Today, GI underpins a huge variety of public and private sector activities and touches almost every part of everyday life - often without our realising. It encompasses all forms of information that are related to a location. For example, GI can help us find the nearest restaurant or theatre using our mobile telephone: the directions we receive may be via text or voice rather than an on-screen map, but are created for us using geographic information. Without the underlying geographical data, however, the service could not be provided.

GI can be used as a framework to link data from many other sources. It is increasingly used in designing and implementing public policy as it allows new insights when

The Director General of Ordnance Survey is official advisor to UK government on surveying, mapping and geographic information. combined with other data and information. Anticipating the types of new technology that are likely to impact on our lives in the future is crucial to maximizing the benefit from GI applications.