ROUTE PLANNING:ORDNANCE SURVEY IRELAND (OSi) is introducing an online service that will allow outdoor enthusiasts to download maps of Ireland and other European countries.
The service, which is being developed as part of a European project called GeoLives, will be built on OSi's Trail Master route-planning software.
Trail Master, an interactive mapping tool for selected regions of the country, is available on four DVDs at a cost of €49.99 each. It allows users to plan and create walking, cycling and hiking routes using OSi mapping, aerial photography and height models.
From next month the expanded online service will let users download maps of Ireland, France, Switzerland, Belgium and The Netherlands, with Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and Northern Ireland to follow.
Access to the website will require an annual fee, which has to be finalised. Registration will cost €15 for a three-month membership for Ireland.
Once registered, users will be able to download a starter kit that includes the new software, a national map and a gazetteer. Users can then select and download a sample of detailed mapping.
The maps for Ireland will be sold in 10km-by-10km "tiles" at €1 each. The €15 membership fee includes €5 worth of credit, to allow users to start downloading data immediately.
Users can select a region for access to maps at scales of 1:450,000, 1:210,000 and 1:50,000, aerial images and digital terrain data that allows for elevation models of the areas users are interested in.