Snout Wales

Get Community Payback

Mission:Explore

Foodnation

MaxiMap

Food Finder

ap Ogam

Living Paths

OpenPlay

Green Space Mapper

Shout Crime

FoodTrade

My PTPCyclescape

FixMyTransport Anywhere

Access Advisr

Bikemapper

City Farmers

plaqueguide.com

Carbon Prophet

GeoCra�

The Green Alchemy

Streetkleen Bio

Medal Routes

Run an Empire

Tagd

Bikemapper

®

Innovation challenges from

2

About GeoVationInnovation challenges from

Everything happens somewhere – that’s geography! So when it

comes to tackling many intractable problems, geography and

geographic information, in connecting people, places, processes

and planet, are key ingredients. GeoVation runs challenges to

address specific problems within communities, which may be

satisfied, in part, through the use of geography. These challenges

are open to entrepreneurs, developers, community groups,

government and individuals. They are focused on finding

innovative and useful ways of using geographic information,

including open data and tools, to build new ventures that will

generate, social, economic and environmental value.

‘It was really nice to see that anyone can have a very small idea and for it to be just as valid as the more fully-formed business plans. It seems like a very good opportunity for people to make connections and get advice in areas they are not sure about in a really risk- free environment.’

We promote open collaboration in addressing the real needs and

problems of communities where geography is key to a probable

solution by:

• Runningworkshops(PowWows)thatbringpeopletogetherto

identify real problems around which a GeoVation challenge can

bestructured,(GeoVationPowWowoutputsaresharedopenly

onSlideShare®).

• Maintaininganonandofflinecommunitythatencourages

innovative ideas to address specific problems.

• Organisingcampswhereparticipantsdeveloptheirideasinto

prototype ventures using our ‘Innovation = problem x solution x execution’ methodology.

• Enablingparticipantstobe‘matchfittopitch’forfunding.

• Supportingwinningventuresthroughtolaunchandbeyond.

®

Review challenge and problem statements.

Post your ideas on the GeoVation

Challenge.

The best ideas will be invited to the

GeoVation Camp.

Finalists pitch for achance to win

innovationfunding.

‘GeoVation Camp is intense but hugely rewarding. It squeezes creative thinking, innovative individuals and facilitative process into one short weekend and does so in a fun and engaging way.’

®

630ideas have been

submitted

2511 ParticiPants

have registered

32

®

Review challenge and problem statements.

Post your ideas on the GeoVation

Challenge.

The best ideas will be invited to the

GeoVation Camp.

Finalists pitch for achance to win

innovationfunding.

‘It’s a great way to develop simple ideas into something more

than just a dream or motivation to

make something better. GeoVation

help innovators build real businesses, confidence, and

adds kudos to your project.’

‘One of the best intense idea

development processes I have

experienced – and fun!’

77teams have

ParticiPated in six geovation

camPs

28winners have been

awarded a share of over £637,000 in funding

to imPlement their ventures

GeoVation was launched in 2009 to find innovative ways to solve

real problems using geography as part of the solution. In April

2010,OrdnanceSurveyreleaseditsfree-to-useOSOpenData™

product portfolio, as well as new terms for the use of

OrdnanceSurvey’sopenapplicationprogramminginterface(API)

OSOpenSpace®.Thishasrecentlybeenfollowedbythelaunch

of our mobile platform development kits. We are keen to see

challenges make use of these free resources, as well as the wealth

of other open government data that has been released.

Ourchallengeshavefocusedonbuildinglocalresiliencewithin

communities; real problems that require collaboration and

innovativethinkingacrossallsectorsoftheeconomy(public

private,civilsocietyandindividuals)toaddressthem.In2010

welaunched‘HowcanBritainfeeditself?’againstthecontextof

aglobalfoodcrisis.‘HowcanweimprovetransportinBritain?’

focused on reducing the environmental impacts of transport,

considering behaviour change, infrastructure and users’ travel

experiences.In2012‘Howcanwetransformneighbourhoodsin

Britaintogether?’consideredideastoresolveneighbourhood

problemssuchas:anti-communitybehaviour,lossofthehigh

street, and building a sense of community. With the new Wales

CoastPathofficiallyopenedinMay2012,‘Howcanweconnect

communitiesandvisitorsalongtheWalesCoastPath?’prompted

ventures that would stimulate sustainable economic development,

health,well-beingandsocialinclusion.ThefactthatUKcompanies

could save more than £6 bn a year if they used resources more

efficientlypromptedour‘HowcanwehelpBritishbusinessimprove

environmentalperformance?’inMarch2013.Ourlatestchallenge,

‘HowcanweencourageactivelifestylesinBritain?’focussesonthe

£8bncosttotheUKeconomyofourinactivity.

This booklet describes the development of the GeoVation

challenges, and the commitment, participation and collaboration

ofothernetworks,organisationsandindividualsthatmake-up

the GeoVation community; through posting and commenting on

ideas,‘campingandpitching’,submittingventureplans;offering

help,feedback,supportandadvice.Mostofallitisthestoryof

our GeoVation winners and community whose commitment,

enthusiasm and ideas continue to inspire us.

Keep GeoVating!

4

Launch ‘How can Britain feed itself?’ challengeHow can geography play a vital role in helping connect people to farming and locally produced, sustainable sources of food?

£13,000 FUNDING, 76 REGISTERED, 51 IDEAS

The launchOrdnance Survey launch GeoVation to promote the use of geographic information to solve real problems innovatively.

£22,000 FUNDING, 200 REGISTERED, 166 IDEAS

GeoVation AwardsProgramme Showcase

Finalists pitch ventures to judging panel for funding.

3 GeoVation winners

Winners of best ideas invited to Ordnance Survey for a workshop to develop their ideas and obtain views on how to develop GeoVation further.

Ideas in Transit supports the GeoVation Challenge initiative.

Launch ‘How can we improve transport in Britain?’ challengeHow can we help reduce the social, economic and environmental impacts of transport?

£161,000 FUNDING, 235 REGISTERED, 155 IDEAS

GeoVation partners with Horizon Digital Economy Research to run first series of one-day OS OpenData Masterclasses.

Invite different expertise in the food challenge theme to a problem finding workshop.

GeoVation PowWowFood challenge

GeoVation CampFood challengePowWow problems introduced at camp.

2 Food challenge winners

GeoVation PowWowTransport challenge

GeoVation CampTransport challengeGeoVation Showcase

6 Transport challenge winners

Local Food Mapping workshop

GeoVation, Tasting the Future and WWF host Local Food Mapping workshop, supporting local food innovation.

GeoVation PowWowNeighbourhood challenge

GeoVation PowWowWales Coast Path challenge Launch ‘How can we

transform neighbourhoods in Britain together?’ challengeWhat problems are there in your neighbourhood and what barriers prevent you and your council improving them?

£116,000 FUNDING, 451 REGISTERED, 75 IDEAS

Launch ‘How can we connect communities and visitors along the Wales Coast Path?’ challengeHow can we encourage visitors to the Wales Coast Path and help stimulate sustainable economic growth, health and well-being in coastal communities?£126,000 FUNDING, 486 REGISTERED, 62 IDEAS

GeoVation Showcase

4 Neighbourhood challenge winners

GeoVation CampWales Coast Path challenge

GeoVation Showcase

5 Wales Coast Path challenge winners

Host ‘Collaboration and User Innovation in Transport’ eventTo consider the barriers and how they can be overcome using open, collaborative approaches.

GeoVation PowWowEnvironmental Performance challenge

External hackathon with the Environment AgencyLaunch ‘How can we help British

Business improve environmental performance?’ challenge£101,000 FUNDING, 260 REGISTERED, 47 IDEAS

Digital Shoreditch Festival

GeoVation PowWow‘How can we build Healthy Communities in Shoreditch?’

GeoVation CampEnvironment challenge

4 Environment challenge winners

GeoVation PowWow‘How can we encourage active lifestyles?’

BITC Southampton Hub Event

GeoVation PowWow‘How can we build healthy communities in Southampton?’

Launch ‘How can we encourage active lifestyles in Britain?’ challenge£101,000 FUNDING,655 REGISTERED, 74 IDEAS

GeoVation CampActive lifestyles challenge

4 Active lifestyles challenge winners

GeoVation CampNeighbourhood challenge

The journey

54

Launch ‘How can Britain feed itself?’ challengeHow can geography play a vital role in helping connect people to farming and locally produced, sustainable sources of food?

£13,000 FUNDING, 76 REGISTERED, 51 IDEAS

The launchOrdnance Survey launch GeoVation to promote the use of geographic information to solve real problems innovatively.

£22,000 FUNDING, 200 REGISTERED, 166 IDEAS

GeoVation AwardsProgramme Showcase

Finalists pitch ventures to judging panel for funding.

3 GeoVation winners

Winners of best ideas invited to Ordnance Survey for a workshop to develop their ideas and obtain views on how to develop GeoVation further.

Ideas in Transit supports the GeoVation Challenge initiative.

Launch ‘How can we improve transport in Britain?’ challengeHow can we help reduce the social, economic and environmental impacts of transport?

£161,000 FUNDING, 235 REGISTERED, 155 IDEAS

GeoVation partners with Horizon Digital Economy Research to run first series of one-day OS OpenData Masterclasses.

Invite different expertise in the food challenge theme to a problem finding workshop.

GeoVation PowWowFood challenge

GeoVation CampFood challengePowWow problems introduced at camp.

2 Food challenge winners

GeoVation PowWowTransport challenge

GeoVation CampTransport challengeGeoVation Showcase

6 Transport challenge winners

Local Food Mapping workshop

GeoVation, Tasting the Future and WWF host Local Food Mapping workshop, supporting local food innovation.

GeoVation PowWowNeighbourhood challenge

GeoVation PowWowWales Coast Path challenge Launch ‘How can we

transform neighbourhoods in Britain together?’ challengeWhat problems are there in your neighbourhood and what barriers prevent you and your council improving them?

£116,000 FUNDING, 451 REGISTERED, 75 IDEAS

Launch ‘How can we connect communities and visitors along the Wales Coast Path?’ challengeHow can we encourage visitors to the Wales Coast Path and help stimulate sustainable economic growth, health and well-being in coastal communities?£126,000 FUNDING, 486 REGISTERED, 62 IDEAS

GeoVation Showcase

4 Neighbourhood challenge winners

GeoVation CampWales Coast Path challenge

GeoVation Showcase

5 Wales Coast Path challenge winners

Host ‘Collaboration and User Innovation in Transport’ eventTo consider the barriers and how they can be overcome using open, collaborative approaches.

GeoVation PowWowEnvironmental Performance challenge

External hackathon with the Environment AgencyLaunch ‘How can we help British

Business improve environmental performance?’ challenge£101,000 FUNDING, 260 REGISTERED, 47 IDEAS

Digital Shoreditch Festival

GeoVation PowWow‘How can we build Healthy Communities in Shoreditch?’

GeoVation CampEnvironment challenge

4 Environment challenge winners

GeoVation PowWow‘How can we encourage active lifestyles?’

BITC Southampton Hub Event

GeoVation PowWow‘How can we build healthy communities in Southampton?’

