Amateur orienteering mapping

[Davy]

Hallo, personal opinion alert, I am not a lawyer;

Professional mappers buy a license from OCAD. They need to buy another license from Ordnance Survey. If they use data from Google Earth or Open Street Map licenses are required from them. All this costs many doubloons annually and the costs have to be recovered from the customer. The mappers also need to cover their own costs and feed and water their children.

Ordnance Survey, in particular, have a reputation for aggressively protecting their copyright. You can find details of copyright requirements on the source organisations websites. ( https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/busine ... agreements https://www.google.com/help/terms_maps/ https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright)

Ordnance Survey tell me that, as an amateur, I can either buy small packets of OS data from their wholesalers such as Promap or Mapstore or use OS Open Data; they want a credit on the Map and a quote of the BOF OS license number (which I understand is 100015287).

The copyright statement that I put on my own maps reads:-
"Copyright, CLUB NAME.
Data sources; OpenStreetMap, Google Earth, OS Open Data,
Some OS derived data (BOF License 100015287),
Scottish Remote Sensing Portal LIDAR, and foot survey.
For sporting and educational use only. Not for sale.
Access rights are governed by the Scottish Access Code.
Latest map update xxxxxx. "

The way that a "non-profit, fair-use" system has been explained to me is that non-profit organisers handing out maps to participants is fine. Setting up a market stall and selling them to passers by for a fiver a map would be frowned on.

A commercial operator has to comply with all the data source copyright requirements, employ tax book keeping, buy business third-party liability insurances, comply with HSE rules and so on, which means that money changes hands at an escalating rate. HMRC show interest in that sort of money flow.

Any mapping project that I do, I ensure that I make a few pennies loss on the expenses. I don't bill anyone for the many, many, hours of volunteer time that I put in.

As to "do professional mappers do a better job"; they have higher expectations to match. Whether they actually do a better job is very subjective. Mapping needs a thick skin, everybody is a critic.

[Davy]

Here are another few tips that have been pointed out to me in the last year.

I am not a Strava user and had no knowledge of what they call the "Strava World Heat Map". If you do an internet search for that phrase you will find lots of explanation. Basically, it is an online raster image of GPS trails that Strava users have recorded and uploaded. It can be used to indicate where paths might be found that can't be seen under tree canopies on aerial photographs. For various reasons (GPS accuracy etc) it isn't accurate enough to be a primary source, but it can be pretty handy for planning foot surveys. It only shows where Strava users transit. I know of a busy woodland path near me which doesn't show on the heatmap; dog walkers and pram pushers are the wrong kind of path user.

If you look on the Open Street Map wikis you will find several complicated ways to use the heatmap data but I reckon that the simplest way is to use a screen shot as an Open Orienteering Mapper template.

After a base map has been created but before a first foot survey, zoom in on the Strava heatmap of the area (https://www.strava.com/heatmap). Signing in to a Strava account will allow a higher degree of picture fidelity, but beware that there is a free version and an expensive version. The Strava global heatmap page has several tick box choices. I have been picking Color red, Activity, all, Opacity 100%, Layer map, Map Style satellite. Screenshot the image and save it as a jpeg. Fit the strava image as a template to the OOMapper base maps background. Trace out the suspected routes. Check the reality of it with a foot survey.

Also, this;

Not living in England I have never found the need to look at the DEFRA website. I had been using a Scottish local authority ARCgis website to view little bits of the OS 1:10.000 scale Mastermap. Like all OS data, you have to be sure that you're use is not infringing their copyright. It was interesting and occasionally useful but a bit fiddly. I had the existence of the DEFRA Magic map site drawn to my attention and discovered that, in fact, it covers all of OSGB, not just England.

I was talked through how to obtain a transparency of a decent sized area of the OS Master map DEFRA Magic map GIS from https://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx . On the Table of Contents select "OS Colour Mapping" , then minimise the Table. Zoom into the area required; a small thumbnail map will show the extent of the zoomed area being covered. On the toolbar above the map a box shows the scale; adjust that scale to 1:5000. (1:5k is a compromise between clarity and cover, but it is the same data you can see at 1:10k) Click on the print icon, under "choose a layout" select "Map only" either portrait or landscape, choose jpg as format and click Print. A "printout" option appears, allowing you to save the JPG wherever it is needed. Now import to OOMapper as a template.

EDIT , December 2022. Recently the DEFRA Magicmap offer seems to have been downgraded a bit, with less useful data on it.

And another thing.

