Request for UPRN and BA references for business premises

Re: FOI Response FOI262663117 "FOI Request for UPRN and BA references for
business premises".

Dear Richard Craggs,
You requested the following information: FOI Request for UPRN and BA
references for business premises. I am writing further to your request for
information dated 19th October 2020 to advise you that the information you
requested is being withheld under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Section 43(2) – prejudice to commercial interests

We have considered whether the release of the requested information would,
or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of GeoPlace and
also of Ordnance Survey. 

By way of background, Ordnance Survey is a wholly owned Government
company, whose objectives include “to operate on a commercial,
self-financing basis”, and “to generate profitable revenue” (see Ordnance
Survey’s Shareholder Framework Document here
– [1]https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/documen...).

As further background, you may be aware that as part of the project known
as Open MasterMap, Ordnance Survey recently made available a range of its
data under open or permissive terms; further information can be found
here [2]https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/busines...
The delivery of Open MasterMap is one of Ordnance Survey’s obligations
under the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA), which was entered
into by Ordnance Survey and the Geospatial Commission, as of 1 April
2020.  A great deal of analysis and consultation, by both Ordnance Survey
and the Geospatial Commission, went into determining which data should be
made available as part of this project.   At the same time as making this
data available on open or permissive terms, the PSGA also requires
Ordnance Survey to continue to make its premium data available under its
standard commercial licensing model. 

In relation to UPRNs specifically, please note that Ordnance Survey has
published a list of all UPRNs with their x,y
coordinates: [3]https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/busines...
In addition, Ordnance Survey published its new Open ID policy to enable
and encourage the use of Ordnance Survey’s identifiers (the TOID, the UPRN
and the USRN) to join datasets and combine the value of Ordnance Survey
data with the user’s own
data: [4]https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/busines...

It is our view that the disclosure would cause prejudice to the commercial
interests of Ordnance Survey and GeoPlace, for the reasons set out above. 
In terms of the severity of the impact, we believe that the release of the
requested information would have a significant adverse effect on Ordnance
Survey’s (and GeoPlace’s) commercial revenue, and Ordnance Survey’s
ability to protect and license Crown copyright and database right. 

In terms of public interest in the requested data, we note that similar
information (business classification together with associated UPRN) can
already be accessed by those with an interest in this data, under Ordnance
Survey’s commercial terms.  As part of the Open MasterMap project, the
Geospatial Commission, working with Ordnance Survey, GeoPlace, and others
in the market, determined which data should be released on open or more
permissive terms, to maximise the benefit of the project, and this data
did not include business classifications. 

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make a review of our decision, you should contact us
via e-mail at: [5][email address] or by post at:

The London Borough of Waltham Forest
Town Hall
Forest Road
London
E17 4JF

Please remember to quote the reference number FOI262663117 in any future
communications.

If you are not content with the outcome your review, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for a decision.
Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the
complaints procedure provided by the Council.

Kind regards,
The Information Officer

Kind regards,

The Information Officer
The London Borough of Waltham Forest
Town Hall
Forest Road
London
E17 4JF
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References

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