Ordnance Survey turns 225
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Published:
1794031204
| Updated:
1794031204
It took ten years to map Kent in 1801. Today, the same job can be completed in just ten days, as Ordnance Survey marks 225 years since its first county map and looks towards the future of mapping.
“As our navies were elsewhere in the world, they were worried that Napoleon might come and invade,” said OS chief executive Nick Bolton. “If they were going to do that, we’d better know where the south coast is.”
He continued: “So, our first map was of Kent, and then we worked around the south coast.”
What began as a military mission to protect Britain’s coastline has since developed into one of the country’s most important mapping organisations.
The first survey was launched in 1791, when fears of a French invasion prompted the Board of Ordnance to map vulnerable areas along the southern coast.
Surveyors spent a decade tackling difficult terrain using measuring chains and precision instruments to produce the map of Kent, completed in 1801.
The project would eventually take almost a century to cover the rest of the country.
Bolton described the achievement as “an incredible endeavour”, particularly given the conditions faced by the original surveyors.
However, the equipment used back then was a world away from the technology available today.
OS history expert Andy Ryan explained how surveyors relied on highly specialised instruments, including a precision theodolite used to measure triangles and build an accurate picture of the landscape.
One particularly unusual detail involved the use of spiderwebs.
Before glass etching techniques became sophisticated enough to create crosshairs, surveyors used spiderwebs inside the telescope to help them take accurate measurements.
Ryan explained: “They would have used spiderwebs to effectively form some crosshairs inside the telescope. And because that’s a natural material, they need to be replaced. So, you need to take your spiders with you.”
He added: “It’s difficult now with the techniques we have. Imagine it in those days.”
Fast forward 225 years and the process could hardly be more different.
What once took ten years can now be completed in around ten days, thanks to advances in aerial surveying and digital technology.
Drones can capture landscapes from above, while aircraft help build detailed maps and robots can be deployed into dangerous environments where it is too risky to send people.
Reflecting on the changes, Mr Bolton said today’s surveyors would be amazed by how much the process has evolved.
“If we had the surveyors from then, and we now showed them how we did it today, I think they would probably say you’ve had it really easy,” he said. “Genuinely, that was wading through marshland to do that. We can now fly a plane over it and build up the same quality of map.”
And the technology is continuing to develop.
Artificial intelligence is helping OS explore new ways of tackling major challenges, including flooding and wildfires, while opening up opportunities for industries such as farming.
The organisation’s work now stretches far beyond its original military purpose, with its mapping data playing an important role in helping communities, businesses and emergency services understand the world around them.
From soldiers carrying measuring chains across Kent’s marshland to drones, robotics and artificial intelligence, the transformation has been remarkable.
Two centuries after that first map was completed, Ordnance Survey continues to evolve.
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