overseas Surveys (DOS). [3] Government reviews during the 1970s led to it being merging into the Ordnance Survey (OS) in 1984 whence it was known as the Overseas Surveys Directorate (OSD). [3]

In 1991, following completion of the last significant aid-funded mapping projects, its name was changed one final time to Ordnance Survey International and its main activity became consultancy, primarily in Eastern Europe. [3] It was closed in 2001. [3]

The archive

The aerial photographs, maps and survey data were originally kept in separate libraries but were amalgamated in 1984 into a single collection called Technical Information and Support Services. [3] In 1991 this was renamed the Ordnance Survey International Library. [3] In 2002 it was decided that it was no longer needed and responsibility for its disposal was passed to The National Archives. [3] During 2003 and 2004 The National Archives, the Ordnance Survey and advisers from specialist bodies jointly appraised the collection to determine which records should be kept and by which custodians. [3] The collection was dispersed during 2004. [3] [4]

Since 2012, the archive has been held within the National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), and includes some 1.5 million aerial photographs alongside cover traces, maps and annual reports. [5] Having rescued the collection from the defunct British Empire and Commonwealth Museum, NCAP are now cataloguing and digitising the collection. [6] In 2014, a 16 minute Scottish Documentary Institute film entitled 'Sightlines' used photography from the collection to explore the legacy of 20th century aerial survey in Mwatate, Kenya. [7] The film was created as part of Creative Scotland's 'Culture 2014' programme, and premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. [8]

To date, a small amount of material from the collection has been made available via the NCAP website, primarily relating to the 2014 documentary. Examples of photography from the collection are also displayed, showing the types of terrain and remote communities which were mapped for the first time by DOS. [9]

Mapping

During its lifetime the agency provided mapping to almost all the British colonies and protectorates. [3] In addition, some non-Commonwealth countries were mapped between 1975 and 1991 including Ethiopia, Liberia, Sudan and Yemen. [3]

Aerial photography and photogrammetry were used with photography missions being flown primarily by United Kingdom air survey companies. [10] Agency surveyors were sent abroad to establish horizontal and vertical ground control for the photography; this was permanently marked and co-ordinated so that the surveys could be the basis for future work. [10]

After a map was compiled from the photography, a plot (draft) was made for checking and annotation by the local survey department of the country concerned. [10] The final map was drawn at agency headquarters and printed by the Ordnance Survey. [10]

Other roles

In addition to its primary map making role the agency was responsible for:

Directors General

DirectorFrom
Martin Hotine 1946-03-11
G J Humphries1963-10-10
W D C Wiggins1965-10-01
D E Warren1968-05-31
B E Furmston1979-06

Reference. [11]

See also

Further reading

Related Research Articles

Topographic map Medium to large scale map that shows a precise map of the terrain

In modern mapping, a topographic map or topographic sheet is a type of map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief features, usually using contour lines, but historically using a variety of methods. Traditional definitions require a topographic map to show both natural and artificial features. A topographic survey is typically based upon systematic observation and published as a map series, made up of two or more map sheets that combine to form the whole map. A topographic map series uses a common specification that includes the range of cartographic symbols employed, as well as a standard geodetic framework that defines the map projection, coordinate system, ellipsoid and geodetic datum. Official topographic maps also adopt a national grid referencing system.

Survey may refer to:

Aerial photography Taking images of the ground from the air

Aerial photography is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other flying object. Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, balloons, blimps and dirigibles, rockets, pigeons, kites, parachutes, stand-alone telescoping and vehicle-mounted poles. Mounted cameras may be triggered remotely or automatically; hand-held photographs may be taken by a photographer.

Photogrammetry Taking measurements using photography

Photogrammetry is the science and technology of obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images and patterns of electromagnetic radiant imagery and other phenomena.

Planimetrics is the study of plane measurements, including angles, distances, and areas.

Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland (OSNI) was the official mapping agency of Northern Ireland. The agency ceased to exist separately on 1 April 2008 when it became part of Land and Property Services, an executive agency of the Northern Ireland Department of Finance and Personnel, along with the Rate Collection Agency, the Valuation and Lands Agency, and the Land Registry.

Survey of Bangladesh National mapping authority of Bangladesh

The Survey of Bangladesh (SOB) is the national mapping authority of Bangladesh. The agency functions under the Ministry of Defence and is headed by the Surveyor General of Bangladesh.

The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) is an American learned society devoted to photogrammetry and remote sensing. It is the United States' member organization of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Founded in 1934 as American Society of Photogrammetry and renamed in 1985, the ASPRS is a scientific association serving over 7,000 professional members around the world. As a professional body with oversight of specialists in the arts of imagery exploitation and photographic cartography. Its official journal is Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing (PE&RS), known as Photogrammetric Engineering between 1937 and 1975.

