Easier access to Hampshire's Countryside

Thursday, 31 May 2012

Hampshire's countryside will be at the fingertips of walkers, horse-riders, cyclists and ramblers alike as Hampshire County Council is now making Rights of Way data downloadable.

Anyone will now be able to download information that shows Hampshire's Rights of Way paths which can be used on computers, tablets and smart-phones with applications such as Google Earth. The data will show the location of paths featured on Hampshire's Definitive Map of Public Rights of Way (not including Portsmouth and Southampton), and will be regularly updated to show any changes in the network.

This will enable users to track themselves whilst exploring Hampshire's countryside, as well as provide more technologically minded residents with the opportunity to create new applications using the data.

The Rights of Way data can also be viewed in a similar format online via the website, allowing the public to manipulate maps and plan their own routes.

Instructional videos of how to use the new map technology can be found on the website.

Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, Councillor Keith Chapman, said:

"Hampshire has some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK, and this new technology is a fantastic way to encourage more people to make the most of our stunning county, as well as showing visitors and tourists all over the world, what we have to offer.

"Hampshire County Council is among the first councils to offer rights of way data in this format and we're looking forward to hearing what people think of this new and innovative way of making the countryside more accessible for all."

The data has been published as Open Data under the Ordnance Survey Open Data Licence.

• Mapping Hampshire's countryside

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