UK Ordnance Survey data to be free online

The British Government has announced that Ordnance Survey map data will be freely available online to everybody from 2010, likely starting in April.

It's anticipated developers will use the data to create mash-ups - a web page that combines sets of data to link up results.

The initiative is designed to allow people to interpret current public statistics about crime, health and education by postcode, local authority or electoral boundary. However, it could also prove helpful to those looking to get a mapped representation of historical data.

via http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8366190.stm