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| October 2006 Edition |

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General:

1. NLPG Progress
2. NLPG and NSG Exemplar Awards Winners 2006
3. Response to AGI Address Geography SIG
4. Pan-Government Agreement Update
5. BS 7666 Available on CD
6. The IA Team Continues to Grow
7. Implementing SDIs through Effective Networking
8. Job Opportunities at Thurrock
9. Worthing Seek Senior GIS Officer

NLPG:

1. NLPG Technical Working Group & Data Entry Conventions

Documentation
2. Forward Plan for the NLPG
3. Programme for the VOA and NDR Matching Exercise
4. New NLPG Search Site
5. NLPG Meetings
6. Status 3s, 4s and 5s

NSG:

1. Congratulations to All NSG Custodians

2. Traffic Management Act Code of Practice Consultation
3. Creation of an NSG Data Entry Conventions Technical Working
Group
4. NSG Meetings
5. Wedding Congratulations

-----[articles]-----

[General]
**1. NLPG Progress**
As you will be aware 1st October 2006 was an important date with
respect to gazetteer
obligations under the

terms of the Mapping Services Agreement (MSA). IDeA and

Intelligent Addressing,
together with the Regional

Chairs, have been working hard to meet the target of getting all
LLPG and LSG datasets
 updating the national

gazetteer hub by this date, but this would have been in vain if
it were not for
the diligence of the

custodians.

The vast majority of authorities have worked hard to deliver

LLPGs and keep them
up to date with regular

feeds of change to the NLPG hub. We would like to thank all

those authorities for
all their efforts in

achieving the requirements of the MSA with respect to their

council’s provision
of gazetteer data. We

appreciate that this has involved a considerable amount of work

within these councils
and we hope that they

are now starting to reap the benefits; the utilisation of a

single address gazetteer
to facilitate more

joined-up working and the corporate benefits for local

government.

There were only a handful of local authorities that were unable

to meet the requirements
outlined in the MSA

and we are continuing to work with these authorities

individually to ensure that
they can deliver these

objectives by the end of this year to assist with partnership

projects using gazetteer
data. We appreciate

that the majority of these authorities have also put in a great

deal of work to
get to the stage they are at

now.

We now have an exciting period ahead of us as both the NLPG and

NSG initiatives
bed down and start to be
 used for wider applications and service delivery not only at the
local level but
also at the regional and

national level.

Once again thank you for your continued support and contribution
to the NLPG process.

**2. NLPG and NSG Exemplar Awards Winners 2006**

The winners of the 2006 NLPG and NSG Exemplar Awards were
announced at a joint IntelligentAddressing/IDeA

ceremony in Manchester on 10th October.

The Awards, which attracted a record 53 entries, were a

reflection of the changes
and progress that have

been made since the last awards were held in 2003 and both
Intelligent Addressing
and IDeA would all like to

express our appreciation and thanks for all the time and effort
the officers in
each Authority made in their

submission for the Awards. The NSG Exemplar Awards were

introduced this year as
a result of IA taking on

the Custodianship of the NSG, and were aimed at recognising the

importance of the
NSG and the work of LSG

Custodians.

Raising the profile of the NLPG and the NSG through these awards
acknowledges the
hard work and vision of

those working within Local Authorities to bring about e-

Government, and encourage
others to learn by their

example, to improve efficiency and deliver better services

across the country.

Preceding the awards ceremony was a workshop aimed at sharing

best practice with
presentations from [1]Blackpool Council
 and [2]Huntingdonshire District Council (follow the links to
view the

presentations), demonstrating how the NLPG and NSG are bringing

real benefits to
local government.

Sir Howard Bernstein, Chief Executive of Manchester City

Council, presented the
awards to the winners and

highly commended authorities.