For areas of the UK where lidar isn't available, the David Dixon update to the OpenOrienteeringMap offshoot from Open Street Map ( https://oomap.dna-software.co.uk ) can now show satellite derived 5m contours from both NASA and the European Space Agency. Define the area you want, export from OOM to pdf (which is georeferenced). Start Inkscape. Drag the pdf into Inkscape; OK the default import settings. Now save from Inkscape as a .dxf file by going Menu > File > Save as > chose "Desktop Cutting Plotter .dxf" > Save and OK the default line output. Close Inkscape. Start a new map in OOmapper and import your new .dxf file to edit. If you chose the "Psued O" version from OpenOrienteeringMap then your OOMapper editor should now show the selected contour lines, any line features that were on Open Street Map and buildings outlines, all of which are now in editable vector format. All the contour lines also have a "direction of slope" tag which could be very useful in complicated ground. As with all use of Open Street Map data, it might be worthwhile to improve the OSM main map before extracting the data. Enormous thanks to Mr Dixon.

[Atomic]

Davy, thanks - I hope i didn't come across as argumentative, I was genuinely interested if it was clear whether a paid event, for example, strayed into different territory. you prompted me to do some more digging and it seem that this is one of the reasons we put Event numbers on maps, although whilst I could find a statement from BOF saying we had to do this to comply with the license, I couldn't actually find the license/restrictions listed anywhere!

One point it does make on the BOF site (https://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/ ... _resources) is school maps should possibly be covered under a LEA license rather than the BOF license.

[Davy]

Hi.
No, not argumentative. Copyright is a complicated subject and I try to be cautious about it.
Cheers.

[Excelman]

Very useful thread here, thanks.

[ianandmonika]

It’s worth saying that if a club uses latest OCAD its a different process and importing Lidar data and georeferencing is pretty straightforward.
Also worth mappers signing up to Facebook Orienteering Mappers Int which has lots of useful info and links.

[Davy]

More about the copyright thing.

There is advice on the BOF website ( https://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/ ... _resources ) which says that the current BOF policy stems from contact received from OS in 2010. A lot has happened to OS since 2010. From 1 April 2015, OS has operated as a Government owned limited company.

In April 2010 OS started operating their OS OpenData service; some data offered under that scheme is useful to orienteering mappers. Since September 2010, OS has had to comply with the Open Government License (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Government_Licence ), which is now in version 3 (OGL3) and is described as compatible with Creative Commons' Attribution 4.0 (CC4)
( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ) .

You can read the current Open Government License here ; https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc ... version/3/ . Note that the license includes the phrase "If the Information Provider does not provide a specific attribution statement, you must use the following:Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. "

As far as I can work out, the OS mapping data which is covered by OGL3 is anything which OS describes as "Open Data" and any copyright expired historical maps which are 50 years old and published before 2015 (they changed from Crown copyright to a personal copyright in 2015).

OS data which is not Open Data is still covered by their commercial licensing system.

The current OS website is divided into three sections, Leisure, Business and Education. Their Leisure option is only concerned with selling "stuff" to the public. The Business section is about selling digital products to commercial operators, the building trade and the like. The Educational section is about directing school colleges and universities towards the OS contractor "Edina" where they can buy OS data in strictly defined formats. There is nothing on the current OS website to serve the needs of "the not for profit, public interest" sector.

Feeling the need for a bit of clarity I contacted OS directly in early 2020. This is how that went, though I have deleted personal names, email addresses and some off topic correspondence for privacy reasons.

I asked:
" I would like to clarify a Copyright situation. I am an amateur map maker with our local orienteering club. This is a totally non profit local sports club involved in amateur orienteering competitions and providing free navigational education and instruction. In the past I have used data ( the first version of the “get a map” service) from the OS main website under the OS Educational Copyright statement. When we have used OS open data in the past we have included a statement crediting OS input and saying that it is “for non profit sporting and educational use only”

I have been looking at buying .dxf files of the “OS height data contour vector map” and the “OS vector map local” from your vendor. They have a copyright licence statement on their website which seems to assume that the buyer is a commercial entity of some sort. They offer a licence for “1 year on 1 terminal”. The process of creating an orienteering map means that I would only be using the raw .dxf data file for less than one hour, on the OpenOrienteering Mapper freeware CAD package, and then following an artistic interpretation of that input.

Having recently looked at your current website the wording of your statement about OS Educational Copyright seems to have changed a bit. Are we still OK to use the data that we have bought by distributing it “for non profit sporting and educational use only ?"

They responded:
" Thank you for your email regarding licensing of our mapping. To be honest with you, this is a bit of a strange one and I am not totally sure how to respond. As I don’t want to provide you with incorrect information, I have sent the details to our licensing team for further advice. Once I have received their response, I will be back in touch with you again. Please accept my apologies for not being able to provide you with an answer at this stage."

