Infrastructure protectionProtecting infrastructure from natural hazards

Mapping data from Ordnance Survey is relied on across the United Kingdom — from in-car satellite navigation systems and mobile phone apps to planning applications and fraud analysis. One area which affects everyone is how the emergency services and energy and infrastructure providers rely on accurate geographic information (GI) to protect the country.

A Cabinet Office release reports that a new guide to improving the resilience of critical infrastructure and essential services, published by the Cabinet Office in October 2011, highlights the important role which accurate mapping data plays in improving the resilience of the U.K.’s critical infrastructure to disruption from natural hazards. The report follows the recent Cabinet Office consultation -Keeping the Country Running: Natural Hazards and Infrastructure.

The guide shares best practice and advice to enable and encourage infrastructure owners, regulators, emergency responders and government to work together to continuously improve the resilience of the United Kingdom. The guide encourages the responder community to adopt the use of digital mapping and GIS mapping systems as an effective tool in contingency planning. For example, responders are being encouraged to map dependencies to enable more joined up planning and to improve the sharing of critical information. These dependencies include key buildings, water supplies and electricity and gas transmission networks.