NLPG Awards

Most Creative Use

London Borough of Brent

Most Improved
Dartford Borough Council

Best Use Internally

Sedgefield Borough Council

Best Use with Partners

Huntingdonshire District Council

NSG Awards

Most Creative Use

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Best Integration
Kent County Council

Awards for Exceptional Performance

Halton Borough Council
 North Somerset Borough Council

Highly Commended

Most Creative Use

Chorley Borough Council

South Somerset District Council

Most Improved
London Borough of Lambeth

Richmondshire District Council

South Hams District Council

Best Use Internally

Leicester City Council

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Best Use with Partners

Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council

London Borough of Haringey

NSG Awards

Best Integration
Durham County Council

Swindon Borough Council

 The workshop, awards presentations and opportunity to network
was very much valued
by the attendees.

Comments included:

‘Events such as these demonstrate with great effect the

commitment local authorities
have in

achieving best practice, providing an important opportunity to

benchmark their activities
with others.

Clearly, this can only assist them in their plight to improve

services and overall
performance.’

‘Since the NSG has been conceived there has not, until now,
been any opportunity
to formally celebrate the

achievements of local authorities in this area of work. This

event has therefore
marked a key milestone in

so doing.’

See [3]here for more

information, comments, photos of the winners and those highly

commended.

[1]
http://www.nlpg.org.uk/documents/Oct06/Blackpool_Case_Study.pdf
[2] http://www.nlpg.org.uk/documents/Oct06/The Huntingdonshire

Experience.pdf
[3] http://www.nlpg.org.uk/documents/Oct06/NLPG_NSG_Awards3.pdf

**3. Response to AGI Address Geography SIG**

IA has responded to the AGI’s Address Geography SIG which
drafted a note following
visits to Ordnance Survey
 and Intelligent Addressing last year.

The IA response explains how the current problems relating to

addressing are more
related to commercial

conflicts of interest, partly driven by government policies than

with tried and
tested technology or

processes.

IA’s response can be seen [1]here

[1] http://www.nlpg.org.uk/documents/Oct06/IAresponse.pdf

**4. Pan-Government Agreement Update**

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) is
procuring a new Pan-Government
Agreement (PGA)

for geographic information on behalf of Central Government

Departments.

The tender evaluation is complete, and so far a preferred

bidder, Next Perspectives,
has been identified for

the height and aerial photography lots. This recommendation is

being put to PGA
members for their

consideration. A decision on entering into any contract will be

taken once PGA members
have

responded.

The [1]current PGA, originally due to end

on 30 March 2006, has been extended until 31st March 2007 to

enable the procurement
process for the

remaining Lots (including address gazetteers) to be completed.

Adapted from IGGI website and Published: 09-10-2006

[1] http://www.iggi.gov.uk/organisations.php

**5. BS 7666 Available on CD**

A CD containing all four parts of the revised BS 7666 is due to
be released by BSI
on October 27th 2006.

The list price is £335.00 ex VAT, for non-members and £172.50

ex VAT for members.
The CD will also be

available from the AGI at a 20% discount for members, and 8%

discount for non-members.

**6. The IA Team Continues to Grow**

The team at IA continues to grow with the appointment of Alex
Tague (right) and
Santiago

Ginzburg (left). Alex has been recruited as an NLPG technician

and is responsible
for assisting in the

management of the National Land and Property Gazetteer hub and

managing the smooth
transfer of data to and

from Local Authorities in accordance with the MSA contract.

Before joining Intelligent
Addressing, Alex

worked for Darlington Borough Council as an LLPG Officer.

Santiago is IA’s new web application developer. Santiago will

be assessing and
updating the current NSG web

application, implementing a new NLPG search feature and

introducing new web services.
Previously, Santiago

worked as a web base IT developer in the pharmaceutical, retail

and financial sectors.

**7. Implementing SDIs through Effective Networking**

It has often been argued that effective networking is the key to
successful Spatial
Data Infrastructure

(SDI) implementation but it is not often recognised that new

types of organisation
may be needed for such

purposes. For this reason the experiences of the MetroGIS

geospatial data cooperative
 are likely to be of

interest to international as well as North American audiences.

