LibGuides: Maps: Home

Topographic maps

show “what there is” i.e. natural features such as rivers, lakes, woods and cultural features such as roads, railways and buildings.

Thematic maps

show the geographical distribution of a particular theme i.e. soil type, vegetation and land use.

Interpreting OS map data

Ordnance Survey have produced a map reading resources to get you started.

Map resources

Exeter subscribes to a wide range of online specialist map resources. These include contemporary, historical, topographic, thematic maps and more. Some content is available in dedicated map collections, whilst some appears within wider archival collections. Filter the database type field to Maps in the A-Z database list to see the full list.

These collections provides extensive online access to contemporary, historical, topographic, thematic maps and more.

Explore the collections to find the material required:

Ordnance Survey - comprehensive maps and geospatial data service.
Historic - historical Ordnance Survey mapping data products from 1843 to 1996.
Geology - maps and data from the British Geological Survey.
Marine - spatial data and marine charts for the waters around Great Britain.
Environment - range of Land Cover Map data products.
Ariel - maps containing Aerial Imagery data.
Lidar - Lidar data from UK government agencies.
Global - global datasets in cartographic styles. Find out more here.
Society - provides census and socio-economic data for Great Britain in a visualized format.
Verisk (formerly known as Geomni) - provides access to commercial data.
AgCensus - provides access to the data derived from the annual Agricultural Censuses of England, Scotland and Wales.

Digimap This link opens in a new window OS maps and geospatial data for use in GIS and CAD.

This resource brings together manuscript, printed and visual primary source materials for the study of global commodities in world history. It provides access to a range of historical world maps and interactive maps on world trade routes.

Global Commodities : trade, exploration and cultural exchange This link opens in a new window Full text access to primary sources documenting the trade of global commodities around the world from c1500 onwards.

Take the Maps quiz!

Maps

Our subscription to Digimap provides online access to a range of map services including Ordnance Survey data. There are a number of different collections covering historic, marine, geology, environment and Ariel maps.

Digimap This link opens in a new window OS maps and geospatial data for use in GIS and CAD.

How to register

Registration is required under the terms of the licence for the data that is available through Digimap. It is an automated two-step process:

Register your details with Digimap.
Accept the licence agreements associated with each Collection.

More information is available here.

Licence numbers

The licence number for the Ordnance Survey Education Services Providers Licence is AC0000851941. The licence number for the OceanWise license id EK001-20180802. There are no specific licence numbers for the data in other Digimap collections.

Help Centre

Digimap has a Help Centre where you can learn more about the collections, the tools available and how to use them, including how to download the data and use it in GIS software.

Digimap's YouTube channel provides a wide range of support videos.

Digimap allows you to annotate maps, and also provides raw data download facilities for use in CAD, GIS or other systems to create visual representations of your research or illustrate plans.

Find out more at the Digimap Help Centre and on their YouTube channel.

If you download data and need help with the wording for the copyright statement look here.

Acknowledgement requirement

It is a requirement of the data licence(s) that you acknowledge the source of the map data when you publish a map from the Digimap Collections.

For full advice and formats, see the Copyright and Licensing Digimap guidance.

You can view the Acknowledgement Statements that are required and check out the FAQs on Copyright & Licensing.

Licence Numbers

The licence number for the Ordnance Survey Education Services Providers Licence is: AC0000851941. The licence number for the OceanWise licence is: EK001-20180802. There are no specific licence numbers for the data in other Digimap collections.