EMAGIN Project History
EMAGIN® (Equine Mapping and Geographical Information Network) is a registered Trade Mark owned by The British Horse Society.
EMAGIN® is an online database of geographically referenced information which is displayed though the websites www.emagin.org, and www.emagin.org.uk specifically tailored for the benefit of equestrians.
To describe it simply, it displays two primary data sets:
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The National Bridleroute Network (inc. equine friendly beaches, forestry, commonland etc.) (At present limited to the United Kingdom)
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Equestrian Businesses directory (Focused primarily in the UK and Ireland, but expanding globally throughout 2010/11)
These data sets are designed to be viewed and selected in a user friendly manner through a category tool bar, and displayed in a map interface. On the date of launch, the following layers are available to be viewed through the map interface:
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Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 (UK only)
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BING Streetview (Global)
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BING aerial photography (Global)
How did it begin?
The British Horse Society obtained its first GIS (Geographical Information System) in 2006, running Mapinfo as its primary software. Our base layer is 1;25,000 scale Ordnance Survey (OS) Mapping, the same as those which you buy in the shop, however ours are the most up to date OS have at all times. Departmental GIS representatives were trained in every BHS Department so that BHS data sets could be collated and analysed as a whole. Public demand to find out where to ride continued to rise over the years, and it the benefit of being able to let the public use our GIS for themselves soon came to light. In the summer of 2007, Awards for All granted the Society £8115.00 which enabled the project to become mobile, also increasing the speed at which data could be collated and relayed to the public. We continued to display EMAGIN® at every major equestrian and GIS event throughout 2007, 2008 & 2009, with demand growing at every show. It was clear that an online version of our system would be of great benefit to the equestrian public.
Throughout 2009 we have been working on the online system, which funds itself through the online advertising of businesses, ensuring that the site can always remain free for the public to access, whilst providing a unique tool for the equestrian industry which provides mass advertising at low costs.
Launching Live
This site was launched live on 8th March 2010, and will continue to grow throughout this year. There are many new and exciting developments we are working on so watch this space.
What is GIS?
Geographic Information System (GIS), can be summarised as a system or programme which enables the collation, and management of spatially referenced, or hand plotted data, for the purposes of storage, analysis and display. This is most commonly used in conjunction with maps and associated geographical equipment. GIS offers the Society, its volunteers and members a vast range of benefits, the most important of which is to supply crucial and comprehensive data, statistics and imagery through the use of mapping to further support and strengthen the Society's work for every horse and rider. It is crucial in the Society’s work to defend, extend and promote safe off-road access.
Why 1:25,000 Scale?
1:25,000 is the preferred scale used by the majority of equestrians, particularly those in Rights of Way work, as it shows great detail, in particularly, field boundaries, minor paths, open access areas, and in general, much more quality of detail.