This [1]article written by Ian Masser, who currently holds

positions of Visiting
Professor in the Faculty of Geographical

Sciences at the University of Utrecht, the Centre for Advanced

Spatial Analysis
at University College London

and the Department of Geomatics at the University of Melbourne,

and Randall Johnson
who has served as

MetroGIs’s Staff Coordinator since MetroGIS was created. It

was first published
in GEOInformatics 9, (6),

50-53, 2006.

[1]
http://www.nlpg.org.uk/documents/Oct06/MetroGIS_GEOInformatics_Oct
_2006.pdf

**8. Job Opportunities at Thurrock**

Thurrock Council’s Corporate Development Directorate is
advertising four positions
within the authority.

These are for a GIS Manager, LSG Custodian, GIS Officer and
LLPG/LSG/GIS Assistant.
The closing date for

applications for all jobs is November 3rd. For full details

and application see
[1]www.thurrock.gov.uk/jobs/

[1] http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/jobs/

**9. Worthing Seek Senior GIS Officer**

Worthing Borough Council is seeking a senior GIS Officer to take
responsibility
for the intranet and

internet geographical information systems. As well as using

GIS, you will create
and maintain GI data with

MapInfo Pro and develop solutions across the authority. Closing

date: Wednesday
1st November.
 For full details and to apply, visit [1]www.worthing.gov.uk or
email [2]Gill

Van-Eetvelt

[1] http://www.worthing.gov.uk
[2] mailto:gill.van-eetvelt@worthing.gov.uk

[NLPG]
**1. NLPG Technical Working Group & Data Entry Conventions
Documentation**
The NLPG Technical Working Group responsible for the revised
NLPG Data Entry Conventions
Documentation has

released its final draft for consultation with the Regional

Chairs LLPG Custodians
Group, a Scottish DNA-S

representative and a small number of receiving authorities.

Once comments from
this consultation have been

ratified the group will agree the final document for publication
and wider dissemination
to all LLPG

Custodians. This is scheduled for the middle of November 2006

with full implementation
by 1st April 2007.

The objective of the group was to (i) review existing guidance

documentation in
light of the revision to BS

7666 in the summer and (ii) to further clarify further the

Street Naming and Numbering
processes into

conventions for LLPG maintenance.

The overall aim of the document and its adoption by LLPG

Custodians is to produce
a consistent set of LLPGs

which feed into the national dataset to facilitate joined up

working and the sharing
of data across
 boundaries. The adherence to these conventions now will make
the transition across
to the new BS 7666:2006

an easier process to manage both in terms of data collection and

gazetteer maintenance
in the future.

**2. Forward Plan for the NLPG**

A set of ambitious objectives, together with timelines, for the
future development
of the NLPG have been

developed and agreed by the Regional Chairs and LLPG Regional

Custodians group together
with the IDeA. The

plans will serve to underline the importance of the NLPG as the

definitive address
dataset for all MSA

participants and beyond as the most accurate and up-to-date

national address dataset
complied to British

Standards. A similar set of objectives are being discussed for

the NSG.

Agreed Objectives:

Migrate all LLPG's to use the revised data entry conventions

issued under the MSA
(1st April 2007).

All local authority Street Naming and Numbering information to

be passed to third
parties on a daily

basis via the NLPG Hub (1st April 2007).

Distribute NLPG to end users (including receiving authorities

defined under the
MSA) in revised format
 based on standards and conventions issued under the MSA
(incorporating BS7666 2006)
(1st June 2007)

Extend this core public sector dataset to allow the re-use of

data on a nationally
consistent basis

using the standards and conventions issued under the MSA

(incorporating BS7666 2006).

(1st October 2007)

Complete migration from the use of LLPG data internally to the

use of NLPG data
within an authority, to

ensure consistency between all NLPG users (1st October 2007).

**3. Programme for the VOA and NDR Matching Exercise**

Following the recent exercise looking at the VOA Council Tax
data and the NLPG,
the time has come to review

the VOA Non Domestic Rating List.

Many thanks are due to the large number of Authorities who took
part and are still
working towards improving

their NLPG to VOA Council Tax match rate; we would like to take
this opportunity
to encourage other

authorities to go through a similar exercise.

