A concise history of Ordnance Survey and the topographic maps they produce was shown on BBC Four last week. I should have pointed this out much earlier but I missed it myself. However, it's still available on iPlayer for a few weeks. (Viewers outside the UK can try a proxy, like Hola or similar).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...-a-very-british-map-the-ordnance-survey-story
It's only one hour, so it had to be very compressed. And it should appeal to the general public, so there is almost no math in it. But they explain the basics, from triangulation and trig stations to aerial images and stereo plotting, from the early beginnings to the digital era of today. There is even a short introduction to the O/S grid. A lot about the one inch map, the 25000 and the 50000.
Those of us using historic or modern O/S maps for their Trainz route building, with or without a certain geo data software, will certainly enjoy this programme.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...-a-very-british-map-the-ordnance-survey-story
It's only one hour, so it had to be very compressed. And it should appeal to the general public, so there is almost no math in it. But they explain the basics, from triangulation and trig stations to aerial images and stereo plotting, from the early beginnings to the digital era of today. There is even a short introduction to the O/S grid. A lot about the one inch map, the 25000 and the 50000.
Those of us using historic or modern O/S maps for their Trainz route building, with or without a certain geo data software, will certainly enjoy this programme.