Baroness Joan Hanham CBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (CLG) has launched a brand 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, London on Wednesday 10 November at 2pm.
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 Hanham said:
“It’s important for schoolchildren to learn how to tell where places in this country are. ‘Digimaps 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.”
EDINA currently provide map and spatial data services for universities and colleges. Based at the University of Edinburgh, they are extending their service to include all schools. The mapping service – Digimap for Schools – is being made available through JISC Collections for Schools – a central source of affordable online subscription resources for the schools sector.
The Director of EDINA, Peter Burnhill said:
“We are very pleased to be able to extend our mapping services from higher education into schools. Digimap for Schools is tailor-made to provide children with easy access to a full range of Ordnance Survey mapping for the whole of Great Britain. We hope the online service will help pupils of all ages to learn more about places beyond their own familiar area and will be used to add a sense of place to many subjects.”
The Geographical Association believes that map work and the development of associated skills is an essential aspect of school ‘geography’, Using maps encourages pupils to explore the landscape as it is represented on the map, but then to take a walk outside, and immerse themselves in the ‘real world’. The excellent mapping services provided by the Ordnance Survey enable teachers and pupils of all ages to develop an understanding and appreciation of the development of the landscape, whether urban or rural, that takes them beyond the school gates and into a world of discovery.
Vanessa Lawrence CB, Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey 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 6 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.
Vanessa continued:
“Our free maps for 11 year-olds has been incredibly successful with over 6 million OS Explorer Maps being sent out in the last nine years. However, when we look at how young people engage with technology, it seems very appropriate to provide mapping digitally and in a relevant way that they will continue to use as they grow and develop into adulthood.”
The RGS – IBG’s Director Dr Rita Gardner CBE added
“The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) believes that it is vital that school pupils learn to read and understand maps. The use of maps should be a central element of their geography lessons. To help young people know more about, and to understand, Britain’s human and physical landscapes there is no better place to start than mapping provided by the Ordnance Survey.”
Further information on Digimap for Schools is available on the JISC Collections for Schools website – www.jcs.nen.gov.uk.
