Ordnance Survey finds its way to court

NEWS Government-backed UK map-maker Ordnance Survey is being taken to court on charges of using public money to fund an anti-competitive commercial venture. Getmapping - which specialises in aerial surveys - is accusing Ordnance Survey (OS) of using tax-payers' money to fund a commercial venture that is set to ruin Getmapping's business. Getmapping - famous for its £100,000 investment from the Queen upon its flotation in 2000 - and Ordnance Survey signed a reseller agreement in 2000 which enables Getmapping to offer its aerial photography service, Millennium Map, online to OS customers. However, a spokesman from Getmapping said: "Ordnance Survey then used tax payer money to fund a venture - MasterMap - that it said would not become a commercial business, but now is. It's using its dominant position in the market and government subsidies to get further advantage in the commercial sector." An Ordnance Survey spokesman said in its defence that it is required by the government to provide detailed maps of remote areas of the UK for use by architects, land registries and the emergency services. The spokesman said: "We will defend our position. Getmapping has just had its nose put out of joint." The spokesman added the government is helping to fund remote coverage of the Ordnance Survey aerial photography project as the imagery level required - Orthorectified Data - is expensive to produce. Getmapping uses a lower quality imagery level named Geocorrected Data. Getmapping has proposed that Ordnance Survey provide both imagery level services to give consumers a choice. However, this request was refused. Getmapping's spokesman said: " Ordnance Survey has done it to get Getmapping out of the picture so it can make more money from this commercial venture."