Further Emergency Maintenance: 30 May

All Digimap services will be unavailable between 0900 and 1100 hours on FRIDAY 30 May 2008. This is to enable EDINA to fix a further critical problem with the machine which hosts Digimap. Full service will be restored as quickly as possible and updates will be posted on this site, and on the Digimap login page as and when they are appropriate and available.

Apologies for the inconvenience caused.

Emergency Maintenance - 29 May

All Digimap services will be unavailable between 0900 and 1100 hours on THURSDAY 29 May 2008. This is to enable EDINA to fix a critical problem with the machine which hosts Digimap. Full service will be restored as quickly as possible and updates will be posted on this site, and on the Digimap login page as and when they are appropriate and available.

Apologies for the inconvenience caused.

OS MasterMap replaces Land-Line

Land-Line data is being withdrawn in August 2008. After 1 August 2008 you will need to use OS MasterMap Topography layer instead of Land-Line data. Land-Line is the most detailed data available through the Data Download facility within Digimap's OS Collection. It has been replaced by OS MasterMap Topography layer, which is equally detailed and available through the MasterMap Download facility.

Two OS MasterMap Layers, Topography and Integrated Transport Network, have been available from Digimap's OS Collection since September 2007. These layers are available through the MasterMap Download facility. You can read more about OS MasterMap data on our OS MasterMap website and within the Digimap Help pages. Look in the sections under MasterMap Download and Data Information.

There are several software packages available which make the process of loading and viewing the OS MasterMap in GIS applications quite simple, more simple than using Land-Line data, in fact. These are in addition to 'built-in' converters supplied with the most recent versions of ArcGIS (Productivity Suite), MapInfo and AutoCAD software.

Viewing data

If you wish to simply view the OS MasterMap data (rather than undertake any spatial analysis, querying or manipulation), there is a simple viewer produced by Snowflake Software. It is called the OS MasterMap Viewer and can be downloaded for free (upon registration) from the Snowflake website.

MapInfo

The following applications are free and will load OS MasterMap, fully represented, into MapInfo:

• OSM2MIF written by Nigel James at the Bodleian Library. This can be downloaded from the Bodleian Library Map Room website: http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/guides/maps/translat.htm


• InterpOSe (Digimap Edition) from Dotted Eyes. This is available free of charge on registration with Dotted Eyes. It includes full OS MasterMap styling, and will convert data to various file formats, including Shape, TAB, mid/mif and DWG/DXF.

ArcGIS

The following applications are freely available:

• Productivity Suite 1.1. This is freely available to those licensed to use ArcGIS through Eduserv Chest. It contains MapManager and will convert OS MasterMap to Geodatabase format and comes complete with a number of layer files for representation (details can be found in the local installation folder of Productivity Suite). You will need a special Athens username and password to access the software download area. This should be available from your local Chest Representative or ESRI Technical Contact.


• InterpOSe (Digimap Edition) from Dotted Eyes. This is available free of charge on registration with Dotted Eyes. It includes full OS MasterMap styling, and will convert data to various file formats, including Shape, TAB, mid/mif and DWG/DXF.

AutoCAD

• InterpOSe (Digimap Edition) from Dotted Eyes. This will convert OS MasterMap to DXF and DWG and has a template file (.DWT) for representing the data using OS style. InterpOSe can be downloaded for free from Dotted Eyes website on registration there.

There are other packages and resources available which are detailed on our OS MasterMap website. Ordnance Survey also provide information about software which will read OS MasterMap data.

Instructions on using MapManager 9.1 and InterpOSe are included in the Digimap Help pages. Look in the section labelled "Using Data with GIS". If you have any questions about the information provided here, please contact the EDINA Helpdesk on edina@ed.ac.uk or 0131 650 3302.

Historic Digimap: Licence Renewal

If your institution subscribes to Historic Digimap, you should note that the current licence ends on 31 July 2008 and the new licence begins on 1 August 2008. Subscription costs for the next licence period are now available from JISC Collections website.

All subscription forms should be completed and sent to the JISC Collections Helpdesk. Details of the subscription process can be found on the JISC Collections "how to subscribe" page.

Please do not send subscription forms to EDINA.

Note also that from 1 August 2008 access to Historic Digimap will be via the UK Federation and OpenAthens.

Are you leaving your current institution?

