I've tried a few other ways of getting maps including a piece of free sofware called Quo, while not bad software it don't give required detail.

I'm really peeved I was using old-maps to help my project mapping all the Northants mineral lines in a GE file.

Good luck with your negotiations with Landmark.

I'm too lazy to go to the Landmark website - how much money are we talking about here by the way?

The Landmark site doesn't help much, I will talk to them and try and get some sense. ::)

From what I could make of it, the JISC lot prices start at around a grand a year but I'm not sure what that gets you.

I can but ask...

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It might be possible for some kind of licensing agreement to be reached with Landscape, I need to have a look at what they do and get back to them to talk in more detail.

What seems fairly likely is that there won't be any free access. It is possible that a reduced rate could be arranged for an organisation that could be set up for the purpose. The cost of the licence and those for hosting the website would need to be covered so some cost needs to come in.

It is possible that this could be done under the umbrella of NAMHO though it is likely to require an increase in organisation subs. Alternatively we could set up a group independently but there is a definite risk that sub paying forgetfulness would result in the service folding.

I will have a further chat with Landscape tomorrow and see what it would be likely to cost. I am currently looking at the old maps and possibly the geological maps as well.

Any ideas or suggestions?

What about under the umbrella of Adit Now Mining History Society, that already exists on here. I realise it would mean a) everyone interested would need to join it, and b) there would have to be a subscription.

Do they have a website?

I can't see this coming back, and it's a great loss to many of us.

Some years ago, the first edition maps (1:10000) were freely available to download from the O/S - no copyright issue. The only thing was that the name of the file didn't easily reflect the location, but they were at least split into counties.
If anyone would like a particular area, pm me and I'll gladly email it to you for free. I'd burn a Cd and send at cost for a particular county, but I don't have them all. I sent Stuey some awhile back.

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The pity is that the Alan Godfrey repro maps are so good - it shows what can be done - and at a reasonable cost. They also reproduce all the marginal sections, survey dates, and usually give other bonus information on the back. I know they are producing as a true print run, which reduces cost, but I am sure an on-demand print service for full sheets (not just an individually selected area) could be done at a non-exhorbitant cost, and result in sales which otherwise would be lost. Especially if a multiple order discount rate etc. was incorporated. As I said somewhere up the thread, I cannot imagine that their sales have really suffered that much because of the enhanced zoom feature. People who wanted properly printed sheets for display on their walls in frames or whatever are usualy prepared to pay for them - it's the researcher who needs occasional reference or following features from one map to another both in distance and time whoi wouldn't buy them in the first place. (I suspect I've mangled this again,but you know what I mean.)

Cheers

Grahami

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Lipsi. I have moved house and now the GF has a laptop with working CD writer, I will get around to it. I haven't forgotten you!

Does anyone have a good set of old Northants maps I've done a lot of work on my GE kmz file showing all the old lines & quarries but still havea long way to go, I was using old maps a lot in my research.

The only mines that I want to include are those that are permanently & irrevocably sealed, I could include a seperate file of ironstone mines if members wished it.

Chris

OK I talked to the people at Landmark (www.landmark.co.uk) and the man I talked to was pretty sure they would be able to help, unfortunately that was as far as he could go since he was just covering for people being on holiday.
It won't be free 😞 which is a shame but in this day and age not surprising. Hopefully someone will get back to me on Monday...

So watch this space for the next exciting instalment...

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gNick - I am a bit confused (nothing new before anyone else says it). Yesterday you said you were going to have a further talk with an organisation called Landscape (and that you didn't want to get involved with Landmark), now you have referred to a conversation with Landmark. Could you elaborate a bit please?

Confusion arising from idiot moi typing Landscape instead of Landmark. I am I fear more confused than you!
I've now edited it to avoid further confusion.

I didn't mean I didn't want to get involved with them, just that the website wasn't actually very helpful, mostly because they don't normally sell what we want.

There isn't really much to report since the person or people I needed to talk to weren't in, this means that the situation is about as clear as a foot of water in an adit that has just had 50 people walking through it. Hopefully clarity will arrive next week...

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Ah! Thanks for clearing that up. Good luck. I hope something good can come out of your approach to them. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

@ gNick Yes Good Luck. Keep us posted.


Somewhere in all of this I think I've lost the plot a little. But am I right in that Landmark/Old-Maps have scanned the out of copyright OS mapping given to them by the OS? If that be the case if I have a paper copy of one of the said old OS maps and scan it and then use it digitally, say on a web page then I'm not breaching any copyright? Don't get me wrong I can fully understand Landmark wanting to get a return on their "investment". But by the same token the OS themselves through their OpenSpace program allow anyone who can string a few lines of html together, to display a zoom-able map of the UK on their web pages at no charge. (yes I know well all pay indirectly).
According to the Landmark/Old Maps web sites, they are "Powered by OS OpenSpace". If that be the case why can't they set up a similar service to the OS and levy a small charge over a certain tile download or indeed a version of a map by say age?

Peter.

http://www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk/Places/FullMap 

Dave

http://maps.nls.uk/os/25k-gb-1937-61/browse2.html 

They have a good coverage of the UK, not just Scotland. On-screen, they can be zoomed to a rediculous(ly good) extent. Doing a Print Screen from a Windows keyboard downloads for printing or anotation.

I've had dealings with the NLS about purchasing copies (400dpi scans to a TIFF file) and they are extremely helpful.

Penrhynman.

According to the Landmark/Old Maps web sites, they are "Powered by OS OpenSpace". If that be the case why can't they set up a similar service to the OS and levy a small charge over a certain tile download or indeed a version of a map by say age?

Peter.

Possibly their licence from the OS doesn't allow them to do this.

BTW, when is an OS map out of copyright?

Possibly their licence from the OS doesn't allow them to do this.

BTW, when is an OS map out of copyright?

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The OS map copyright is 50 years.

OS licences are funny things. Their free "Media" licence will allow a non-commercial organisation (e.g. the Penrhyn Quarry Railway Society) to freely use copyright OS maps in a regular journal for members but not in an occassional booklet which is given to the same members. For this they want over £50! No chance!!

There are restrictions about the area of re-printed maps but they are generous (about 3 A5s).

Penrhynman

I think this all comes down to what I have been banging-on a about a good few posts ago.

The O/S have a virtual monopoly over UK topographical data and websites that use old O/S maps (such as Landmark) are probably licensees of the O/S and/or have restrictions placed the number of fetches per 24 hours and on copying and printing. The same licensing regime applies to suppliers of hardcopy as well, I assume. That is why these things are so damned expensive.

I can’t see any easy way around this for non-institutional users, unless a joint licence for interested organisations could be purchased at a substantial fee. The O/S might well argue that sites like AN are only supporting a leisure activity and are not for educational purposes per se. Only a change in legislation would unlock the maps for the use of enthusiasts, I suspect. Any copyright lawyers out there?

Quick update for anyone who hasn't seen it, there is now a subscribe option. For £9.99 a month you get the enhanced zoom feature back, and about 10% off any purchases.

I saw that as well & desided against it on cost, it's more than a bit expensive.