And again,
" Further to my email below regarding licensing of our mapping. My technical team have advised me that you would either need to source the mapping from one of our partners (some listed below for you), or you could use the OS OpenData products for this (free of charge). The licence provided from our partners for 1 year on 1 terminal would cover you for the use of our map data. We have recently addressed our licensing pages on our web site to try and make things a little easier. The OS Educational Copywrite (sic) has been removed."

It should be noted that the OS email footer notes contained the phrase "the contents of this email are personal to the writer and do not represent the official view of Ordnance Survey. Nor can any contract be formed on Ordnance Survey's behalf via email."

What I took from that exchange was that OS are OK with my use of data that I have paid for through their nominated retailer; they are happy with that flow of money from me to them. They want a credit on the map. If using bought data then the vendors display their OS license number and that should be quoted. It is clear that OS no longer have any corporate knowledge, memory or interest in Orienteering, which is pretty sad for the national mapping agency. Perhaps BOF should be trying to re-establish a national relationship with them ?

Buried in the Business section of the OS website ( https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/busine ... ledgements ) can be found these statements;
" if you are just publishing OS OpenData (or exempted derived data dataset), you just need to include this attribution statement: Contains OS data © Crown copyright [and database right] [year]. " and,
" If the OS Open Data acknowledgement is not applicable then you need to use: © Crown copyright and database rights [Member inserts year] OS [Member inserts their licence number].

These statements are directed at public service users but seem indicative of the copyright wording that OS are looking for.

In a hypothetical case where an O map was started in the year 2525 with a a vector file bought from an OS vendor with a a license number "987654321" and then edited as a result of personal surveys by the mapper a copyright statement might include something like "contains some data derived from OS © Crown copyright 2525 license 987654321" .

On the OS website " https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/busine ... publishing " (again this is aimed at Public Service license holders but seems indicative of how OS want things done) is the instruction,

"Whether you publish it ...... in print, you must:
1. Make sure it’s clear it’s your publication.
2. Make sure you state the purpose of the item clearly – why you’ve produced it.
3. Show the focus is about your information not OS data.
4. Use the right acknowledgement – usually around Crown Copyright. "
(That is a partial quote, disregarding advice for online publication).

OS data, then, is split into Open Data and commercial data. There is a temptation to obtain a raster template of an OS commercial map from some random website, not paying OS directly for the data. Check the terms and conditions of the source website to see if that is permitted. For instance the well known DEFRA Magicmap site says in their T&C's "Users must ensure that any use of information does not breach the owner's copyright. If it is unclear whether any particular use is permissible a user should contact the copyright owner. " In that case using OS commercial data without paying for it would breach OS copyright. That scenario can be avoided easily comparatively cheaply by buying OS vector data as a download from one of their licensed retailers as the first layer of the O map. Recently I have paid £24 for an area 1km² at a scale of 1:10,000. Then use whatever raster templates are available.

The warning on the BOF website about OS copyright contains the phrase "even those (maps) with national grid references are covered ". The idea that OS would come after us for printing the OSGB grid location on an event map seems crackers when you see how many thousands of Grid Ref's are mentioned on the web, but they might object to a map being georeferenced to OSGB without a "derived data" credit. Their argument seems less strong if the equivalent EPSG27700 is used; "EPSG" means "European Petroleum Survey Group", not a branch of OS. Anyway, it is easy to change the georeferencing to UTM/WGS84/EPSG3857 and avoid OS's claim.

The BOF advice seems to assume that OS is the only source of mapping information. It is possible to create an O map containing no OS copyright data. For instance, start with a download from Open Street Map (OSM) and add to it from LIDAR data and Google Earth Pro. OSM downloads are georeferenced to WGS84. OSM copyright ( https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright ) is pretty straight forward; " You are free to copy, distribute, transmit and adapt our data, as long as you credit OpenStreetMap and its contributors. If you alter or build upon our data, you may distribute the result only under the same licence." and "use the credit “© OpenStreetMap contributors”" [some OS data is embedded in OSM, but that is included in the OSM copyright]. Google Earth Pro is also fairly clear ( https://about.google/brand-resource-cen ... uidelines/ ) "Copyright fair use. Your use of our content may be acceptable under principles of fair use (or other similar concepts in other countries)." LIDAR information provided by DEFRA and the Scottish Remote Sensing Portal is covered by OGL3, and that license should be quoted on the finished O map.

We can still draw a map from scratch the hardcore way using pen, paper, a sighting compass, tape measure, barometer, bamboo canes, a bit of string and a hose. In that case the copyright would belong entirely to the mapper but, oh dear it's slow.

