Case Study: Metropolitan Police achieves unified, secure Olympic mapping and real-time data sharing with Ordnance Survey

Metropolitan Police - Customer Case Study

The Metropolitan Police needed a single, definitive and secure way to view and share mapping and related data to manage safety and security for the London 2012 Olympics. Ordnance Survey supplied its full suite of national mapping and gazetteer products — including OS MasterMap layers, AddressBase, Points of Interest and OS VectorMap — which fed the Astrium-developed Olympic Mapping Portal to replace siloed desktop GIS systems.

Using Ordnance Survey data, the portal delivered a single spatial data infrastructure with over 300 data layers, used by more than 2,000 Metropolitan Police users and 46 external agencies, and made available to all forces via the Police National Network. Ordnance Survey’s contribution enabled real‑time common operational pictures, reduced data duplication and desktop software needs, supported INSPIRE/UK Gemini standards, produced measurable efficiencies (including estimated savings of £300,000) and created a lasting GIS legacy for policing beyond the Games.

Metropolitan Police

Andrew Mahon

Senior Geographic Information Analyst