A list of online mapping and environmental resources that can be useful when compiling Phase I Desk Studies or when looking for preliminary information when pricing or planning an investigation.
Historical Mapping & Photography
1. National Library of Scotland
Free viewer for certain historical Ordnance Survey maps dated from 1842 to 1952. Maps can be viewed side by side or as a seamless zoomable overlay layer (1888-1913) with modern Google and OS maps
http://maps.nls.uk/os/6inch-england-and-wales/index.html
Environmental Data & GIS
1. Groundsure GIS
Groundsure have created a GIS that replicates some of the aspects of the Environment Agency’s now discontinued What’s in My Backyard (WIMBY) service. The site is in Beta development (as of October 2019), but currently usable layers include flood zones, LiDAR, landfill and waste, geology, and mining.
The Groundsure GIS is free to access and use, however, there is no license to use the resulting maps in reports etc.
2. MAGIC Database
Natural England have a publicly accessible GIS that contains some of the information previously hosted by the EA on the WIMBY service.