Abstract For many centuries a variety of means have been used to represent the earth’s surface and associated environment. Early maps were usually intended to guide travellers from one place to another and used pictorial representations of the route. But increasingly other information was added to the map. Thus an early form of geographic information was born. The methods are still in use but employ more accurate and detailed maps. In the UK this is largely due to the efforts of the national mapping body Ordnance Survey (O.S).