From defence to hiking, OS is still mapping out the future of Britain

Ordnance Survey, the UK's mapping agency, originated in 1747 as a military project by the Crown, mapping the bogs of the Scottish Lowlands to track down elusive Jacobite rebels. These days, the government-owned OS still underpins the defence of the realm by providing data for the Ministry of Defence on everything from UK coastlines to its 4 million km warren of underground pipes and cables.

- Barney Macintyre

But hikers and soldiers aren’t the only ones who depend on the OS's iconic salmon-coloured contours or yellow Broads to find their way. Businesses across the UK are using it.

OS's annual results, released last week, saw a 4% jump in revenue to nearly £200m, alongside a slight dip in profit. The company pointed to “notable” demand from the financial services sector, and “rising demand for geospatial data to improve insurance and climate-risk mapping, underwriting and property assessments”. It has partnered with businesses including Verisk, insurer Hiscox and Experian, and embarked on profile-raising projects, such as helping to build a “digital twin” for the city of Dubai.