The chief executive of Ordnance Survey has revealed how the historic mapping agency is taking the fight to US giants Google and Apple to remain relevant in the 21st century.
Nick Bolton, who runs the Southampton-headquartered business which traces its roots back to the reign of George III, has insisted Ordnance Survey remains crucial to Britain’s digital future, even as it goes up against the tech giants.
Bolton, who took the helm of the government-owned organisation in 2023, told City AM’s Boardroom Uncovered podcast in an up-coming episode that the firm’s data is quietly powering many of the services used every day.
‘We know Britain better than anybody else’
“Google Maps is an amazing achievement,” he said. “But for Great Britain, the day-to-day is in front of our data. And that’s true of all sorts of apps that you use on your phone.”
Bolton said that from transport apps to weather and even social media, mapping has become “absolute universal,” noting that Google Maps alone now counts 2.2bn monthly users.
While the likes of Google and Apple dominate navigation, Bolton said Ordnance Survey’s competitive edge lies in the accuracy and specificity of its information.
“We now consume and produce millions of maps every single day… and we can be much more specific about those maps than we ever could before,” he said.
With 500m features updated 20,000 times a day, the CEO said he believes Ordnance Survey has unrivalled knowledge of Britain’s physical environment. The challenge, he said, is making sure that data is put to use.
“We know Britain better than anybody else. But right now that sits on a server and that does not butter any parsnips. We’ve got to put it in the hands of the people who’ve got those geospatial questions,” he said.
Bolton added: “We exist so that we can deliver better outcomes for British citizens. You’d be lost without us.”
Profit slips as revenue rises at Ordnance Survey
The Boardroom Uncovered interview comes after City AM reported in August that profit at Ordnance Survey had slipped despite its revenue jumping to almost £200m during the historic company’s latest financial year.
The company posted a pre-tax profit of £17.6m for the 12 months to 31 March, 2025, down from the £22m it achieved in the prior year.
Newly published accounts, however, show Ordnance Survey’s revenue jumped from £186.8m to £194.5m.
The latest total means the company has now posted a record revenue for an eighth consecutive year.
The amount of revenue Ordnance Survey generated from direct licences increased in the year from £128.4m to £131.9m while partner licences sales grew from £34.6m to £37.9m.
The amount the company received from Ordnance Survey maps also rose from £9.5m to £11.6m but paper maps revenue dipped from £7.9m to £7.4m.
In a statement released alongside the accounts, the business said its revenue growth was boosted by a growing demand for its data, particularly in the financial services sector.
The firm said the financial services sector is “increasingly relying on geospatial data which provides information on floodplains, building footprints, building material, number of floors, roof types and proximity to critical infrastructure among others”.