Via: uk.ac.york.vaxa; Fri, 13 Nov 1992 14:45:47 +0000
Newsgroups: comp.infosystems.gis
Date:         Fri, 13 Nov 1992 14:35:00 GMT
              <GIS-L@UBVM.BITNET>
From:         Peter Halls <PJH1@VAXA.YORK.AC.UK>
Subject:      Pricing of digital map products

     I have today received my 1993 OS Catalogue and price list.  In this
are detailed the licensing procedures for the new digital products.  These
are clearly NOT going to be covered by my institution's current license to use
OS digital products in teaching and research.  As the price list stands, use of
the OS Raster Data, the Boundary-Line data ... the Digital Height Data, for
all of which I have research users needing access, are so prohibtively
expensive as to be unworthy of a second glance.

     The needs at York are for non earth science research workers, primarily
in the disciplines of Archaeology, Biology, Economics, History and Politics.
These workers are engaged in projects that range from regional studies to
small area, highly detailed, work.  We are not able to identify a small,
geographicly compact, subset of the UK - the research interests cover almost
the whole country (from the point of view of one discipline or other).  Our
interest is not, per se, in the production of hard copy maps - although some
hard copies will, inevitably, be produced; rather it is to permit the context
of data to be studied from the point of view of the primary discipline.  To
this end Geographic Information Systems facilities are in use, and required,
to manage, link and support the exploratory analysis of the data involved.

     I, unwisely perhaps, always thought that 'market forces' were about the
size of a market at a given price.  Market forces are (almost) non-existant
where there is a monopoly in the provision of the product, or a cartel.  The
only choice is whether to purchase or not.  In the current economic climate
educational establishments do not have a 'purchase' option at the list prices.

     The British Ordnance Survey, and their Government Policy Makers, seem to
expect a 'commercial' rate from all customers.  This is fine if the 'customer',
in turn, can recover their costs from customers further down the chain.  I
understand this to be what 'added value' is all about.  In research, and in
teaching, these rules do not seem to be allowed to apply.  There is NO means
of recovering the cost from the client - especially when the client is in some
way connected with the government - due to the manner of funding.

     Is this a problem that is peculiar to Britain (including Darius, in
Ireland) - or is this now a truly world-wide problem?  It would be comforting
to know, one way or another, which other countries treat education and research
in the same way as commerce - and which (if any) regard their academic
communities as being a 'special case'.


Peter.

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PPPPPPH      H  | Peter Halls - University of York Computing Service -
P     P      H  |
P     P      H  | Email: PJH1@UK.AC.YORK  ... or t'other way about
PPPPPPJHHHHHHH  | Telephone: 0904 433806  FAX: 0904 433740
P     J      H  | Smail: Computing Servive,
P     J      H  |        University of York,
P     J      H  |        Heslington.
      J         |        YORK Y01 5DD
  J   J         |        England.
   JJJ          |
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