New Digital Mapping Service For Schools Launches in Wandsworth


Making highly detailed info accessible for geography lessons

Ordnance Survey is increasing its support for the teaching of geography at all levels by launching a brand new online mapping service for all schools across Great Britain. ‘Digimap for Schools’ provides schools with easy access to Ordnance Survey's most detailed digital mapping for the whole of Great Britain. For the first time, pupils will have access to maps showing individual building outlines as well as familiar scales of mapping used by outdoor enthusiasts and on websites.  
 
Baroness Joan Hanham CBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has launched the new service to help improve the teaching of geography in schools with Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB, Director General and Chief Executive of national mapping agency Ordnance Survey. The launch took place at Graveney School in Wandsworth last week.

Baroness Hanham said:
“It’s important for schoolchildren to learn how to tell where places in this country are. ‘Digimap for schools’ will provide detailed geographical information for pupils. I’m very pleased to launch this scheme, which will give all children easy access to Ordnance Survey maps through the latest technology in interactive digital mapping.”

Dr Lawrence said:
“I am delighted that we are able to offer such a wide range of Ordnance Survey data available to pupils of all ages and we are keen to encourage teachers to use mapping data to make geography relevant and interesting to pupils.”

Ordnance Survey has provided all 11-year-olds with a free OS Explorer map of their area for the last nine years, issuing over six million paper maps. The popular scheme had been one of the largest educational initiatives of its kind. This year schools with 11-year-olds have also been given free access to Digimap for Schools until December 2011.


Further information on Digimap for Schools is available on the JISC Collections for Schools website http://www.jcs.nen.gov.uk

November 15, 2010