In response to feedback from authorities, and partly because the

new LLPG conventions
document (previewed in

this issue) contains more complete and consistent guidelines for

the naming of commercial
property, postally

and non-postally addressable objects, we are suggesting that the

process with the
NDR be slightly different
 to that adopted on the Ctax.

Publication of new LLPG conventions (mid November 2006)

November 2006 IA to re-format current VOA NDR data to comply
with new conventions

November 2006 IA to match VOA NDR data to NLPG

Early December 2006 IA to dispatch files to LLPG Custodians

File One – NDR records matched to NLPG and NLPG record in
accordance with new
conventions (file likely

to contain Billing Authority reference number and NLPG UPRN)

File Two – NDR records matched to an NLPG record that is not
in accordance with
new conventions (file

will contain suggestion from NLPG Hub as to the changes that

need to be made to
the appropriate LPI)
File Three – NDR records that cannot be matched to the NLPG.

There may be some records within the VOA NDR data that fall
outside the definition
of a BLPU contained

within the conventions – for example individual parking spaces

within a multi-storey
car park – which will

be separately identified.

We hope that the work carried out by IA on the VOA data will
both help in the understanding
of the

conventions and assist in the ongoing improvement of LLPGs. In

line with the timetable
for the adoption of

the new conventions and BS 7666 changes, approved by the

Regional Chairs, we would
like to see this

substantially completed by April next year.

**4. New NLPG Search Site**

Does your authority have a website with an inbuilt property
search facility that
 is utilising the UPRN? If

so, we would like to hear from you.

We are implementing a new NLPG web search facility to take

advantage of the features
added to the NLPG

following the BS7666 review, and one of the output options we

would like to explore
is a link to your

property based systems.

Assuming your authority has an appropriate web site, the

proposal is that in response
to an enquiry that has

searched the NLPG site and identified a property, a URL will be

generated including
the NLPG UPRN. This URL

can then be passed to the appropriate authority web site to

allow the enquirer to
view whatever information

has been made available.

An example of this in action can be seen with properties within

the Amber Valley
authority area, for example

7 Eagle Street, Belper, identified via the NLPG website

generates the following
URL
[1]www.ambervalley.gov.uk/utilities/myproperty/myproperty.asp?
uprn=100030015215
.

If you have an appropriate website and would like to take

advantage of the exposure
the NLPG web site can

provide please contact Gayle Gander, [2]

ggander@intelligent-addressing.co.uk for further details or to

register your interest.

[1]
http://www.ambervalley.gov.uk/utilities/myproperty/myproperty.asp?
uprn=100030015215
[2] mailto:ggander@intelligent-addressing.co.uk
**5. NLPG Meetings**
A member of IA will be attending the following NLPG/NSG joint
events:

Greater Merseyside MSA Lead Officers Group Meeting, Wednesday

8th November 2006,
Liverpool

Surrey GIS group meeting - 14th November 2006

Welsh Regional Custodians Meeting, 1st December 2006 –

Llandrindod Wells

**6. Status 3s, 4s and 5s**

For the benefit of authorities with Status 1 and Status 2 LLPGs
now developing county/regional
initiatives,

and for emergency service organisations needing to use LLPGs we

are publishing the
[1]list of authorities

still in the early stages of their LLPG creation.

[1] http://www.nlpg.org.uk/documents/Oct06/345_oct_06_ezine.pdf

[NSG]
**1. Congratulations to All NSG Custodians**
Congratulations to all NSG custodians, the National Street
Gazetteer is now fully
populated and has reached

an important milestone with all 172 Highways Authorities across

England and Wales
now contributing regular

updates.

Listing over one million streets, the NSG is the composite

street index for the
whole of England and Wales.

It is used by local government and those organisations that work

on or around highways,
as the definitive

reference for co-ordinating street works and managing the road

network. With regular
updates now being

received countrywide, the currency of the NSG will continue to

improve so that real
time data on all

highways is made available to those who need it.