Stereoplotter

A stereoplotter uses stereo photographs to determine elevations. It has been the primary method to plot contour lines on topographic maps since the 1930s. Although the specific devices have advanced technologically, they are all based on the apparent change in position of a feature in the two stereo photographs.

Ordnance Survey National mapping agency of the UK for Great Britain

Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose, which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was also a more general and nationwide need in light of the potential threat of invasion during the Napoleonic Wars. Since 1 April 2015 Ordnance Survey has operated as Ordnance Survey Ltd, a government-owned company, 100% in public ownership. The Ordnance Survey Board remains accountable to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. It was also a member of the Public Data Group.

National mapping agency Organisation that produces maps and geographic information of a country

A national mapping agency is an organisation, usually publicly owned, that produces topographic maps and geographic information of a country. Some national mapping agencies also deal with cadastral matters.

Ethiopian Mapping Agency Government agency responsible for cartographic mapping and remote sensing activities in Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Mapping Agency (EMA) is an Ethiopian government agency, a department within the Ministry of Finance and Cooperation, that is responsible for cartographic mapping and remote sensing activities in Ethiopia. The EMA has expanded its operation to include a comprehensive map revision program in addition to various phases of digital mapping and information technology.

Martin Hotine British Army officer

Brigadier Martin Hotine CMG CBE was the head of the Trigonometrical and Levelling Division of the Ordnance Survey responsible for the 26-year-long retriangulation of Great Britain (1936–1962) and was the first Director General of the Directorate of Overseas Surveys (1946–1955).

Alastair Macdonald MBE is a retired land surveyor and author.

Digimap

Digimap is a web mapping and online data delivery service developed by the EDINA national data centre for UK academia. It offers a range of on-line mapping and data download facilities which provide maps and spatial data from Ordnance Survey, British Geological Survey, Landmark Information Group and OceanWise Ltd Ltd.,, Getmapping Ltd, the Environment Agency, OpenStreetMap, CollinsBartholomew Ltd, and various other sources.

Walter Purvis Smith CB OBE was an English land surveyor notable for being the first civilian Director General of the Ordnance Survey, from 1977 to 1985.

Army Map Service Military unit

The Army Map Service (AMS) was the military cartographic agency of the United States Department of Defense from 1941 to 1968, subordinated to the United States Army Corps of Engineers. On September 1, 1968, the AMS was redesignated the U.S. Army Topographic Command (USATC) and continued as an independent organization until January 1, 1972, when it was merged into the new Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) and redesignated as the DMA Topographic Center (DMATC). On October 1, 1996, DMA was folded into the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), which was redesignated as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) in 2003.

James W. Bagley

Major James Warren Bagley was an American aerial photographer, topographic engineer and inventor.

DAT/EM Systems International is an Alaska-based company that develops digital photogrammetric mapping applications to extract and edit 3D vector terrain and object features from stereo imagery and point clouds. DAT/EM Systems International develops solutions for the photogrammetry, engineering & GIS industries.

The National Collection of Aerial Photography is a photographic archive in Edinburgh, Scotland, containing 26 million aerial photographs of worldwide historic events and places. From 2008–2015 it was part of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and since then it has been a sub-brand of Historic Environment Scotland. Many of the aerial reconnaissance photographs were taken during the Second World War and the Cold War, and were declassified and released by the Ministry of Defence. The collection also contains over 1.8 million aerial photographs of Scotland, during and in the years after the Second World War, as well as post-war Ordnance Survey, and over 10 million images of international sites as part of The Aerial Reconnaissance Archives (TARA). The collection contains both military declassified and non-military aerial photographs from over a dozen different national and international organisations.

References

  1. ↑ "The Ordnance Survey International Collection". Southampton: Ordnance Survey. Archived from the original on 2008-11-14. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
  2. ↑ Top 10 mapping moments in OS history; By David Henderson, Director of Products: "The Ordnance Survey Overseas Directorate was formed in 1946, although we’d been involved in international mapping for much longer: we surveyed Jerusalem (helping the city to improve its water supply) as early as 1865."
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "History of the International Collection". Southampton: Ordnance Survey. Archived from the original on 2008-11-19. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
  4. ↑ "Content dispersal". Southampton: Ordnance Survey. Archived from the original on 2008-11-19. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
  5. ↑ "The Directorate of Overseas Surveys (DOS)". NCAP.org.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  6. ↑ "Commonwealth frames: Rescued archive images and maps". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  7. ↑ "Sightlines (2014)". imdb.com. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  8. ↑ "New Film - Sightlines - Offers a Vision of the Commonwealth". NCAP.org.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "Directorate of Overseas Surveys (DOS)". NCAP.org.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Directorate of Overseas Surveys". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
  11. ↑ Macdonald, Alastair (1996). Mapping The World (1st ed.). Norwich, England: HMSO. pp. ii. ISBN   978-0-11-701590-6.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.