Ed Parsons, formerly the chief technology officer until last December at Ordnance Survey (whose reason for leaving was never made clear), now has a new job and a

new office…:

“This week I joined Google as the Geospatial Technologist for EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and to say I am excited would be somewhat of an understatement.”

This is intriguing news, really, for OS. The launch last week of Google’s My Maps (maps.google.com), which lets anyone create their own annotated maps, means that Google is encroaching more and more on territory that the OS could once – before the web – have called its own.

Now, OS will still have a grip on low-level mapping down to the metre-accuracy level (companies wanting to dig up streets need to be sure where buildings are) for now.. but if Google really sees a market in something, that might not be the case for long. And it might also be true that Google is repurchasing OS data.. but not all of it.

Things are changing. And this is quite a change. Will OS now go ahead with its OpenSurvey project, which Parsons tried to make happen?

The following posts may be related...(the database guesses):
• Wouldn't it be wonderful to have this data for the UK? (18 January 2009; score: 21.81%)
• Ed Parsons blogs his thoughts on the RSA debate (19 July 2006; score: 20.8%)
• Ed Parsons to leave Ordnance Survey: but why? (5 December 2006; score: 19.74%)
• If councils move to Google Maps does that help or hinder Ordnance Survey? (31 May 2007; score: 17.92%)
• Ordnance Survey man finds UK map mashups: but are they truly British? (12 April 2006; score: 17.88%)