Launch ‘How can we encourage active lifestyles in Britain?’ challenge£101,000 FUNDING,655 REGISTERED, 74 IDEAS

GeoVation CampActive lifestyles challenge

4 Active lifestyles challenge winners

GeoVation CampNeighbourhood challenge

The journey

6

Audience – Transport Camp

Explaining GeoVation – Wales Coast Path camp

Judging panel – Transport Showcase

Pitching – Neighbourhood Camp

Teamwork – Active Lifestyles Camp

Teamwork – Environment Camp

‘Two days of intense, enjoyable immersion in a sea of ideas and

opportunity with like-minded, result focused thinkers and doers.’

‘It was fun, exhausting and emotionally draining – something everyone should do. I learnt so

much and would love to do it again.’

‘Excellent event – indeed the whole process has been enlightening and

particularly welcome the ‘openness’ of all those involved.’

Even the greatest idea is worthless if it isn’t developed...

The GeoVation Challenge: Opencollaboration,people,innovators,ideas,teams,campsandshowcase

76

Wales Coast Path Pow Wow

Prototyping – Environment Camp

Pitching – Transport Camp

Active Lifestyles Camp

Friday – Active Lifestyles Camp

Finalists – GeoVation ShowcaseWales Coast Path GeoVation Camp

‘Go with an idea, listen to people with experience,

have an open mind and be prepared to adjust both

your approach to pitching and the parameters

of your idea.’

‘GeoVation Camp is intense, but hugely rewarding. It squeezes creative thinking,

innovative individuals and facilitative process into one short weekend and does

so in a fun and engaging way.’

... participants’ ability to realise their ideas is a crucial criterion for selection

The GeoVation Challenge: Opencollaboration,people,innovators,ideas,teams,campsandshowcase

8

how can we help british business improve environmental performance?

This challenge ran from 6 march to 17 July 2013 and during this period 260 people registered,

47 ideas submitted and 4 winners shared innovation funding of £101,000.

Carbon Prophet £29,000 plus Community Award of £1,000

GeoCraft £28,000

Element Green Recycling £22,000

Streetkleen £21,000

IndextoGeoVationChallengesandwinners

how can we encourage active lifestyles in britain?

This challenge ran from 7 november 2013 to 15 January 2014 and during this period 655 people

registered, 74 ideas were submitted and 4 winners shared innovation funding of £101,000.

Medal Routes £28,000

Run this town £26,000

Tagd £26,000

OpenPlay £20,000 plus Community Award of £1,000

how can we connect communities and visitors along the wales coast Path?

This challenge ran from 14 march to 2 may 2012 and during this period 486 people registered,

62 ideas submitted and 5 winners shared innovation funding of £126,000.

Snout Wales £40,000

Real Food Wales £30,000 plus Community Award of £1,000

ap Ogam £30,000

Living Paths £17,500

Growing Routes £7,500

Page10

Page11

Page14

98

how can we transform neighbourhoods in britain?

This challenge ran from 9 february to 28 march 2012 and during this period 451 people registered,

75 ideas submitted and 4 winners shared innovation funding of £116,000.

Get Community Payback £40,000 plus Community Award of £1,000

Green Space Mapper £25,000

Shout Crime £25,000

FoodTrade £25,000

how can we improve transport in britain?

This challenge ran from 27 september 2010 to 11 february 2011 and during this period 235 people

registered, 155 ideas submitted and 6 winners shared innovation funding of £161,000.

Mission:Explore £36,500 plus Community Award of £1,000

myPTP £36,500

Cyclescape £27,000

FixMyTransport – Anywhere! £27,000

AccessAdvisr £27,000

Bikemapper / London Cycle Map Campaign

£6,000

how can britain feed itself?

This challenge ran from 16 June to 3 september 2010 and during this period 76 people registered,

51 ideas submitted and 2 winners shared innovation funding of £13,000.

Foodnation £10,000

City Farmers £3,000

geovation awards Programme

This challenge ran from october 2009 to January 2010 and during this period 200 people

registered, 166 ideas submitted and 3 winners shared innovation funding of £22,000.

MaxiMap £11,000 plus Community Award of £1,000

Mission:Explore £7,000

Plaqueguide.com £3,000

Page31

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Page19

10

How can we encourage active lifestyles in Britain?

challenge:

medal routes app from ramblers scotland

RamblersScotlandwereawardedfundingin2014todevelopMedalRoutesApp.RobBurnsandJeannie

CranfieldsubmittedtheideatodevelopamobileapptoaddtotheexistingMedalRouteswebsite.

MedalRoutesidentifiesandmapsshortcircular,bronze,silverandgoldlevelwalkfromwalkinghubs.

These walking challenges encourage people throughout Scotland to integrate walking into their daily

lives. They can progress from short 15 minute walks to walking for up to an hour. The development of

theapp,usingOrdnanceSurveydata,willenablemorewidespreadengagementandbreakdownsome

of the barriers to participation. Wherever people are they will have hundreds of walks at their fingertips

and, through games and challenges, incentives to walk and map their own routes.

run an empire from Pan studio

Hoxtonbased,PANStudiowereawardedfundingtodeveloptheirideaRunanEmpire.RunanEmpire

isanexercisestrategygameonasmartphoneapp,whichwilluseGPSwithOrdnanceSurveydatato

record paths players take and allow people to compete to capture and maintain control of as much

territory as possible, using neighbourhoods as arenas for play. The more times people run or walk

aroundtheirneighbourhoodthemoresecuretheycanmakeitagainst‘invasion’.

tagd from mapsum

ChrisMcCormackandAlexDavies-MooreofWimbornebasedcompanyMapsumwereawardedfunding

to develop their idea Tagd. Tagd is a service that allows anyone or any group to create, share and

discover custom interactive routes that contain personalised, targeted media messages at waypoints

alongtheroutes.Thesystemwillworkwithexistingnetworks,suchascyclingclubs,localinterest

groups and geocachers to get more people involved in physical activity and to discover the outdoors.

openPlay

TheLondonbased,OpenPlayteamwereawardedfundingandwontheCommunityAward.Their

ideatacklestheproblemofnotknowingwheretogotodoanactivity.OpenPlaylaunchedanonline

marketplace for finding and booking sports facilities last year. It brings the park noticeboard online, so

you can find out what is going on in your local park and book pitches and organised activities. Informal

groupscanalsolookforpeopletojointheiractivities.OpenPlaycanbeusedbylocalauthorities,

community groups, private organisations and mass audience. The funding awarded will allow them to

developnewmappingfunctionalityusingOrdnanceSurveydataanddevelopamobileappversionto

increase pubic usage of these spaces.

This challenge ran from 7 november 2013 to 15 January 2014 and during this period 655 people registered, 74 ideas were submitted and 4 winners shared innovation funding of £101,000.

1110

carbon Prophet from a r carbon www.arcarbon.co.uk

RichardPageandAndrewTurnballofARCarbon,werelookingforawaytohelp

farmers become soil custodians, to improve fertility in their soil, while, at the same

time, reducing farming costs and allowing them to make a decent living from the

land. Their idea, which was awarded funding from the GeoVation Challenge to

help business improve environmental performance, was to measure and map the

carboncontentofsoilsintheUKand,indoingso,developacarbontradingschemetounlockthevalueofthis

important asset, providing all farmers and land owners with a significant new income stream.

Various conferences and reports have highlighted the desirability of projects that promote and encourage

farmerstoharnesstheircropsnaturalabilitytotransformatmosphericCO2 into soil sequestered carbon.

Profitmarginsinfarmingarefalling,butfarmersandgrowersareoftenunawareofthefinancialbenefitsofgood

soilmanagement.Bymaintainingthefertilityoftheirsoilwithsympatheticsoilfertilitymanagement

and natural additives such as compost they can

savemoneyonexpensivefertilisersand

improve their crop.

As a consequence, they

can build a reserve of

sequestered carbon

that, when traded, can

offerthemadditional

income. This has a

positive impact on

their balance sheets

and by monetising the

increase in soil carbon,

it is possible to drive

fresh revenue streams

into the industry benefiting

farmers and the environment.

SoiltestingandtheuseofOrdnanceSurveymapping

data will enable farmers to see the carbon levels in their soil and encourage them to release the value of this,

mitigatingtheeffectsofgreenhousegasesbyincreasingthelevelsofcarbonintheirsoils.Theusefulness

ofthecarbonmapisthreefold.Itgivestheabilitytomonitorandverifyexistinglevelsoforganiccarbon,

itwillincreaseinteractionwithUKfarmersandencouragethedevelopmentofpracticesthatincreasesoil

sequestered carbon and it will provide the baseline information that will form the framework for a voluntary,

verifiedcarbonoffsettradingscheme.

CarbonProphetcanalsohelplandowners,suchasestates,golfandracecourses,todevelopnewrevenue

streams by allowing them to measure and build the carbon sequestered in their soils and derive an economic

benefitfromdoingso.CarbonProphethasmany,widerangingbenefitsforthewholeoftheUK,fromincreasing

incomes in hard pressed farming communities to enabling businesses that would otherwise be net emitters of

carbon to become carbon neutral.

How can we help British business improve environmental performance?

challenge:

‘One of the unexpected benefits of taking part in the GeoVation Challenge is the opportunity to network. Since winning I have travelled some 3,000 miles visiting potential trial sites, I’ve had meetings with government agencies and written press releases, articles and blogs. I have presented my project at Parliament, to a government minister and been interviewed for radio.’

Richard Page, A R Carbon.

This challenge ran from 6 march to 17 July 2013 and during this period 260 people registered, 47 ideas submitted and 4 winners shared innovation funding of £101,000.

12

the green alchemist from element green recycling www.elementgreenrecycling.co.uk

Thirtypercentofrecycledco-mingledwasteissenttolandfillsduetocontamination.The

Green Alchemist, Ayo Isinkaye’ s idea to help businesses reduce costs by separating waste,

was awarded funding in our 2013 GeoVation Challenge to improve business environmental

performance.

UsingOrdnanceSurveymappingtoshowthelocationofbusinesses,localwastecarrierservicesand

reprocessing companies, The Green Alchemist will help businesses to improve their recycling and separation

of waste materials. It will make recycling simpler, more accessible, and financially rewarding. Contamination of

waste is a big money wasting problem for many councils. We fail to realise the monetary value of the rubbish

we produce. Clean separated waste is in demand by the reprocessing industry and they are prepared to pay

forit,becauseitsavesthemmoneyinthemanufacturingprocess.However,contaminatedwasteisworthvery

little and actually costs money to be taken away.

Working with a team of developers, much of the initial work focussed on data collection and the responsive

web app design, which is completed. The development is now focussed on creating and organising data and

theuserfunctionalityoftheapp.AccesstoOrdnanceSurveymapdatahasbeenparamountinbuildingthe

app.Byenteringtheirpostcodeandthetypeofwastetheyhave,organisationsandhouseholdswillbeableto

find out the value of their waste and see their local network of recycling facilities and waste courier options.

AllthisinformationwillbedisplayedviaanopenAPIontheOrdnanceSurveymapwhentheappisfinished.

‘Winning the GeoVation Challenge has to be one of the proudest moments of my life. It has given us the opportunity to develop The Green Alchemist app. I hope the app will help the public to recycle more and give them the access and information to sell their waste.’

Ayo Isinkaye. CEO Element Green Recycling.

geocraft from happy education www.geocraft.org.uk/blog

GeoCraftisanideafromZoeRoss,whichaimstoenableschoolsandbusinesstowork

togethertoencouragelearningaboutsustainabilitythroughMinecraft®, the hugely

popularvideogamesetinvirtual3Dworldsmadeupofcubesofdifferentmaterials.

