Farm shops? Fence crossings? Hampshire’s own Ordnance Survey shares top map symbol requests

Ordnance Survey has polled the public and revealed the top four new symbols people would most like to see added to their maps.

Headquartered in Southampton, the mapping agency found across more than 2,400 responses that gate and stile fence crossings were the most popular missing feature.

Among the other top requests were village and farm shops, cafés and restaurants, and open water access points.

Nick Giles, Managing Director of Ordnance Survey Leisure, said: “The work that we’ve been doing is trying to understand the symbols that will help people – particularly in our leisure mapping – to get outside more often.

“We’re trying to get an understanding of what really important symbols would help people have a better time outdoors.”

If implemented, the new symbols would appear on OS Explorer and OS Landranger paper maps, as well as the OS Maps mobile app.

They would join other recent additions to the OS Tour Map like public toilets, art galleries, solar farms and kite surfing locations.

Nick and the team found through their research that paths, tracks, cycle lanes, roads and height information were the most important features for leisure users.

Ordnance Survey also maintains the National Geographic Database, which it updates more than 20,000 times a day to help support its mapping data for both leisure and business services.

• ordnancesurvey.co.uk