Are you coming to the end of your course? Are you changing jobs and moving to a different University or College? Are you retiring? If so, there are some issues relating to the use of Digimap which you should be aware of.

IF YOU ARE GRADUATING, OR YOUR COURSE IS COMING TO AN END...
...you will cease to be a member of a subscribing institution and therefore will no longer be a Digimap Authorised User. This means you must delete any data you hold from Digimap. You may keep paper maps (including those which form parts of reports, coursework and dissertations), but not digital data.

IF YOU ARE CHANGING JOBS OR MOVING TO A DIFFERENT COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY...
...you need to check whether your new institution subscribes to any of the Digimap Collections. If your new institution is NOT a subscriber to a particular Collection, you may not retain any digital data from that Collection in your new job. If you wish to use Digimap in your new job, and your new institution is also a subscribing institution, you will need to register with Digimap using login credentials from your new institution.

IF YOU ARE LEAVING AN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION AND GOING TO WORK FOR A COMMERCIAL OR CHARITABLE ORGANISATION...
...you will cease to be a Digimap Authorised User. This means you must delete any data you hold from Digimap. You may keep paper copies of maps (including those which form part of reports or dissertations), but not digital data.

WHAT IFS...
There are some circumstances where you may continue to be an Authorised User, even if you are graduating, or leaving your current institution. If you are retiring, you may continue to have rights to access your institution's electronic resources. If you are graduating from your first degree and staying at the same institution to undertake a PhD, you will continue to be a member of your institution and therefore eligible for access to Digimap. If you believe you should continue to have access to your institution's resources, you should check with your Digimap site representative whether this applies to Digimap too.

The rules of eligibility apply to all Digimap Collections. These rules revolve around the definition of "Authorised User" as specified in the licence agreement for each Collection. You can find these on the EDINA website at: http://edina.ac.uk/digimap/terms.shtml

A NOTE FOR SITE REPRESENTATIVES...
Access to any electronic resource relies on subscribing institutions maintaining authentication and authorisation systems effectively and efficiently. An example of good practice in this regard would be deactivating local user accounts when students graduate or leave your institution. You may wish to check what your local practice is.

Reminder: Service Maintenance

This is a short reminder that all Digimap services and facilities will be unavailable from 09.00 hours until 17.30 hours tomorrow, Tuesday 13 May 2008. This is to allow for routine hardware and software maintenance.

Full service will be restored as soon as possible, but you should not rely on Digimap being available during the above hours.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Carto now works with Firefox

On Tuesday 6 May 2008, a new release of Carto was made available through Digimap's Ordnance Survey Collection. This new release works with both Internet Explorer and Firefox, on Windows XP and using the latest version of the Java plugin.

Carto is available through Digimap's Ordnance Survey Collection. You can read more about the requirements for using Carto in the Digimap Help pages.

Forgotten your password?

If you cannot access Digimap because you have forgotten your password, you will need to talk to someone at your institution, maybe in your Library, Computing Services, Learning Resources Centre or Information Services, to be reminded of it or have it reset.

EDINA does not know your password, and cannot give you a new one. Try searching your institution's portal or website for information about access to electronic resources and what to do if you have forgotten your password.

Training: 10-12 June 2008

Places are now available for all 3 days of the following free Digimap training course, open to staff members in UK higher and further education institutions.

Venue: University of Sussex, Brighton
Date: 10-12 June 2008 (Tuesday-Thursday)

Even if you have attended a previous Digimap course, you may wish to attend again since the courses are updated each academic year.

Full details of the training course are available from the Events and Training section of our website. You can also book a place via the online registration form, linked from the event page.

All EDINA training courses are FREE OF CHARGE. Regretfully, however, we will charge £25.00 for each day of unnotified absence from a course. This is due to the increasing number of no-shows at courses. Lunch will be provided for all full-day attendees and light refreshments will be available throughout the day.

Training courses are a great opportunity to learn more about Digimap Collections, and how to make best use of them at your institution. You can attend as many days of the Digimap course as you wish. We would be grateful if you would pass this invitation along to colleagues who may also be interested in this training.

Even if your institution does not subscribe to any Digimap Collection, please come along and see what the services offer. If you have any questions about Digimap training in general, or this course in particular, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0131 650 3302 or by email on edina@ed.ac.uk