ZoewasawardedfundingintheGeoVationChallengetoimprovebusinessenvironmental

performance.UsingOrdnanceSurvey’sOSOpenData,GeoCraftstimulatesyoungpeopletolearnabouttheir

local environment through a series of challenges and to develop ideas to address local environmental issues.

AfterwinningtheGeoVationChallenge,ZoesetuptheCommunityInterestCompany,HappyEducationand

is refining and developing the ideas as they are implemented, with some elements working better in the

classroom than they initially thought. A simple approach based on sound teaching and learning, rather than

focusingonwhatMinecraftcando,isprovingtobethemosteffective.

TheGeoCraftprojectusesOrdnanceSurvey’sOSOpenDatawithinMinecrafttohelpstudentstolearnaboutthe

environmentandintroducesthemtoOrdnanceSurveydataastheynavigatetheirwayaroundthevirtualworlds

wehavebuilt.UsingOrdnanceSurveydatahasenabledGeoCrafttorecreatetownsandplacesinGreatBritain,

making worlds that are more relevant to the children, teaching them about their local environment and what they

candotoprotectitinthefuture.Tofacilitatethisfurther,GeoCraftuses

Minecraftedu,aversionofMinecraftthathasbeenespeciallydesigned

for classroom use and enables a safe and secure world with greater

teacher control.

‘Winning the GeoVation Challenge has enabled us to develop, test and refine resources and Minecraft worlds and teaching resources. The money, support, advice and networks the Challenge has opened to us have been excellent as has the encouragement and enthusiasm in the project.’

Zoe Ross, Happy Education.

The town of Knutsford showing Ordnance Survey data mapped in Minecraft.

1312

streetkleen bio Project www.streetkleen.co.uk

GaryDownie,ofStreetkleenBio’sideatodevelopapractical,innovativesolution

based around the anaerobic digestion of dog waste to create usable energy

(methane),wasawardedfundingintheGeoVationChallengetoimprovebusiness

environmental performance.

Dogfoulingisamajorissueformanyofourtownsandcitiesandisconsistentlyraisedasapublicconcern.Local

authoritieshavenotbeenabletoprovidealong-term,lastingsolutiontoovercomethisissue.Inaddition,the

collection and disposal of dog waste is problematic with decisions needed on where and how many dog waste

disposalpointstoallocateandhowoftentheyareusedandneedservicing?IntheUK,thereareover1,200tonnes

ofdogwastegenerateddaily(PetFoodsManufacturingAssociation2012)andthefinancialcostofsendinglocal

authoritycollecteddogwastetolandfillisestimatedat£72millionperyear(KeepBritainTidy).Theenvironmental

costisalsosubstantialandmountainsofsmallplasticbagscontainingdogwastearesenttolandfilldaily,oftenin

bagsthattakedecadestodegrade.Findinganalternativedisposalmethodfordogwasteisachallenge.

‘Entering, and subsequently winning the GeoVation Challenge has given us the credibility, belief and confidence to follow our own innovative ideas to fruition. We have had our eyes opened to the value of geographic data and ways in which it can be used.’

Gary Downie, Streetkleen Bio.

TheStreetkleenBioProjectwillgatherinformationondogfoulingandwastedisposalbinsusing

OrdnanceSurveydatatomapthese.Theprojectwilluseanaerobicdigestiontodisposeofdogwasteand

createenergyfrommethane.TheStreetkleenBioappcanhelpreducecostsandimproveenvironmental

performance while providing and incentive for alternative disposal method for dog waste.

SincewinningtheGeoVationChallenge,StreetkleenBiohavebeennominatedasoneoftheTop100‘Most

Smartest,DisruptiveandInnovative’UKSmallBusinessesbySmartaandO2.Theyhavealsomovedintonew

officesatGlyndwrUniversity’sOpTICInnovationCentreandjoinedtheWelshGovernmentHighPotentialStarts

Scheme.TheyareindiscussionwithAylesburyValeDistrictCouncilregardingtheworld’sfirstcommercial

anaerobic digestion facility that utilises dog waste as a feedstock. They’ve been invited to design a renewable

energy system for the developing world that utilises human bio solids.

14

How can we connect communities and visitors along the Wales Coast Path?

challenge:

real food wales from mapkin www.mapkin.co.uk/realfoodwales

SistersHelenandNicolaSteerwerelookingforawayforvisitorstotheWalesCoast

Pathtofindthebestlocal,sustainableanddeliciousfoodwhentheywerehungry.

They wanted to connect them to local businesses and communities, benefiting those

who live and work along the route and showcasing local food. Their idea for a mobile

appwonfundinginthe2012GeoVationWalesCoastPathGeoVationChallenge,but

came with its own problem: working around the poor mobile reception along the

route, particularly in West Wales.

Afterreceivingfunding,thesistersformedMapkin,asmallcompanybasedinSouthWalesandLondon,which

usesmappingandtechnologytocreateandsupportsocialchange.Mapkin’steamoffiveworkedtodevelop

theapp;collectingdata,coding,mappinganddesigningtheuserinterface.TheiPhone®app,RealFoodWales,

wasreleasedasapilotinPembrokeshireintimeforsummer2013.

RealFoodWalesutilisesMapkin’suniquenetworkoflocalknowledgeandtheinteractivemap(withfivezoom

levels),whichusesOSOpenDataproducts,includingOSVectorMap®,OSStreetView®,Boundary-Line™,

Strategi®andLand-FormPANORAMA®,showcasesover150ofthebestfoodbusinessesinPembrokeshire.

AuniquefeatureoftheappisthatitstoresanofflinemapofPembrokeshireontothedevice,souserscan

accessinformationwhenthereisnomobilesignal.Userscanchoosebetweenamaporlistdisplayofnearby

foodbusinesses,andfilterresultsbyplacestoeatout,buyyourownorfoodexperiences.Entriesincludea

description, opening hours, location, contact details and directions. The app features social media integration

andafavouritesfunction.RealFoodWalesisagreatexampleofhowmapping,geographyandinnovationcan

help boost businesses and communities.

The team are currently in talks with regional tourist boards and councils in Wales to bring the app to a wider

areain2014.TheworkingpilotversionoftheapphelpsMapkinenormously:itclearlyshowsfunctionalityto

potential clients and even those with no technology background, see the benefits. The core functionality of

RealFoodWalesisalsobeingusedinotherways:someoftheteamaredevelopingaversionoftheappforuse

bylocalcurrencies(suchastheBrixtonpound).Thiswillhighlightplaceswherelocalcurrencyisaccepted,

enablepay-by-textandallowparticipatingbusinessestosendoutoffers.Mapkinarealsolookingatmakinga

related app, mapping all of London’s food and farmer’s markets.

‘I would like to thank Ordnance Survey and the GeoVation Challenge for believing in our idea. Without their support and funding we would not be where we are today. I am really excited about the future of Real Food Wales and look forward to expanding the app to include many other areas along the Welsh Coast Path.’

Helen Steer, Mapkin.

This challenge ran from 14 march to 2 may 2012 and during this period 486 people registered, 62 ideas submitted and 5 winners shared innovation funding of £126,000.

1514

growing routes from richard fairhurst www.growingroutes.org.uk

‘TheWalesCoastPathshouldbeanengineforregenerationand

prosperity–encouragingbusinessestolaunchandexpandalong

its 870 miles, bringing jobs and opportunities to local residents.’

RichardFairhurst.Richard’sidea,‘GrowingRoutes’,awebsite

withonlineheatmaptohelpbusinessesidentifyareasofopportunityalongtheWalesCoastPathandaid

economicgrowth,receivedfundinginthe2012‘WalesCoastPath’GeoVationChallenge.

Wales attracted 890,000 international visitors spending £333 million during 2010, but this information is either

notwidelyunderstoodorcontextualisedforlocalbusinessestoexploit.Richardwantedtohelpbusinessesto

takeadvantageofopportunitiescreatedalongtheWalesCoastPathandidentifythe‘sweetspots’tostartor

grow their business.

Afterreceivingsupport,Richardsetaboutbuilding

the website and heatmap engine and pulled in

datafromtheback-enddatabase,displayingit

attractively.TheGrowingRouteswebsitewas

launchedinOctober2013andthecoreofthesite

isaneasilyaccessible,draggableandzoomable

heatmap of Wales. It integrates open datasets from

differentsourcesincludingOSOpenData,

Meridian®2,andseveralNaturalResourcesWalesdatasetssuchasLandmap.Themapdrawsonahuge

range of data including tourist attractions and nature sites along the coastal path, highlighting areas with,

for instance, a paucity of bed and breakfasts and campsites, or areas with good wildlife, shown by Sites of

Special Scientific Interest. It also shows other important information in decision making, such as access to and

proximityofroadnetworksandurbanareas.Thecolourlayersuperimposed‘glows’toshowthebestareasto

start new business.

GrowingRouteshasthepotentialtogeneratenewjobsandbusinessandforexistingbusinessestoexpand.

Walkers or other path users can benefit from new business ventures, such as accommodation or restaurants,

not too far from their route.

PlannedimprovementsoverthecomingmonthsincludeaddingroutestoextendfurtherthantheWalesCoast

Path,followedbyworktopromoteandmarketthewebsite.GrowingRouteshaspotentialtobedevelopedand

usedalongotherroutesanddevelopmentworkin2014isconcentratingonamobile-friendlyversionofthesite,

whichcouldofferfurtheropportunitiesforreuseoftheflexibleheatmapenginedevelopedaspartoftheproject.

‘GeoVation Camp helped me to hone my idea and develop a website that could be reused in other projects and areas. Using OS OpenData means the technology can be used to create websites in other tourist locations or trails throughout Britain, for instance cycle networks. I am grateful to Ordnance Survey for giving me the opportunity to develop and launch Growing Routes’.

Richard Fairhurst, Growing Routes.

16

snout wales from oli formerly branded my tour talk www.snoutit.com

An audio travel guide on a smartphone app, providing visitors to the All Wales

CoastPathwithinformationonthedestinationandhelpingthemconnect

withlocalbusinessesandcommunitiesalongthePath.Thisideafromthe

teamatOliwasawardedfundinginthe2012GeoVationChallengetohelp

connectcommunitiesandvisitorsalongtheWalesCoastPath.

Oli’sideasuccessfullytacklestheproblemofhowtoprovidevisitorsandlocalswithawideresourceoflocal

areainformationthathelpswiththedecisiontovisittheWalesCoastPathbybeingabletofindoutwhatis

available to them in each of the areas they visit. Encouraging coastal tourism helps to bring about economic

growthinthecommunitiessurroundingtheWalesCoastPath.AnotherproblemidentifiedisinadequateWi-Fi

and poor mobile reception along some sections of the path.

MyTourTalkbecameOli–OutsideLookingIn,duringSeptember2013andtechnologyisattheforefrontof

theirinnovation.OliprovidesSNOUTbrandedaudiotravelappsformajortouristdestinationsandinJanuary

2014theylaunchedSnoutWalesoniPhoneandAndroid® apps. Snout Wales is a travel guide which covers the

12mostvisiteddestinationsalongtheWalesCoastPath,suchasCardiff,Llandudno,andAberystwyth.The

apps provide information on accommodation, food and drink, shops, activities and attractions and guides

visitors along bespoke itineraries to the sights, heights, places and people that can be discovered in Wales.

Snout Wales allows users to access carefully planned and locally researched audio guide itineraries and

realtime,accuratetravelguideinformationwhichisfullygeo-located.Userscanaccessphotographsand

offlinemapscanbepurchasedfromwithintheappbeforebeingstoredonthedevicesonoWi-Fiormobile

connection is required where signal is poor and roaming costs can be avoided.

