OS Aids Sri Lanka

Ordnance Survey (UK), the national mapping agency, is supporting reconstruction efforts in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the tsunami by shipping eight GPS receivers to collect information useful for rebuilding and construction work. Four of the receivers are capable of sub-metre accuracy; the other four are of geodetic quality and are suitable for the highest precision tasks. The offer of GPS receivers builds upon the work of MapAction, an UK-based international charity supporting UN relief efforts. An Ordnance Survey GIS specialist has helped develop a regional framework for management and co-ordination of aid, as well as establishing a national GIS group. The agency has also contacted the national mapping organisations of ten other countries around the Indian Ocean to offer assistance.