At this point I should re-emphasise that I am not a lawyer, I just read a lot. I apologise for the length that this has dragged on for.

In our fantasy scenario of drawing a map in the year 2525 which combines OS Open Data, OS commercial data, LIDAR, Google Earth, OSM and a foot survey the copyright statement on the map might read like this;

"Copyright CLUB NAME, contains some data derived from,
OS © Crown copyright 2525 license 987654321
© OpenStreetMap contributors,
DEFRA LIDAR OGL3
Google Earth Pro
Surveyed and drawn by Mrs Lucky.
Latest update, Spring 2526"

Is it time for BOF to update their advice, or go back to OS to clarify our position as "non profit sporting and educational" users, or should sleeping dogs lie ?

------------------------------------------------------
* Minor edit to correct sloppy grammar, sorry.

[Davy]

David Dixon has now added Scottish Lidar to his work on https://oomap.dna-software.co.uk/ . He has a useful map linked from this thread, viewtopic.php?f=1&t=15925 .

[John-O]

Part eight of ten

Use raster pictures as templates

It is possible, with a modicum of faffing in QGIS, to georeference a raster image, such as a JPEG aerial photograph, or a scan of a historical map. There are instructions on how to do this in the QGIS training material but I have never successfully managed it...

Try using the Freehand Raster Georeferencer Plugin. In its toolbar use A to Add the raster file. Then use the 2P button to move a point on the raster to the same point on the map. Then do the same for another point. Repeat as needed to get it to fit. Can then be saved as georeferenced by using the || button.

[John-O]

Part four of ten

Topographical
Paid stuff

In Scotland the quickest way to obtain digitised topo data is to buy it from Ordnance Survey. That is against my guiding principle of “free” but so far the price has been pretty modest. OS have a number of online retailers and I have bought data from;

Check out OS Data Hub - The Premium Plan includes up to £1000 of data free per month. Includes Mastermap raster tiles & 4 tiles cost 3p

"Free for creating apps, products and services for 3rd parties including the public,

-Our Premium Plan can only be used by an entity providing a service for a third party (whether that be the public, or another company). This explicitly excludes organisations that are using our data solely for internal business use."

[Davy]

Clip laz files

Phase 6 of the Scottish Data Portal's LIDAR, covering west central Scotland, has Laz file downloads in the order of 900mb which is a bit big. It slows down processing times. The fidelity of the las scan is up to 4 points per spare meter and the tile size has increased from 1 sq km to 25 sq km. I found a way to cut the file size down a bit using QGIS.

Upgrade your version of QGIS to at least 3.32. If you are using a later version some of these commands might have changed a bit.

Download the laz file, place it in a project folder, and drag it onto QGIS; it might take a while to load depending on how puny your computer is.

Draw a polygon shape on the picture to encompass the area you want to work with, thus.

1. Select the “Create a New Layer” option from the Layer menu.
2. Choose the Shapefile layer type, name the layer, and select the appropriate Coordinate Reference System (CRS). In "geometry type" pick "polygon". Click OK.
3. In the Layer panel, right-click on the newly created polygon layer and select “Toggle Editing.”
4. Use the “Add Polygon Feature” toolbar button to start creating your polygon.
5. Continue drawing the polygon by clicking on the map "canvas".
6. Double-click to finish drawing the polygon, and save the changes by right clicking and clicking "OK" on the little box which appears.
7. Turn off the editing mode by right-clicking on the polygon layer and de-selecting “Toggle Editing".

Open the "Toolbox" panel via the cog symbol in the top tool bar. In that panel, open "Point Cloud data management", double click on "clip" and a new panel will open.

In the "Clip" panel select your Input layer (that's the laz file you have listed in the Layers panel). Check that the correct Clipping polygon is selected. Click Run.

If the process has been successful so far, your new clipping will appear in the player panel entitled "Clipped"; right click on that and choose Export & Save as then in the new "Save Vector Layer " panel change format to Las/Laz and give it a file name making sure that you include the suffix .las or .laz. Pick the correct CRS. Click OK. Your new, smaller, las/laz file will appear in the project folder you started with.

The downloaded laz file covered about half the County at 900mb. I cut that down to just 45mb covering the area of the woodland we are looking at. I then ran the smaller laz file through Karttapullautin which processed quite quickly and produced a reasonable result. All good.

Edited in January 2024 in light of experience. Also, QGIS 3.32 can now easily merge big laz files by dragging them onto the workspace, and using the "merge" tool found in the Toolbox under "Point Cloud data management".

[Davy]

National Library of Scotland has put up a new page of information about LIDAR, including links covering England and Wales.

https://maps.nls.uk/guides/lidar/index.html