Over the summer, we’ve been working hard to tweak one of the zoom levels to provide 1:25,000 scale printing and to process the new map data which will be released in Digimap for Schools on Tuesday 13th September.

1:25,000 Printing

At the start of August, we changed the map product that is used for the 8th zoomed in view in Digimap for Schools from a ‘zoomed in’ version of the 1:50,000 Scale Raster to the 1:25,000 scale Raster.  The key benefit of doing this is that you can now create printable PDF maps at 1:25,000 scale, which is one of the key scales used in the Geography curriculum across the country.

To view the changes, zoom into the 8th most zoomed in view level, and click make printable map.  Click on the thumbnail image below for an example to view a 1:25,000 scale pdf map created from Digimap for Schools.

Sample 1:25,000 scale printed pdf map

Annual Data Update

Every year, near the start of September, we update the map data available in Digimap for Schools.  This year, the update will be taking place on the evening of the 13th September. All the maps in Digimap for Schools will be updated, so if there has been any new buildings in your area in the last couple of years that aren’t currently on the map, the may be on the new maps.  The annual update of the maps provides a great opportunity to take a look at some of the changes that have been taking place across the country.  My favourite example this year is the rapid development of the London 2012 Olympic venues.  Here’s a sneak preview of some of the changes you’ll be able to check out for yourself after the 13th.

Can you spot the differences between the 2010 map (top) and the 2011 map (bottom)?

Please note that the MasterMap data used to create the two most zoomed in levels in Digimap for Schools, will be updated later in September.  Our data engineers have to process the raw MasterMap data to create the rasters images we use, and this takes quite a long time of leaving the servers to work away at it.  We’ll let you know when the MasterMap data will be updated.

Finally, we have also updated the GB view, the most zoomed out level that you see when you log in, by adding relief detail.  Showing relief at this level is really useful as you can clearly see the difference between the mountainous parts of the country and the flatter lands.