Old OS maps

[Nemesis]

Some rather sorry news from the latest edition of the Society of Antiquaries newsletter:

From Fellow Percival Turnbull comes a plaintive note on the withdrawal of the very useful Ordnance Survey service whereby first-edition OS maps have been freely available to web users via the ‘Old Maps’ website), run jointly by the OS and Landmark. Percival writes: ‘Until recently one could download a high-definition image, as a .bmp file, of the first edition map of anywhere in the country; it was a marvellously useful resource, which I have used constantly and to which I have frequently directed local historians, amateur genealogists, and a host of people interested in the past of their home area. The site has now been redesigned, and is directed solely to marketing either hard copies (with optional gilt wood frames) or expensive downloads of maps which have been out of copyright for generations. This seems drearily mean-spirited to me, and I am encouraging anyone interested to contact the OS, through the website, to expostulate.’

I totally agree - this was a marvellous resource and it's not good that it has ended.

 

[biffvernon]

Oh that is terrible. I've used it frequently.

 

[Nemesis]

Me too!

 

[MdB]

... as a .bmp file, ...

That could have been the reason. The bandwidth cost could well have been very high. A png image would have been the same quality at a fraction of the file size.

What is the website? There maybe a way of still accessing them. (an old link to a .bmp image would be very useful)

edit - I assume you mean http://www.old-maps.co.uk/. Looking into it now.

edit 2 - Can't find anything sorry - not too surprisingly.

 

[biffvernon]

The file size wasn't terribly big. I used to use it ok before I got broadband.

 

[Manny]

I never downloaded anything from there, but can't you just press the 'print screen' key when looking at a map and then open MS Paint or something and paste the whole screen image in there to edit?

Would that not do the trick?

 

[Craig]

I think its just because they want to sell you the maps now...

 

[Nemesis]

I think it's cos they want to sell the maps too.

It was very useful being able to access maps from all over the country - instantly. And free.

Like Biff I used to use it when I had dialup and although a bit slow when enlarging sections it worked.

 

[biffvernon]

Manny, one used to be able to grab a big chunk of the map like that - but that is what has now been stopped.

 

[Penners]

The file size wasn't terribly big. I used to use it ok before I got broadband.

I'm fortunate that I downloaded one of this area (free) some months ago. But it's a biggish file for dialup - 4.5 meg.

It is a shame that the free service is being discontinued, but I suppose it's understandable. OS can't run on fresh air.

 

[Penners]

I never downloaded anything from there, but can't you just press the 'print screen' key when looking at a map and then open MS Paint or something and paste the whole screen image in there to edit?

Would that not do the trick?

Yes, Manny, you can do do that, although you will of course be infringing copyright.

You'll also get a poor quality image, bearing in mind that your screen probably displays only around 85 dpi.

 

[MdB]

Yes, Manny, you can do do that, although you will of course be infringing copyright.

Copying small extracts for personal use is allowed under copyright law and I think a single print screen would be covered under this. Taking multiple print screens and stiching them together probably would be pushing it though.

You'll also get a poor quality image, bearing in mind that your screen probably displays only around 85 dpi.

The quality will the same assuming you zoom the image so that one pixel on the source map is one pixel on the screen.

(Oh and a sample 3.8MB BMP file compressed to a 103kB GIF image without loss of information. BMP images are increadibly wasteful of space)

 

[Penners]

a sample 3.8MB BMP file compressed to a 103kB GIF image without loss of information.

For a monochrome image I accept that this is possible - for a colour image it would depend on the number of colours in the .bmp file. But it's not really relevant when it comes to downloading the .bmp file, since you can't compress it until after you've downloaded it.

 

[skier-hughes]

I think the relevancy is, if OS used another file format they wouldn't use so much bandwidth.

 

[biffvernon]

All I know is that I used to be able to copy useful sized chunks and paste them straight into CrorelDraw, pesumably as a vector graphic, very easily. Now I can't. The site had been set up and must have been able to run automatically at very little cost to the OS or anyone else for several years. Now they've decided to try to make money out of something that used to be a free service. The world has become poorer.

 

[stickybeak]

.

 

[Nemesis]

The prob with the British History site is (unless I'm not doing it properly) it doesn't zoom in as much as the Old Maps site.

Where things like old RoW are concerned that can be very useful!

 

[stickybeak]

.

 

[Nemesis]

Unless I haven't found it my village (and indeed county) is not on at that scale.

 

[stickybeak]

village?