Case Study: Department for Business, Innovation and Skills achieves precise Assisted Areas mapping, higher public engagement and cost savings with Ordnance Survey

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills - Customer Case Study

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) needed to run a public consultation and create a geographic database to develop the 2014–20 UK Assisted Areas Map, replacing time-consuming paper-based processes. BIS partnered with Ordnance Survey, using PSMA-licensed data and services such as OS OnDemand and the Boundary-Line administrative dataset to provide the mapping foundation for an interactive web portal.

Ordnance Survey supplied OS OnDemand tiles and Boundary-Line data that BIS integrated into a searchable, overlay-enabled portal with postcode/LEP/local-authority/ward search, data extraction and user feedback tools. The Ordnance Survey-powered solution drove over 1,800 unique visitors (about 25% returning), delivered mapping from national to property level, gave BIS a precise long-term Assisted Area reference, and saved roughly £8,000 in hosting plus £5,000 of development time while boosting stakeholder engagement.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Duncan Budd

Deputy Director