‘Snout Wales allows users to access carefully planned and locally researched audio guide itineraries and real time, accurate travel guide information which is fully geo-located.’

Julie McNeice,Oli.

1716

ap ogam http://apogam.org

TheaimoftheCardiganbased,apOgamteam,SteveKnight,SeanVicaryand

RowanO’Neill,istodevelopcommunitythroughdigitalculturalproductionand

practice. Their idea to develop a bilingual smartphone app, which would tell

visitors local people’s stories of the places and features along the Wales Coast

Path,wasawardedfundingInour2012GeoVationChallengetoconnectvisitorsandcommunitiesalongthePath.

Theirbilingual(Welsh/English)smartphoneappswilluseOSOpenDataandGPSpositionedaugmentedreality

tooverlaythephone’slivecameraviewwithplacenamesfromtheCoastPath.Thesemarkerswilllinkwith

site-specificaudio-visualstorytellingfromthelocalcommunitiestobringtolifethatsenseofplacethatlies

beyond the map.

Sincewinningfundingtheteamhavecreatedanot-for-profitcompanytoruntheproject.Theyhavedesigned,

wireframedanddevelopedanoperationalprototypeapp,whichcanbeself-containedandoperateeven

withoutsignalasmobileandWi-FicoverageisvariablealongthePath.Thedatawithintheprojectiscontained

in two major datasets; the places to which the stories are attached and the stories themselves. This data has

hadtobedividedupintomanageablechunkssothatitcanbepre-loadedandstoredonthedevice.Theapp

content will also be available from a public website making it accessible to those without or unable to access

theCoastPath.

The project has been piloted and the team have been investigating the best way to engage with community

groupsanddigitalstorytellingprojectsalongthePath.Thenextstageisbetatestingoftheliveversionof

the app.

‘Imagine the landscape of the Coast Path as a book, with all the different layers of the landscape like the chapters of that book.

Each chapter tells a story, and together they make one big story that transforms this landscape for us, giving it meaning and a sense of place.

We want visitors to look past the beautiful cover of this book and share in the narrative that has shaped this place; giving them a deeper, richer experience and helping them understand their own place in the story.’

Steve Knight,ap Ogam.

18

living Paths www.livingpaths.info

CommunitiesinWalesoftenfinditdifficulttoshareinformationabouttheirlocality,

such as historic buildings, circular paths, geographical features and other points

ofinterest.LivingPaths!LlwybrauByw!isaprojectthataimstoempowerlocal

communitiesalongtheWalesCoastPathtocreateWikipedia®pagesandpoststories

about their communities, allowing diverse local information to become accessible.

TheideafromRobinOwainwasawardedfundinginthe2012GeoVationChallengeto

betterconnectcommunitiesandvisitorsalongthenewWalesCoastPath.

ThereisalackofinformationreadilyavailableontheWalesCoastPath.Someinformationispublishedin

pamphlets,buttheseareexpensivetodistribute,thereforedifficulttosource.Publishingonlineispossible,but

canbedifficultduetothecomplexitiesofweb-authoringformostpeople.

Local people know best about their locality, sights to see and facilities available and through Wikipedia, a

digitalencyclopaedia;theycansharethatinformation.Better,richerinformationonWikipediawouldbenefit

theusersofthePathaswellaslocalpeople,connectingvisitorswithlocalcommunitiesthroughinformation

onlocationsandpointsofinterest(suchaswildlife,shipwrecksites,castles,localtalesetc).

‘GeoVation gave us the chance to sit down with experts and collaborate with Ordnance Survey using open source data and to work with other government agencies.’

Robin Owain,Living Paths.

InJuly2013,RobinOwainwasappointedthefirstWikipediaManagerforWalesbyWikimediaUKandWici

CymruandtheLivingPaths!projectwasstartedinJanuary2014.Atrainingcoordinatorhasbeenappointed

alongwithninewiki-skillsaccreditedtrainers.Todateithashadapproximately1,200newarticlescreated

and 1,500 images uploaded. The project will train business and community groups in all coastal counties

thatbordertheWalesCoastPath,withsimpleWikipediaweb-authoringandeditingskills.Thereare150

freeworkshopsscheduledfortheperiodApril–Julywithregistrationsatwww.livingpaths.info and

wwwllwybraubyw.org

BusinessesprovidingvisitoraccommodationbenefitbybeingabletodynamicallyimportrichWiki

content and images into their own websites using a new WelcomeWiki Lite tool, which is free to workshop

attendees. This adds considerable value for searchers when choosing their destination before booking,

and helps them plan their trip.

1918

get community Payback from staffordshire and west midlands Probation trust www.cpvisibility.org/getcp/

Amobilephoneappthatallowsthepublictonominatelocal‘grotspots’using

OrdnanceSurveymappingandengagingwithStaffordshireandWestMidlandsProbation

Trustto‘GetCommunityPayback’.Thisideawasawardedfundinginthe2012GeoVation

ChallengetotransformneighbourhoodsinBritain.

CommunityPaybackprojectsinvolveunpaid

workthatoffendersareinstructedtodoaspart

ofacommunitysentence.Projectsaretypically

litterremoval,dealingwithfly-tipping,cleaning

graffitiandclearingundergrowth.Theprojects

giveoffendersthechancetodevelopimportant

lifeskillsandreducetheriskofreoffending.

Findingtherightprojectlocationisimportant

andrequiresinteractionfromthe(local)public.AcrossStaffordshireandtheWestMidlands,over612,000

hoursofCommunityPaybackwerecompletedin2012byover4,500offendersonacommunitysentence,yet

nominationsforlocationsfrommembersofthepublicremainedrelativelylow.TheProbationTrustwantedto

raisetheawarenessofCommunityPaybackandgivemembersofthepublicaneasierwaytonominateprojects

and greater visibility of the work done.

‘GetCommunityPayback’allowmembersofthepublictonominatesitesandsendinformationwithgeo

taggedphotographstotheTrust.TheTrust,amemberofthePublicSectorMappingAgreement(PSMA),has

accesstoawealthofOrdnanceSurveydigitalmapdata.Displayingtheexactlocation,alongwithaphoto

and accompanying information, streamlines the process for identifying and assessing the suitability of sites,

avoidingtheusualgroundvisit.TheTrustbuildsapictureofpotentialsitesusingOSMasterMap® Topography

Layer,lookingatoffenderlocationsandidentifyingappropriatesitestodevelop.Allnominationsare

acknowledgedandreturnauniqueURLtotheapp,totracktheprogressofthesubmission.

Projectsarepostedonlinewithphotosofsitesthathavebeenclearedandoffenders’feedbackabouttheir

experience.Linkinglocalprojectstogeographicpointshelpsthelocalcommunityfeelmoreengaged

indecision-makingandhelpstomakethepunishmentandrehabilitationofoffendersmorevisibleand

meaningful. The Trust is making its code

open-sourceandavailableforreusebyother

organisations and probation trusts via

Google®Code™.

In developing the app, the Trust and project

team have collaborated with new partners,

suchaswithRamblersCymruandWales

ProbationServicetoseehowoffendersinWales

onCommunityPaybackmaybeabletoworkon

projectsalongtheWalesCoastPath.

How can we transform neighbourhoods in Britain?

challenge:

‘We learned a lot at the GeoVation Camp, where we were introduced to the concept of service design and its benefits, which helped us immensely when developing our idea. GeoVation has given us the opportunity to meet with other organisations and raise the profile of the work we are doing.’

Jason Davies, Data and GIS Analyst, Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust.

This challenge ran from 9 february to 28 march 2012 and during this period 451 people registered, 75 ideas submitted and 4 winners shared innovation funding of £116,000.

20

green space mapper from groundwork london www.greenspacemapper.org.uk

An online consultation and surveying tool, used by residents or professionals,

to capture information about their green spaces, geolocated using

OrdnanceSurveydata,soareascanbebetterdevelopedandutilised.

GroundworkLondon’sGreenSpaceMapperideawasawardedfundinginour

2012 GeoVation Challenge to transform neighbourhoods.

Peoplelivinginareasofdisadvantagehavefivetimeslessaccesstogreenspacethantheirmoreaffluent

neighbours. Creatively used and well managed open spaces provide a place for people to get to know their

neighbours, for children to play and contributes to healthier lifestyles. In many areas, residents want to

improvethelandontheirestates,butdon’thaveaclearmeanstoarticulatetheiraspirations.Manyhousing

associations have programmes of investment for their green spaces, working closely with residents.

‘We learnt a huge amount from attending the GeoVation Camp weekend and have applied the Innovation = Problem x Solution x Execution formula to a number of other projects. The weekend allowed us to spend time concentrating on the idea, something we couldn’t factor in during our normal working

Paul Hodgson, Head of GIS, Groundwork.

Groundwork’sideawastotaketheprofessionalsurveyingtoolsusedbyGISstaffandcreatea

mobile-friendly‘webapp’offeringmanyofthebenefits,whilstbeingsimpleandenjoyabletouseby

residentsandstaff.GeoVationfundingallowedGroundworktocommissionaprototypetool,developcore

questions and answers for surveying and test the tool with three housing associations. The system is loaded

with sets of tried and tested questions, but Groundwork also created bespoke sets of questions and answers

to be used at specific events or on specific sites.

GreenSpaceMapperusesopenstandardsandOSOpenData(suchasOSStreetView)hasbeenusedtocreate

siteboundaries,andthedetailedboundariesofOSMasterMapTopographyLayercanalsobeusedwhen

licencingisavailable.Keybenefitsofthetoolarethatinformationisgatheredconsistently,isaccuratelylocated

and the results can be downloaded in minutes when used in a GIS or statistics produced in a spreadsheet.

GreenSpaceMapperwasusedbylocalvolunteersin

theWandleValleyRegionalParkandalsowithRaven

HousingTrustonaprojecttoredeveloptheRiversEstate

playground. To date, there have been:

• 210 surveys completed.

•25individualsurveyors(20ofwhomwerelocal).

•Peoplenewtosurveying,carryingout68%ofthesurveys.

GreenSpaceMapper’sflexibilitymeansthatitalsohas

widerapplications,forexample,parkssurveys,river

corridormanagement,footpath/cyclerouteassessments.

FutureplansincludepromotingtheGreenSpaceMapperto

other Groundwork regions.

2120

foodtrade www.foodtrade.com

Inour2012GeoVationChallengetotransformneighbourhoods,EdDowdingwasawarded

fundingtodevelopSustaination(whichlaterbecameFoodTrade),adatingsitewhich

allows food enterprises to use geolocation to connect up and trade more easily using

social, local and mobile web technologies. The food web will map and analyse the

resourcesinanygivenarea;bringingdata-drivenadvantagestosmallbusinesseswhere

the activity is. This will help to bring resilience to our food systems and prosperity to our high streets.

FoodTradeisasocialenterprisethataimstohelpeverytypeofthebusiness,fromfarmtofork,andtakesthe

hassle out of sourcing and selling responsibly sourced produce.

It helps food enterprises create networks, share information, boost

their reputation, collaborate on bids, and find new customers and

suppliers. It is free to use for individuals and helps them to find

the foods they love, sold by the people they trust.

