National Address Gazetteer (GeoPlace)

Press Release from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT)

The proposed joint venture combines the spatial address databases of Ordnance Survey and the Local Government Improvement and Development Agency (LGID), to create the National Address Gazetteer, a database of accurate geo-referenced addresses in England and Wales. This data is relied upon by the public and private sector to accurately locate addresses when delivering services such as public transport, road maintenance, utility management and emergency call-outs.

The OFT found that the parties provide the only two accurate geo-referenced addressing databases, and do not face competition from less frequently updated and geographically accurate databases, such as those used by satnavs. Consequently it found that the joint venture would create a monopoly in this market.

However, the OFT concluded that it was not proportionate to refer the market to the Competition Commission because:

• the Government is the parties’ largest customer and will continue to enjoy substantial buyer power and influence over the joint venture
• in practice there has been limited opportunity for the private sector customers of the two parties to trade one off against the other, and in any case the size of the affected private sector market is relatively small and
• virtually all customers, both public- and private-sector, strongly supported the creation of the new database.

The plan is to be fully operational by April 2011, with the first data made available in summer or early autumn of 2011
Vector1Media

Full Press Release
http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2011/18-11

Ordnance Survey
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/media/news/2011/feb/geoplaceapproval.html

GeoPlace™ Q&As
http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageId=15377046