Are you managing OS data the old-fashioned way?

Licensing changes are rarely exciting, but this recent update creates far more flexibility in how organisations can process and retain information created using Ordnance Survey data.

What has changed? 

Previously, information created using licensed OS data was all classed as Derived Data.

If your organisation retained that output, it remained subject to OS licensing terms. This meant continuing to pay royalties and maintaining its lineage back to the original data. That would apply even if the retained output contained only a small piece of information inferred from the source.

3 new data classifications

Now, processed OS data falls into three distinct classifications:

Derived Data: Derived Data contains or depends on OS geometry, features or attribution. It still requires royalty consideration, lineage tracking and management under the relevant OS licensing terms.

Free to Use Data: Free to Use Data contains information inferred from OS data but does not reproduce the original OS geometry, features or attribution. For example, a tag or classification. It can be retained without ongoing royalties or lineage tracking, although an OS attribution statement may still be required.

Analytics Data: Analytics Data takes the analysis a step further. It provides an answer, score, percentage or other result that can be used independently of the original OS data. These results do not reproduce the original OS data and cannot be used to reverse engineer it. Analytics Data can be retained royalty-free and without ongoing lineage tracking.

More flexible usage

One of the biggest opportunities created by the new classifications is greater flexibility over the information organisations retain. A standalone flag, score or analytical result is much easier to retain and reuse across your organisation than an output permanently tied to licensed source data — paving the way for more short-term projects that use OS data.

There’s also a significant time saving. Maintaining data lineage takes work. Teams need to record where information came from, how it was created and which licensing terms apply to it. Removing that requirement from qualifying outputs reduces the amount of data administration involved.

Finally, reviewing these arrangements may also release budget or resource that can be redirected into further data, analytical or transformation projects, rather than simply maintaining historic processes that are no longer necessary.

OS data licensing

Book a MisoData Review

A review of your existing OS-derived datasets could identify outputs that no longer need ongoing royalties or lineage management. It could also help you design future analysis so you retain the result you need without unnecessarily retaining licensed OS geometry or attribution.

Miso can review your current data holdings, identify how different outputs should be classified, and highlight potential efficiencies.

Book an OS Data Review with Miso