As well as receiving data from the Highways Authorities, the NSG

also gets updates
from other bodies with an

interest in highways, such as Transport for London, Network Rail

and the Highways
Agency. The improvements

not only benefit the co-ordination of street works but also

enhance the quality
of the NLPG.

**2. Traffic Management Act Code of Practice Consultation**

The Department for Transport published and circulated to all
English Highway Authorities
on the 12th October

2006 the draft legislation governing street works in England. A

parallel consultation
on the same

documentation is being undertaken by the Welsh Assembly. The

draft legislation
can be downloaded here [1]Statutory Code of Practice and
[2]Technical Specification
for ETON and is scheduled to come into force in October

2007.

The closing date for submissions on the consultation is the 23rd

November and it
is very important that all

English and Welsh LSG Custodians read these documents and send
their comments on
the NSG/LSG/ASD aspects to

their Regional Chair LSG Custodian as soon as possible or at

least by Friday 3rd
November.

The Regional Chairs LSG Custodians group, LGIH and Intelligent

Addressing will be
 working together and

making an LGIH response to the Department for Transport, in line

with the Consultation
documentation. A

separate submission will be made by the LGIH in conjunction with

the Welsh LSG Custodian
Chair, with the

opportunity to send support of the consultation submission to

the Welsh Assembly,
for their information and

in anticipation that they may replicate the English legislation

in the near future.

This is an extremely important consultation for the NSG and IDeA

and IA fully welcome
LSG Custodian input

through their Regional Chairs.

[1]
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/page/dft
_roads_612876.pdf
[2]
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/page/dft
_roads_612884.pdf

**3. Creation of an NSG Data Entry Conventions Technical Working

Group**
In addition to the DfT Codes of Practice the Regional Chairs LSG
Custodians group
agreed to call for

volunteers who wish to form a NSG technical working group in

order to advise the
LSG software vendors of

their specific requirements prior to the anticipated full

implementation of the
DfT Codes of Practice by

October 2007. Membership of the group would include LSG

Custodian volunteers, the
NSG Service

Provider and Highway Authority ASD Submitters. The chair of the

group is to be
appointed by the NSG

volunteers who wish to form a NSG technical working group with a

remit to consider
the following, amongst

others:

Data entry conventions including BS7666 2006

implementation;
Agreement to freeze compliance checks at status as of May
2006;
Discussion of sanity checking, ASD contradictions,
coordinate checking, USRN integrity
preceding any

further changes to compliance checks; and

Discussion on data capture of new street attribution.

The working group will meet on four occasions over the 2 month
delivery period and
funding for meetings will

be provided by LGIH. Each member of the group will be required

to sign a confidentiality
document. The

final document will be ratified by LGIH and the Regional Chairs

LSG Custodians Group
prior to being

circulated.

If you wish to volunteer to be involved in the work of this

group please email the
MSA mailbox [1]msa@idea.gov.uk by 31st October 2006.

[1] mailto:msa@idea.gov.uk

**4. NSG Meetings**

A member of IA will be attending the following NLPG/NSG joint
events:

Greater Merseyside MSA Lead Officers Group Meeting, Wednesday

8th November 2006,
Liverpool

Surrey GIS group meeting - 14th November 2006

South West Regional Custodians Meeting (LSG Custodians only),

15th November 2006,
Bournemouth
 Welsh Regional Custodians Meeting, 1st December 2006 –
Llandrindod Wells

**5. Wedding Congratulations**

Congratulations go to Kris Woodland, the Chair of the Regional
Chairs LSG Group,
on her recent marriage.

She is now Mrs Warry and can be contacted on her new email
address [1]kwarry@swindon.gov.uk
for matters relating to the NSG. On her

honeymoon, and ever the professional, Kris noted that the

streets are irrelevant
to the numbering as Venice

numbers by each of the 6 localities; the properties nearly all

have numbers in the
thousands, despite the

streets being only a few properties long, and a street named "
fundamenta nouve
dei ponta della chiesa de

santa maria con grazie" was enough to bring water to the eyes of
any NSG/NLPG custodian.

[1] mailto:kwarry@swindon.gov.uk