DfT updates geo-location IT

News
By Miya Knights
published

The government department is updating its database and website used by transport planners across the country as part of a new, two-year deal.

The Department of Transport (DfT) announced today a deal to update the National Origin-Destination Survey (ODS) Databank database and associated website used by transport planners throughout the country.

The ODS Databank database shows the location of roadside, public transport and home-interview surveys undertaken by a range of participating organisations, including local authorities and consultants, often working on behalf of the DfT or the Highways Agency.

And the recently-launched website is designed to provide a complete picture of where information on the origin-destination surveys has been collected in the UK. It is scheduled to be updated every other year and has recently undergone an update for sites added during 2007, to incorporate the most recent survey data.

As a result, the DfT has signed a two-year contract with geographic information systems consultancy, GeoSolveIT to provide mapping technology to update traffic movement information in time for the next website update in 2009.

It said this next update will allow the ODS Databank website to play an even more important role in providing planners with access to information necessary to support decisions relating to transport infrastructure.

"The Databank recognises the importance of being able to provide access to this information to support transport network decisions," said Nigel Robbins, GeoSolveIT's managing director."

Miya Knights
Miya Knights

A 25-year veteran enterprise technology expert, Miya Knights applies her deep understanding of technology gained through her journalism career to both her role as a consultant and as director at Retail Technology Magazine, which she helped shape over the past 17 years. Miya was educated at Oxford University, earning a master’s degree in English.

Her role as a journalist has seen her write for many of the leading technology publishers in the UK such as ITPro, TechWeekEurope, CIO UK, Computer Weekly, and also a number of national newspapers including The Times, Independent, and Financial Times.