Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland (OSNI) is an Executive Agency in
the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) and is the official Government organisation responsible
for supplying mapping and geographic information services for Northern Ireland. As an Executive Agency
in DCAL, OSNI operates within a wider political and policy context affecting all Government Departments,
their Agencies and other public bodies.
DCAL’s vision is to engender "a confident, creative, informed and
vibrant community", realised through its mission, which is “to protect, nurture and grow our Cultural
Capital for today and tomorrow". OSNI supports and shares the Department's vision and mission through
the Agency’s people, infrastructure, products and services.
OSNI mapping provides a foundation for information about location. The
digital map of Northern Ireland has developed (and continues to develop) well beyond the traditional
paper map, and now encompasses maps and geographic information in paper and digital form, as well as
aerial imagery, geographically referenced address, boundary, road and other location related data. The
mapping captures and records data about place and location and defines direction, distance, area and
height. It also provides a unique record of Northern Ireland's landscape and its built environment.
OSNI information is supplied under licence to many customers; primarily
it is used in support of the work undertaken by Government in the public's interest, such as to maintain
our economy and society, to provide for and develop our communities, and to develop and provide the
services that citizens require. However, OSNI also provides its information to many other organisations
in support of their operations or for their commercial exploitation. OSNI's customers include those
in the public and private sectors, and range from walkers and tourists to Government Departments and
their Agencies, the utilities and the emergency services, civil engineers, developers, solicitors, commercial
map publishers and value-added resellers.
OSNI has structures, procedures, controls and risk management strategies
in place to comply with the corporate governance requirements of best practice in the public sector.
The Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure determines the policy framework within which the Agency operates,
approves the Agency’s Corporate and Business plan and agrees key targets. The Minister also determines
the resources made available to the Agency. The Chief Executive is supported in the strategic development
and day-to-day running of the Agency by a Strategy Board and an Operational Board. Progress against
the Corporate Strategy is reviewed monthly by the Strategy Board and the Operational Board reviews progress
against key performance targets at the end of each monthly reporting period