Membershipforbusinessconsistsofathreelevelpricingmodel,

starting with a free membership, which allows a business profile with

contact and social media information to be shown on searches. The

‘Advanced’membershipallowsbusinessunlimitedactivityupdates

and searches, the ability to map their customers and send daily

or weekly email updates. A pricing model for organisations will be

introduced soon.

‘GeoVation is a fantastic way to find and nurture the most innovative ideas. Their support, flexibility, and understanding of startups has been invaluable.’

Ed Dowding, FoodTrade.

shout crime from ideal for allwww.shoutcrime.co.uk

Hatecrimeisoneareaofthecriminaljusticesystemthat,evidenceshows,often

goes unreported. In the 2012 GeoVation Challenge we asked how we could

transformneighbourhoodsinBritain.Recognisingthenegativeimpactthathatecrimecanhaveonindividualsand

communities, Ideal for All, an Independent Living Centre in Sandwell, was awarded funding to develop their idea for a

hate crime reporting smartphone app.

Theappwhichwascreated,ShoutCrime,usesopendataandprovidesasimpleandeffectivereportingtool

for individuals who are the victims or witnesses of hate crime. The function of the application is to increase

accessibility and promote reporting of hate crime within communities. Shout Crime can be accessed simply

and easily via any browser on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or other mobile device.

The easy to understand menu provides three simple steps to report a hate crime in a safe and anonymous environment.

Mappingandreportingformatsenableuserstoreportthelocation,typeandtimeofahatecrime.Thosewhowish

to receive confirmation of the report can enter a valid email address. Shout Crime reports made via a mobile phone

provide the option to upload media files such as pictures, video or audio recordings of the crime, which are tagged to

individualreports.ReportsaresenttoIdealforAll,whichisaHateCrimeReportingCentreandnottothepolice.

A map showing incidence for a geographic location can be viewed together with statistics showing monthly

trends for hate crime reporting on Shout Crime. Search facilities enable trend analysis to be undertaken within

the application, while a dashboard presents summary analysis over a rolling 12 month period. Additional

features are available for organisations requiring access to detailed reports.

‘Shout Crime is an important part of our work to tackle hate crime through open data and is a development by Ideal for All made possible by funding from Ordnance Survey.’

Ideal for All.

22

How can we improve transport in Britain?

challenge:

mission:explore from the geography collective www.missionexplore.net

AwebsiteandiPhoneapptoencouragechildrenandyoungpeopletogetoutside

exploringtheirlocalareaandinnovatingwithgeographythroughsocialgaming;where

participantsinactivitiesandchallenges(‘missions’)scorepointsandunlockrewards

–Mission:Explore!ThisideafromtheGeographyCollectivewasawardedGeoVation

funding in the first geovation challenge in 2010.

TheGeographyCollectiveisagroupofteachers,activistsandartistswhocametogethertoencourage(young)

peopletoseeandthinkaboutourworldinnewways.TheyjoinedforceswithTheWorkshoptoenableMission:

Exploretohappen,throughthewebsite,books,atfestivalsandcamps.Mission:Exploremissionsarefree

totakepartinandencouragedevelopmentoflocalknowledgeandcommunityparticipation.‘Themore

missions you do, the more rewards you’ll unlock and the more fun you’ll have during your stay on planet Earth.’

The initial funding from GeoVation enabled The Geography Collective to secure its partnership with The

Workshop,anddevelopawebsiteandaniPhoneapptoenableitsmissionstobegeolocatedandtheinterface

andgamificationelementcouldbedeveloped.Itwasalsoabletopublishitsfirstbook–‘The visible online

presence and website, which is at the forefront of geography innovation, along with the credibility

OrdnanceSurveybackinggave,allowedpeopletofindoutaboutMission:Exploreandenablefurther

conversationsandpartnershipstodevelop.’saidDanielRaven-EllisonofMission:Explore.Thesepartnerships

includeNationalGeographic®,whichMission:Explorehasbuiltastrongrelationshipwith,particularlythroughGeography Awareness Week.

Mission:Explorewasawardedfurtherfundinginthe 2011 ‘how can we improve transport in britain?’ geovation challenge,foritsideatocreate‘missions’toencouragefamiliestousetheNationalCycle

Network(NCN)andusegamificationtohelptacklehabitsandmakecyclingmoredesirable.

Followingthissecondtrancheoffunding,researchexaminedthepotentialtoexpandthelocationsofmissions

toincorporatepartsoftheNCNandhelppromotecyclingandactivetravelmoregenerally.Theresearch

alsoexploreddifferentwaysinwhichfamiliesengageingame-playingandtheircurrentcyclingbehaviour.

The findings from research, along with data collected from family and school focus groups, helped shape an

understanding of behaviour and barriers to cycling, and how the missions could be structured to encourage

greateruseoftheNCN.Pilotswerealsocarriedoutinfourareas.Barrierstocycling,suchassafetyand

knowledge of cycling routes, meant it was felt that the missions would most likely work best with families already

experiencedandconfidentincyclingtogether.TenareashavebeenselectedtorunMission:Explorecycling

challenges.

‘The visible online presence and website, which is at the forefront of geography innovation, along with the credibility Ordnance Survey backing gave, allowed people to find out about Mission:Explore and enable further conversations and partnerships to develop’

Daniel Raven-Ellison, Mission:Explore.

This challenge ran from 27 september 2010 to 11 february 2011 and during this period 235 people registered, 155 ideas submitted and 6 winners shared innovation funding of £161,000.

2322

‘The GeoVation Challenge process is fantastic. It has elevated us from having an idea to being a commercially-viable company with no debt that is exporting services to the United States and working with well-known brands and institutions.’

Daniel Raven-Ellison, Mission:Explore.

GeoVationfundingalsoallowedonememberoftheGeographyCollective,Daniel

Raven-Ellison,andateamfromTheWorkshoptofocusondevelopmentof

Mission:Exploreandarebuildofthewebsite,whichwaslaunchedinOctober2011.

Therebuildwasnecessarytohaveaviableplatformtorunthecycling-themed

challenges and also allowed organisations to be able to create their own branded

versionsofthechallenges,whichhavesofarattractedover15fully-paying

clients.Theserangefromschoolstocharitiestobusinesses,andincludeNational

Geographic,theLondon2012CulturalOlympiad,andaNestaprojectwith

SanctuaryHousing.

Mission:Exploreisworkingonmissionswitharangeoforganisationsand

has also received £38,500 in funding from Arla, securing a place in the play

arena, which wouldn’t have happened without the website. It iscurrently

working with the Environment Agency® and Thames Water® to create

missionsdesignedtohelpincreasewaterefficiencyinschools,focusing

on four London schools initially.

TheMission:Explorewebsitehad60,000uniquevisitorsinthelastyear,5,000registeredon-site.Ofits

audience,50%areoutsideoftheUK.However,itisdifficulttomeasurethelevelofinteractionprecisely;for

example,ateacherwhoregistersmayuseaparticularmissionwithanentireclass,orpurchaseabookforthe

class.SomebooksareavailablefreeaseducationalresourcesonTES,Guardian®andNationalGeographic,~

soitisdifficulttoquantifytheirreach.Therearealsointeractionsthattakeplaceatfestivalsandcamps.

Goingforward,theNCNmissionswillbelaunchedinspring2013in10locationsthroughouttheUK,withan

aimofapossible15%increaseinNCNuse,thoughthismaytakelongerthaninitiallyexpected.Inhindsight,

Danieladmitsitmayhavebeenbeneficialtoconcentrateonfewerareastostartoffwith.Mission:Exploreis

also looking to increase the number of users registered on its website and the number of repeat visitors, those

who rate content, sign up to win, badge and numbers of paying clients.

Danielsaid‘WehavelearntalotfromourinvolvementwithGeoVation,suchashowtosetupacompany,

encourage people to participate, forge new partnerships, social gaming skills and project management. We

haveworkedcollaborativelywithotherGeoVationchallengewinners,suchasCityfarmers,toco-publishthe

Mission:Explore FoodbookandIntegratedTransportPlanningonaprojectinLowestoft,aimingtoincreasethe

number of families using buses’.

‘Wehavebeensteadilyincreasingnumberstoourwebsiteandforgingnew

partnerships, but we would still like to reach the family audience, though this

willrequiremorefinancialinvestmentformarketing.Mission:Explorehasthe

potential to reach all children and families and those interested in education

and behaviour change. The technology could be used by any industry to set

challenges with rewards and points in recognition of completion’.

SpeakingaboutGeoVationDanieladded‘TheGeoVationChallengeprocessisfantastic.Ithaselevatedus

fromhavinganideatobeingacommercially-viablecompanywithnodebtthatisexportingservicestothe

UnitedStatesandworkingwithwell-knownbrandsandinstitutions.Anyonecanenterandbesupportedin

developing their idea and think creatively and critically about how to solve a problem first and the solution

second.Otherbenefitsincludetheconnectionsandopportunitiesthathavehelpedustoscale-up

and becoming part of a network of organisations that help each other, almost like a GeoVation alumni

network,andthebenefitofhavingsupportfromOrdnanceSurveyasatrustedandwell-knownorganisation

withintheUK.’

24

myPtP from liftshare www.liftshare.com/uk

A personal travel plan with all an individual’s options in one document, created with

asearchtimeofunder30seconds,istheideathatwasputforwardbyLiftshareand

awardedGeoVationfundinginthe2011transport-themedGeoVationChallenge.

Liftshareisasocialenterprise,‘mission-drivenratherthanprofit-driven’,whoseaimistoencourage

sustainable transport options and cut carbon emissions by car sharing.

myPTPsareindividualpersonaltravelplansproducedinasingledocument,whichallowindividualstoevaluate

theirtransportoptions,whileconsideringCO2, financial and other implications such as calories burnt. This can be

usedtoimprovethecommutetoworkandcreateamodalshifttowardsmoresustainabletraveloptions.

‘It’s really exciting to see how people engage with the process once they start trying alternative methods of travelling to work. Some have even found new routes themselves, which they feed back to the data provider so that routes options and timings continue to improve’.

Bryony Ecclestone, liftshare.

10 EXHAUSTED - THE SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

liftshare’s

myPTP

*******************************************************************

PERSONAL TRAVEL PLANS

AfterreceivingfundingfromGeoVation,Liftsharepilotedthesystemwithemployersusingabulkuploadtoolto

allowtravelplannerstodeliveralargenumberofPTPstoemployees‘enmasse’.Thepilotexceededthetarget

with21%lookingtochangetheirdailytravelplans.Buildingonfeedback,Liftsharesoft-launchedmyPTPwitha

majorcouncil,whopurchased15,000myPTPs.

ThemyPTPprojecthaskeptupmomentumsincethelaunchofthesuccessfulpilot–anexampleofthisisthework

thathasbeenconductedinBlackburnandDarwenaspartoftheirLocalSustainableTransportFund(LSTF)project.To

date,asaresultofthehardworkconductedbytheirLSTFteamusingthemyPTPtool,theyhaveseena17%modalshift

with individuals moving away from driving by themselves to walking, cycling, public transport and car sharing.

myPTPhelpsnewrecruitsandexistingemployeestochoosesustainabletransportoptions,workingwiththe

organisation’stravelcoordinatorwhounderstandstheiremployees’andtheorganisation’sexpectations.

Liftsharecanalsofeedbacktotransportproviders,wheretheremaybeincreasesindemand,forexample,

expansionsornewofficebuilds.

