Scotland joins the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA)

Scotland will now be able to access a range of digital mapping datasets for the whole of Great Britain. The Scottish Government and Geospatial Commission have agreed that from May 2020 Scotland will become part of the recently launched Public Sector Geospatial Agreement. Scotland will join Public Sector Members from England and Wales in accessing a range of digital mapping datasets for the whole of Great Britain, including addressing and road information. It is envisaged that the new PSGA will deliver significant benefits providing insight to underpin decision making, drive efficiencies and continue to support the delivery of public services. Albert King, Chief Data Officer, Scottish Government said: “The Scottish Government welcomes the opportunities provided by the new PSGA. “This agreement secures continuity of access to data which underpins delivery of our public services at a time when we depend on them more than ever. “Furthermore, it extends this to encompass a breadth of new datasets and services with the potential to significantly improve public services in Scotland by improving decision making and saving time, money and lives. Steve Blair, Ordnance Survey CEO, said: “We are delighted that Scotland has joined the PSGA creating the first GB wide joint agreement for customers across the public sector to access OS data. The PSGA started on 1 April 2020 and is set to benefit the public sector, businesses, developers and academia.