Europa Technologies has today announced an extension of its popular viaEuropa hosted map service to support AddressBase – the new definitive spatial address data for England and Wales. The announcement means the geo solutions provider is the first Ordnance Survey licensed partner to utilise AddressBase in a cartographic capacity since its launch on 30 September 2011. viaEuropa provides a quick and easy way for applications to access high-quality Ordnance Survey maps online. The inclusion of AddressBase will help a wide range of organisations access the most up-to-date link between every address in England and Wales and its location ‘on the map’.
The data in AddressBase is provided by GeoPlace, a public sector limited liability partnership between the Local Government Group and Ordnance Survey. Data from GeoPlace is provided to Ordnance Survey enabling it to create the range of AddressBase products for England and Wales, providing one definitive source of publicly-owned spatial address data.
This data combines local government’s National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG), Ordnance Survey’s OS MasterMap Address Layer 2, data from the Valuation Office Agency and Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File (PAF).
Europa Technologies’ move has been welcomed by Ordnance Survey, who launched the AddressBase range of products. John Kimmance, Head of Sales at Ordnance Survey, said: “Ordnance Survey Licensed Partners are a key enabler to maximising the value customers can achieve through the use of the AddressBase products. The inclusion of AddressBase within viaEuropa is a great example of how an organisation can get rapid access to definitive, comprehensive address information. I am delighted that Europa Technologies have embraced the AddressBase range and will provide the benefits of these products to their customers.”
viaEuropa users simply activate the AddressBase overlay to seamlessly complement large-scale Ordnance Survey mapping such as OS VectorMap Local and OS MasterMap.
Warren Vick, Director and Founder of Europa Technologies, said: “The integration of AddressBase with viaEuropa will be important for many applications – particularly those where response times are paramount, such as in a command and control environment. Here it is essential that operators are able to identify the correct address quickly, including spatial relationships with adjoining properties.
“Until now, there has been no definitive address database, with local government maintaining the NLPG and Ordnance Survey separately creating its own family of address products. The launch of AddressBase provides a definitive and authoritative source, important for public and commercial organisations alike. It eliminates the risk of duplicating postal and non-postal addresses and it enhances overall address management at a time when it’s more essential than ever to keep a tight rein on costs”
AddressBase is available to the public sector in England and Wales under the Public Sector Mapping Agreement (PSMA) and to other sectors through commercial licences. For those organisations not already licensed to use AddressBase, Europa Technologies can arrange the appropriate licensing.
For more information on viaEuropa, visit www.viaeuropa.uk.com