Goingforward,over90clientshavesignedupandareshowinginterest,andthislistisstillgrowing.Liftshare

hasnowusedmyPTPacrossanumberofsectors,workingwithprivatecompanies,universities,hospitals,

localauthorities,jobcentersandprovidingpersonaltravelplanstoresidentialareas.A‘widget’forembedding

onanorganisation’swebsiteisinthepipeline,whichwillmakeiteasyforindividualstoaccessthemyPTPtool.

Liftsharewasselectedasawinnerofthe2012AshdenAwardforSustainableTravelforthegroundbreaking

andtirelesswaysitencouragespeopletothinkdifferentlyabouthowtheytravelandcarshare.Itwasawarded

ashareof£30,000inprizemoneytofurtheritsworktopromotesustainabletravel.AsaresultofGeoVation

fundingandworkgeneratedfromthis,Liftsharehasbeenabletoincreaseitsstafffrom18to29employees.

2524

cyclescape from cyclestreets www.cyclescape.org

Cyclescape, an interactive website that provides cycling campaign

groups with a toolkit for easy discussion and resolution of

campaigning issues, was awarded funding in the 2011

transport-themedGeoVationChallenge.CyclescapeiscreatedbyCycleStreets,anot-for-profitsocial

enterprisethatrunstheUKcycle-journeyplanner.Thewebsiteaimstofacilitatetheworkofcycleadvocacy

groups by tackling the typical problems they face; getting more people involved, avoiding volunteers overload,

getting up to speed on issues facing cyclists, working more productively with local authorities and discovering

bestpracticesaroundtheUK.Italsoaimstoimproveandautomatetypicalprocesses.Geographyisatthe

heartofthesystem,andOSOpenDataisavailableasamaplayer.

Featuresofthewebsiteincludefull-featureddiscussiontools,subscriptionbasedon‘watching’geographic

areas drawn onto the map, integrated collision data, group privacy settings, a library of resources that can be

‘pulled-in’tothediscussions,andmore.Automaticvisibilityofplanningapplicationsisbeingadded.

Cyclescapewasdevelopedbyasmallteamofspecialistdevelopersasanopen-sourceproject,allowingothers

to get involved. It could potentially be repurposed for other communities of interest, such as supporting the

advocacy work of pedestrian groups. This, along with the ability to translate it to other languages, could bring

opportunitiesforfundingandopen-sourcedevelopment.

‘We would like to thank everyone involved in GeoVation for enabling this project to go ahead. We are excited to have been able to deliver it, and are very encouraged by its potential.’

Martin Lucus-Smith,CycleStreets.

cyclescape

cyclescapecyclescape

cyclescape

Cyclescape: Logo suggestions

Initialusagehasseenadoubledlevelofactivity,newinvolvement,littleoff-topicdiscussion,withissuesbeing

broughttoconclusioneffectively.Therobustdesignframeworkestablishedhasensuredthesitewillmeetthe

challenges of wider availability, although more work is needed on the site to meet its full potential.

ThesitewasshowcasedatthemainannualcyclingcampaigncommunityconferenceinOctober2012,where

theheadofthenationalcampaigningcharityannounced,hewas‘blownaway’bywhathehadseen.Groups

arebeingaddedone-by-oneasthesitetakesonitsnationalfocus.

Cyclescapeaimstoprovideanall-in-oneplatformcustomisedtotheneedsofcyclingadvocacygroups

aroundtheUK.Thechallengeistocaterforthedifferingprocessesandskillswithinthesegroupsandfacilitate

opportunitiesforcollaboration.Thelong-termsuccessofthesitewillbejudgedbyhowgroupscaninfluence

changemoreeffectivelyatalocallevelandworkwithlocalauthoritiestoincreaseratesofcycling;for

example,improvedcyclefacilities,saferstreetsandmorecycleparking.

26

fixmytransport anywhere! from mysociety www.fixmytransport.com

mySocietyisaUKcharitywhosemission

is to help people become more powerful

in the civic and democratic parts of their

lives, through digital means. They build websites that give people simple, tangible ways to connect with

andimprovetheirsociety.Inthe2011transport-themedGeoVationChallengetheywereawardedfundingto

developamobileversionofFixMyTransport,awebsitemakingiteasyforpeopletoreportandgetcommon

transport problems resolved.

Usingthemobileapppeoplecanreportproblems,suchasbrokenticketmachinesorbusesthatleaveearly,

when they happen – rather than waiting until later and forgetting. mySociety sends the information provided

straighttothecorrecttransportoperatororlocalauthorityforaction.Reportsandresponsesarepostedonline

sothatotherpeoplecansupport,respondandgiveadvice.mySocietyprojectsarebuiltonfreeandopen-source

softwaresothatindividualsandorganisationscansharethisgloballytobuildtheirownvariations.

‘Through the GeoVation network, we have also formed a partnership with fellow GeoVation challenge winners ITP (AccessAdvisr), which led to a successful World Bank bid developing a fault-reporting system in the Philippines.’

Paul Lenz, mySociety.

FollowingGeoVationfunding,developmentoftheFixMyTransportwebsitewascompletedandtheinitial

mobileversionwaslaunchedinsummer2011.Feedbackandinsightsinformedamorecomplexversion,which

launchedinDecember2011.Thesiteusesgeolocationandautomaticallypinpointstheuser’swhereabouts–

usefulforthosetravellinginunfamiliarplaces.Userscanseeotherreportedproblemsnearbyandengagewith

localtransportproblems.Mapsarescrollableanduser-friendlytomobilebrowsers.

PaulLenz,ofmySocietycomments,‘Themobilesitegeneratesalargeamountoftraffic,butthecorefocusat

the moment is to increase the number of people who, having visited, report problems on the site.’

Valueisseenincreatingausefulandwell-usedwebsiteandthewebsitehasintheregionof280,000monthly

users, of whom around 90,000 access using mobile devices, with another 35,000 on tablets.

Pauladded‘Anyonewhousesapublictransportrouteorservicethatisimprovedorfixedasaresultof

areportedproblemorcampaignstartedcanbenefit.Duringdevelopmentwehavelearntalotabout

transportdata,butmorespecifically,theextenttowhichmanytransportoperatorsareunwillingtopublicly

communicate with their customers – which we continue to work to overcome. Through the GeoVation

network,wehavealsoformedapartnershipwithfellowGeoVationchallengewinnersITP(AccessAdvisr),

whichledtoasuccessfulWorldBankbiddevelopingafault-reportingsysteminthePhilippines.’

2726

accessadvisr from integrated transport ltd. www.accessadvisr.net

AccessAdvisr,afreewebsitethatprovidesease-of-accessinformation

aboutplacesofinterestandtransportstops/stations,hasbeenin

development since 2012. It’s been designed so that content can be

updatedbyauser-communityofrealpeoplewhoseratings,comments

andphotossharetheirviewsandexperiencesofaccessingdifferentplaces.Theidea,fromNeilTaylorof

IntegratedTransportPlanningLtd(ITP),wasawardedfundinginthetransport-themedGeoVationChallenge.

InsightfromresearchconductedbyITPrevealedthatpeoplewithlimitedmobilityoftenpiecetogether

information about the location, quality and reliability of accessible transport networks and destinations from

varioussources.AccessAdvisrputspeoplewhoexperiencemobilityimpairmentsinchargeofmanagingand

maintaining accessibility information for use before and during their journeys.

The key stages of the project were to review and

brokerexistingdata,recruitexternalsoftware

developers,establishproof-of-conceptsoftware

specificationsanddevelopthesoftware.Abeta

release of AccessAdvisr was tested in Loughborough

andNottingham,andsubsequentdevelopment

has been inspired by feedback from disabled

peopleinMiltonKeynesandNottingham–where

theITPteamhasbeenworkingwiththelocal

councils to continue enhancing the tool. There are

currently over 200 user profiles registered on the

platform,andiPhoneandAndroidsmartphone

appsavailable.Beneficiariesaredisabledpeople,of

whom there are estimated to be around 10 million

intheUK,andthoseexperiencingsomeformof

mobility impairment.

Ateamof10peoplehavebeeninvolvedinthedevelopmentandpromotionofAccessAdvisr,andITPhas

recentlypartneredwiththeUniversityofNottinghamtoestablishaTechnologyStrategyBoard-backed

KnowledgeTransferPartnership.Workingtogether,ITPandtheUniversitywillbeappointinganin-house

softwaredevelopertoacceleratethepaceatwhichenhancementstothesoftwaretoolscanbedelivered.

Theiraimistocreateasetofinformationtoolsthatenablebetterdoor-to-dooraccessiblejourneyplanning.

NeilTaylorcomments:‘Thekeybenefitsforushavebeenlearningaboutthesoftwaredevelopmentprocess

andcreatingaccessiblesoftwaretools.TheprojecthasraisedITP’sprofileandenabledustogainrecognition

forthephilosophically-focusednatureofmuchofourtransport-planningandresearchwork.Welearnedthat

anythingispossibleinsoftwaredevelopmentterms,dependingontimeandbudget.Wehavealsolearntabout

waystocombineanddisplaypoint-basedinformationfrommultiplesourcesofaccessibilityinformation.’

AccessAdvisr’ssuccessismeasuredbywebsiteusage,appdownloadsandtheamountofuser-generated

contentandlocationratingsaddedtotheplatform.Userfeedbackandsuggestionsareimportanttoshape

platformmodifications,andITP’sworkwithSuffolkCountyCouncil,MiltonKeynesCouncilandNottingham

CityCouncilhasenabledtheirteamtointroduceAccessAdvisrtoolstodisabledpeopleindifferentareasofthe

UK.Insummary,Neilstates:‘ThroughGeoVation,wehavebuiltanexcellentnetworkofcontactswithsoftware

developersalsointerestedinimprovingBritain’stransport.Wehavealsocollaboratedsuccessfullywithother

GeoVationentrantstoworkwithclientsbothinternationallyandintheUK.’

‘Access Advisr’s creators, Integrated Transport Planning Ltd, ...are also using open data to improve the quality transport projects for local authorities in England. As well as working on behalf of the World Bank to develop and pilot a suite of open-source software tools and open data platforms that will improve the way urban transport systems function in the Philippines.’

The Rt Hon Francis Maude MP, Cabinet Office Minister, March 2012. At an address on the economic benefits and innovation potential of opening up availability of government data.

28

london cycle map bikemapper.org.uk

cyclelifestyle.co.uk

Asinglecyclemapwitha‘compasscoloursystem’thatisclear,easy-to-use,andcorrespondstoaunified

network of signed cycle routes throughout Greater London – the cycling equivalent of the London

Undergroundmap.ThisideafromSimonParker,supportedbyBenIrvineeditorofCycle Lfestylemagazine,

wasawardedfundinginthe2011transport-themedGeoVationChallenge.

Simondevelopedaninterestinmasscyclingin1999.‘I’dspentthesummerhiringoutbikestopeoplein

RichmondPark,’heexplains,‘andwasblownawaybythesmilesofpeoplewho’dbeenforaneight-milebike

ride, and loved every minute.’

‘The map has potential to benefit anyone who cycles through London and revolutionise transport in London, opening up cycling to resident and visiting cyclists. Funding from Ordnance Survey’s GeoVation added to the credibility of the idea.’

Ben Irvine,Cycle Lifestyle.

The idea for an improved signage strategy occurred to Simon later when, following a cycle route home from

somewherenew,thesignsjustsuddenlydisappeared.‘Iwascompletelydisorientatedanddidn’tknowwhich

directionI’dbeengoing’hesays.‘AllIhadwithmewasanoldLondonCycleNetworkmap,butwithoutthe

corresponding signs, it was redundant.’

Simon’s idea of using colours to indicate the direction of travel, could simplify the way the routes on the cycle

networkarewaymarked,makingjourneyplanningeasier.The‘compasscoloursystem’groupsroutesby

colourdependingontheirorientation.Forexample,coldblueforthenorth-southroutes,andsunnyredfor

theeast-westroutes.

GeoVation funding was awarded to develop a website and photomap, www.bikemapper.org.uk, launched

in2011.Thewebsiteinvitespeopletologphotosandvideosoffunctioningandnon-functioningpartsofthe

cycle network, which can be rated according to safety and the ease which they can be made to work. This

information could be used to inform debate about where investment in the cycle infrastructure should be

made. The website shows around 700 photographs and has been publicised to cycle bloggers and cycling

organisations.

Cycle LifestylemagazinecontinuestopromoteandcampaignfortheLondonCycleMaptobeunifiedwitha

networkofsignedcycleroutes.BenIrvinecomments‘Themaphaspotentialtobenefitanyonewhocycles

through London and revolutionise transport in London, opening up cycling to resident and visiting cyclists.

FundingfromOrdnanceSurvey’sGeoVationaddedtothecredibilityoftheidea.’

SimonmakesthepointthatanetworkapproachcanbepursuedinalloftheUK’stownsandcities.‘Thisisn’t

justaboutLondon,’heinsists,‘theimportantthingistothinkintermsofanetwork,andtogetthisnetworkup

and running.’

London Cycling Network (proposed)

2928

foodnation™: the people’s digital co-op www.food-nation.co.uk

Foodnation’smissionistohaveFoodnationhubswithin

cyclingdistanceofmostUKhouseholds.Itprovidesa

platform to connect customers and farmers in their local

area, enabling them to make transactions for local organic

foodandfruitandvegbox-deliveryschemes.LouiseCampbellhadtheideaandsetupthecompanyinMarch

2011afterreceivingGeoVationfundinginthe‘HowcanBritainfeeditself?’GeoVationChallenge.

Aftersecuringfunding,sheobtaineddataandbuiltapilotplatformfortransactionstotakeplace.Buildingon

feedbackfromtesting,theFoodnationappwaslaunchedinMay2012andthewebappfollowedinSeptember.

Therehavebeen1,000downloadsoftheappandtraffictothewebsiteincreased400%followingthewebapp

launch.Farmers,withoutthecapabilitytosetuptheirownwebsites,payapercentagefromsalestousethe

platformtosellfruitandvegboxesdirectly.

FoodnationpartneredwithTransitionTownMaidenheadtorunapilotschemefororderingorganicfruitand

vegboxesfromalocalsupplier.RunningthroughJulyandAugust2012,thepilotsawordersof£400perweek

fromits20members.ThereispotentialtolaunchFoodnationCo-operativeMaidenheadwebsiteinfuture

development,with40,000peopleinMaidenheadbenefitingfromthismethodoforderinglocalproduce.

ThemodelfortheFoodnationCo-operativeisscalableforrollouttoTransitionTownsthroughouttheUK.

Ithaspotentialtocreateseveralnewjobs;inMaidenheadtherearecurrentlyfivevolunteerrolesandHub

Coordinators being recruited.

‘I learnt digital marketing skills and what is required to develop a mobile app. Also project management skills and to be cautious about how fast you can start a new business with limited funds.’

Louise Campbell,Foodnation.

LouisesaysshehaslearntalotfromtheGeoVationexperienceandfromstartingadigitalprojectfromscratch.‘I

learnt digital marketing skills and what is required to develop a mobile app. Also project management skills and

to be cautious about how fast you can start a new business with limited funds. Given the funding again, I would

spend much more on digital marketing at the beginning than into the project development.’

ThroughGeoVation,FoodnationhasmadelinkswiththeTransitionTownsNetwork,Sustain,Tastingthe

FutureandMakingLocalFoodWork.Lookingahead,Foodnationwillcontinuetobuildonthesuccessofthe

app and website, and work with partner organisations interested in promoting local, sustainable food.

How can Britain feed itself?challenge:

This challenge ran from 16 June to 3 september 2010 and during this period 76 people registered, 51 ideas submitted and 2 winners shared innovation funding of £13,000.

30

city farmers city-farmers.co.uk

CityFarmersisacommunityinterestcompany,setup

byHelenSteerandPeteBoycein2011afterreceiving

GeoVation funding. It helps local government and

communities engage with sustainability issues through data, mapping and activism. They are particularly

focussed on issues that involve food, micro enterprise and local economies.

Theprojectbeganbyresearchingexistinggrowingprovisions,communities,projectsandchallengeswithin

Lambeth.Theteamspecialisesinusingopendatatocreatemulti-layermaps,whichhaveprovedincredibly

valuable at visualising and framing the problems, enabling conversations between individuals, communities,

charities and government. It has developed a range of maps showing food growing, crime, education and

variousothertypesof‘datatopography’.CityFarmersalsosupportandcreategrassrootsprojects,run

workshops and organise collaborations.

They started with a geographical focus on Lambeth, including specific areas such as Vassall Ward, one of the

mostdeprivedareasinBritain.Nowmoreestablished,theyhaveworkedacrossSouthLondon,inHackney,

and even as far afield as Wales.

‘The team have learnt a lot about how local government works and gained experience of working with community groups, including valuable lessons, such as ensuring projects are community led from the very start and to charge for their services earlier!’

Helen Steer, City Farmers.

Oneexampleofaprojectthey’vesetup,isGrowBeer,areplicablesmall-scalesocialenterprise.Itinvolves

a group of growers producing hops across their local community in gardens, parks and community areas,

then working with a microbrewery to produce a truly local beer. The project celebrates beer, growing and

community,plusitisanexcellentwaytogetpeopleexcitedaboutregionalfoodanddrink.Ithasexpanded

toeightgroupsacrossLondonandtheUK,plusoneinGermany,andoffersfreesupporttoamateurhop

growers and those who want to set up their own local project growbeer.city-farmers.co.uk.Helenwasnamed as one of the GLA’s 2014 London Leaders for her work in sustainable business with a focus on this

micro enterprise project.

Theteamhavealsoco-publishedachildren’sbook,Mission:Explore Food, with GeoVation winner the

Geography Collective. The book encourages families to think about their food in a playful way: not just

making or eating it, but also considering where it comes from and goes to.

Amongstotherprojects,CityFarmersarecurrentlyworkingonalocalfoodstrategywithLambeth

andSouthwarkpublichealthandlocalgovernment.PetehasbeennamedaDirectoroftheLambeth

FoodPartnershipwhichisfacilitatingthisprocess.Healsoleadstheirworkinggrouponfood-related

enterprise.

Duringthelastcoupleofyears,theteamhaslearntabouthowlocalgovernmentworks,gained

experienceofworkingwithandforcommunitygroups,andlearntvaluablelessons,suchasensuring

projectsarecommunity-ledfromthestartandtochargeforitsservices!

3130

maximap® giant floor maps www.maximap.co.uk

WhenAnnJoneswasteachinghistorytoschoolchildren,itbecameapparentthata

lotofpupilsdidn’tknowwherethecountriesoftheUnitedKingdomwereandthis

madeitdifficultforthemtovisualisetheinformationtheywerebeingtaught.So

AnncommissionedagiantmapoftheBritishIslesandtookitintotheclassroom

to highlight cities where civil disturbances took place in the 19th century for her Year 10 GCSE pupils. Ann then

joinedforceswithRowenaWells,ofLlanelliprintingcompany,HeritageScreenPrint,tocreateMaxiMap–a

giant floor map that is a fun and active way to learn about geography.

It was Ann’s idea that impressed the judges and audience in the first GeoVation Challenge in 2010 and secured

funding to develop the idea which allows pupils of all ages the chance to brush up on their geographic skills

usingtheenormousfloor-sizedmaps,whichareateachingtooltoexpandpupils’knowledgeoftheworld.

Therearethreeversionsofthemap;BritishIsles,Wales,oraworldmap,andthefundingallowedMaxiMapto

buysatelliteimageryoftheworld,newimageryoftheUKandofferthemapatasubsidisedcostinitially.The

giant map was launched at the GA conference in 2010, and following this, feedback was sought from teachers.

‘Feedback from those that have purchased the maps has been great, as they have found them incredibly useful and engaging teaching aids.’

Rowena Wells,MaxiMap.

RowenaWellscommented,‘Themapscost£330eachandcurrently100mapshavebeensoldtoschoolsand

other organisations, such as The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, which ordered nine of the maps to be used in

itseducationalprogrammes.RamblersWalesalsopurchasedamapforeventsrelatingtotheopeningofthe

WalesCoastalPath.Feedbackfromthosethathavepurchasedthemapshasbeengreat,astheyhavefound

them incredibly useful and engaging teaching aids.

There are additional tools that can be purchased alongside the maps, such as markers and English and Welsh

placenames.MaxiMaphasalsodevelopedarangeofteachingaids,suchasaperiodictable,andnowoffers

Africa and Europe floor maps, as well as a political map of the world.

Rowenaadded,‘Ihavethoroughlyenjoyeddemonstratingthemapstochildrenatthevariouseventswehave

attended. We are now getting education packs together to tie in with the World War 1 commemorations this

year, and in conjunction Ann will provide individual lessons and inset training’.

GeoVation Awards Programmechallenge:

see also geovation awards winners, mission:explore on page 22.

This challenge ran from october 2009 to January 2010 and during this period 200 people registered,

166 ideas submitted and 3 winners shared innovation funding of £22,000.

32

Active Lifestyles GeoVation Camp HelpingatGeoVationCampisquiteaddictive

DuringGeoVationCampwesupportforthefinalistswhoare

developing their prototype ventures, by providing help with service

designprinciplesandwithengagingwithOrdnanceSurveydataand

services.Onthenextpagestwoofourhelperstellyouabouttheir

experienceofhelpingattherecentGeoVationCamp.

Shona Quinn of Ordnance Survey:‘AfteragreatexperiencehelpingatapreviousGeoVationCamp,

IknewthatIdefinitelywantedtohelpoutagain–thebuzzinthe

atmosphere at camp is quite addictive! There were several of us

‘returner’helpers,showingthatGeoVationisaninspiringeventto

attend, whether you’re a helper or a member or an ideas team. And

thanks to more new helpers this year, there was more support for

each team than ever before. Every team had at least one

OrdnanceSurveyhelperwiththemallweekend,sotherewas

dedicated assistance available for the teams throughout the camp.

This new development in the camp process worked well – allowing

the teams and helpers to really concentrate on identifying the

‘problem’thateachideawassolving,the‘solution’thattheteamwas

providingorproposing,andtheirmethodof‘execution’tomaketheir

solutionhappen.Ialsohadachancetohelpseveraldifferentteams

practice their pitches on the Sunday morning of camp and it was

great to see how each team worked and find out about the solutions

they were proposing to help us all live more active lifestyles.

The GeoVation process itself is really interesting, and makes the

event hugely valuable to all the teams at camp. It was great to see

the development of all the ideas over the course of the weekend.

Nomatterhowmuchtheteamshadpreparedforcampbeforehand,

following the GeoVation process made each clearer and stronger,

readytopitchforfundingonSundayafternoon.Itwasanexciting

andexhaustingweekend,butIthinkweallcameawayfromthe

event inspired by the ideas and enthusiasm of the teams involved.

I’mlookingforwardtoseeingwhatalloftheteamsgoontodonext!’

‘A fantastic crash course in design thinking that provided a fresh way of looking at business planning. It was exhausting, but seeing the

pitches come together on Sunday was inspiring and I look forward to seeing what the winners

can produce going forward.’

‘The best thing for me was the experience of working in an environment that was

dynamically different from my everyday work and for helping the Idea team/Innovators create

a successful bid for funding. I felt a great sense of satisfaction knowing that I’d helped evolve

the team’s idea into a winning bid.’

3332

GeoVation Camp process is facilitated by service designers who

employ design thinking, techniques and processes. In addition,

wearefortunatetobeabletodrawontheexpertiseoftheMDes

ServiceDesignInnovationstudentsfromtheLondonCollegeof

Communication,UniversityoftheArts.

Boris Divjak. London College of Communication:‘OneofthefirstthingsyounoticewhenvisitingOrdnanceSurvey’s

headofficeinSouthamptonistheremarkablesizeofitslogo

placed in front of the entrance. The building you are about to enter

makes you feel confident that you are there to do some serious

business.Forthe10teamscompetingattheGeoVationChallenge

this was perhaps a sign of hope that they might gain an important

businesspartner.Forus,studentsofaServiceDesignMasters

course participating as helpers, it was an opportunity to observe

how new, innovative service solutions were being born in the

real world.

‘Someoftheactivitiesatthecampmayhaveseemedslightlyout

of place in a building like this, but Lego cubes, paper airplanes and

dancing on the stage of a conference hall were all essential to the

innovationprocess!ThefacilitatorsfromNononweremorethan

helpfulinencouraginganextremelyrelaxed,yetbustlingworking

environment, enabling sketches to turn into business models and

Service design Helpingtoturngoodideasintogreatinnovations

goodideasintogreatinnovations.Perhapsthebiggestlesson

fromthisgreatweekendisthat,evenforgrown-ups,innovation

can be – or rather has to be – engaging, inspiring and fun!’

‘I enjoy meeting

innovative creative

people and having a

chance to use my skills in a

meaningful way’

‘It was a good experience in which I could

work with professionalsfrom other fields in a

well-appointed environment.Above all, as a service design

student, the opportunity tolisten to various ideas

was very useful. I can assureother people it was worth it.’

Chris Parker –HeadofGeoVation

Chrisco-foundedandheadsupGeoVation,OrdnanceSurvey’sopeninnovationchallengeprogramme.Heisresponsiblefor

developingchallenges,securingfundingandpartners,anddevelopingtheGeoVationProgramme.Chrisisageographerandland

and water resources scientist who has developed innovative uses of geographic information within the public, private and civil

societysectorsinUKandoverseasinAfrica,Europe,theGulfandPakistan.Heiskeentoseegreater,innovativeuseofgeographyin

responding to global challenges and communities’ needs. Chris likes to jump on his bike or walk when he gets the chance.

Viv Alexander –GeoVationCommunityandEventManager

Viv plans and manages the GeoVation Challenges, events and community. She engages with everyone in the GeoVation community,

keepingthemuptodateandinformedandencouraginggreatideasthroughtheblog,socialmediaandtheideasplatform.Prior

tojoiningOrdnanceSurvey,Vivhasworkedincommunitiesandwithyoungpeople.WithagrowingnumberofGeoVationwinners,

Viv really enjoys working with them and seeing their ideas develop. She also monitors and reports on the value created from their

projects.Outsideofwork,Vivisakeenrunner,swimmerandtraveller.

Jonathan Field – GeoVation Community and Event Assistant

JonathanmanagestheGeoVationsocialmedia,usingavarietyofplatformsincludingTwitter®,Facebook®andtheGeoVationBlog.PriortoworkingwiththeGeoVationteam,JonathanwasaGraphicDesignerinCorporateDesignandPublishing.Havingsuccessfullyapplied

forourinternal,seniormanagement-trainingprogramme,heiscurrentlyonsecondmentwiththeGeoVationteam.Duringthistimehe

hasbeenresponsibleforthefollow-upresearchonthePowWowoutputs,helpingtoengagewiththeGeoVationcommunityandrunning

camps/challenges.OutsideofworkJonathanhasbeenrenovatinghishousefromtoptobottomandkeepingtheteamsuppliedwithcake.

34

The GeoVation team at

3534

Acknowledgements

The GeoVation team would particularly like to thank the following people and their organisations, without whom GeoVation would not be possible:

Judges:RolandHarwood(100%Open):ChairofFood,Transport,NeighbourhoodandEnvironmentChallenge,AndrewMiddleton(TYF):ChairofWalesCoastPathandActiveLifestylesChallenge,StevenFeldman(KnowwhereConsulting):ChairoffirstGeoVationChallenge. PeterterHaar(OrdnanceSurvey),JamesCutler(eMapSite),BryanForbes(SBRI,TechnologyStrategyBoard(TSB),GaryGale(Nokia),SteveCoast(OpenStreetMap),JamesAlexander(HoopoeVision),EloiseDay(CapitalGrowth),NickSnelgar(FutureFarms),VictoriaHarris(ThePrince’sRuralActionProgrammes,BusinessintheCommunity,(BITC)).AndrewGoodwin&SerenaCussons(DepartmentforTransport,(DfT)),ChristopherOsborne(ItoWorld),GlennLyons(UniversityoftheWestofEngland),RichardKemp-Harper(TSB),TracyRoss(UniversityofLoughborough),AlisonPrendiville(LondonCollegeofCommunication),DanielRaven-Ellison(Mission:Explore),MarianneGuldbrandsen(NorthernCircle),RichardBridge(CommunityMatters),AngelaCharlton(RamblersCymru),BillOatesandGarethBrowning(WelshAssemblyGovernment(WAG)),PeterFrancombe(VisitWales),JohnCarpenter,JohnKimmanceandLizRatcliffe(OrdnanceSurvey),AntParsons(EnvironmentAgency),JasonDavies(StaffordshireandWestMidlandsProbationTrust),QuentinJohns(HubWestminster),GwendaOwen(CTC),AndrewAdams(BournemouthUniversity).

Camp and Pow Wow Facilitators:SeanMiller,DavidTownson,MurraySim,RichardTelford,NickDevitt,RobMaslinandLauraSorvala(Nonon).

Helping to design and run GeoVation challenges:SamHenderson(AgrarianRenaissance),ColinTudge(CampaignforRealFarming),RuthWest(CollegeforEnlightenedAgriculture),DavidSimoes-Brown(100%Open),JohnSheridan(NationalArchives),KarlRego,ClareJenkinsonandWillPopham(BITC),RichardBarnett,(NewForestTransitionNetwork), SarahChurch(DEFRAFoodPolicyUnit),AnaSvab(Ways2Work),DuncanWilson(Arup),EricMatthews(ItoWorld),HeatherMcInroy(NationalBusinessTravelNetwork,BITC)IvanaGazibara(ForumfortheFuture),LouiseCooper(IBM),NoelHatch(KentCountyCouncil),SamMullins(LondonTransportMuseum),AliceCasey(NationalEndowmentforScienceTechnologyandtheArts,NESTA),AmandaGore(DesignCouncil),DavidWilcox(SocialReporter),EdithGalliers(BarkingandDagenhamCouncil),MarkPinheiro(CabinetOffice),ParminderJutla(UnLtd),AlexBadley(Hen-dy,SD),AndrewHurstandStellaAsprou(WAG),AndyHurst(VisitWales),AnnWhelan(CountrysideCouncilforWales),CaroleStartin(TourismPartnershipNorthWales),ChrisWright(SnowdoniaActive), DavidWilliams(DukeofEdinburghAward),CarolineThompson,DyfanSearell,JennyDickinsonandMartinOwen(Inventorium),GwendaOwen(RamblersCymru),JohnAbbitt(SnowdoniaNationalPark),PaulSandham(GeoGeeks),PeterHewlett(WalkingNorthWales),SionedJones(AngleseyCouncil), AmandaHarries(HayProductions),AntParsons(EnvironmentAgency),DaveMacLachlan(PembrokeshireCoastNationalPark),JamesHitchings, JustinLewisandTomHadfield(YouthHostelAssociation),MalcolmWard(NHSWales),MariaRocke(KidwellyLocalCouncil),MelanieDavies(Cyclists’TouringClub),PeterCole(CapitalRegionTourism),LauraSorvala(Auralab),PhilEvans(WalesInfo),TerryJackson(LocationWales);TimHarling(TidyStudio), MichelleRose-Innes(Rose-InnesDesigns),PaulThurston(DesignWales),PaulaNickson,SimonRedding,GittyAnkers,JohnHescottandChrisJarvis(EnvironmentAgency),DanCooper(HampshireCountyCouncil),AndyChilton(SmallandmediumenterprisesEnvironmentBusinessConsultant),AlKennedy(GoodforNothing),SteveMarriott(BristolCityCouncil),NathanGray(Helistrat),JackBuckner,NickEvans,AllisonSavich,JamesRadfordandRuthAlleyne(SportEngland),MikeAbromowitz(in2touch),AndyAnstey(LimelightSports),KarenCreavinandEmmaWoolf(BirminghamCityCouncil),SamParry(HackneyCouncil),SianGossandPatrickSayers(UniversityofSouthamptonstudents),JenOwen(UniversityofBristolstudent)

WewouldalsoliketothankDrAlisonPrendivilleandtheMDesinServiceDesignstudentsfromLondonCollegeofCommunicationandthemany OrdnanceSurveycolleagueswhohavehelpedatfiveofourGeoVationCamps.

If you’re interested in finding out more about GeoVation or how you could work with GeoVation on a future challenge, then we’d be glad to hear from you – please email us at:

champions@geovation.org.uk

®

Innovation challenges from

Snout Wales

Get Community Payback

Mission:Explore

Foodnation

MaxiMap

Food Finder

ap Ogam

Living Paths

OpenPlay

Green Space Mapper

Shout Crime

FoodTrade

My PTPCyclescape

FixMyTransport Anywhere

Access Advisr

Bikemapper

City Farmers

plaqueguide.com

Carbon Prophet

GeoCra�

The Green Alchemy

Streetkleen Bio

Medal Routes

Run an Empire

Tagd

Bikemapper

www.geovation.org.uk

This document has been screened in accordance with the requirements set out in Ordnance Survey’s Equality Scheme.If you have difficulty reading this information in its current format and would like to find out how to access it in a different format (Braille, large print, computer disk or in another language), please contact us on: +44 (0)8456 05 05 05.

+44 (0)8456 05 05 05 +44 (0)23 8005 6146TextphoneGeneral enquiriesGeneral information

www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/contactus www.geovation.org.uk

Views expressed and images shown in the case studies within this publication are those of the individuals concerned and do not necessarily represent those of Ordnance Survey or GeoVation.

Images: GeoVation winners, 2014 taro911/Shutterstock.com, 2014 Francesco83/Shutterstock.com, 2014 photographee.eu/Shutterstock,com.Ordnance Survey, the OS Symbol, Land-form PANORAMA, GeoVation, OS, OS MasterMap, OS OpenSpace, OS VectorMap, Strategi and Street View are registered trademarks and Boundary-Line and OS OpenData are trademarks of Ordnance Survey, the national mapping authority of Great Britain. Ordnance Survey acknowledges all trademarks. Ordnance Survey © Crown copyrightD11336_0414

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