1Spatial – a Cambridge-based mapping support company – has launched a new subsidiary business to offer data validation services through the cloud.

With a history dating back 40 years, parent company 1Spatial provides the data used for things like satellite navigation systems and Internet maps. Its rules engine is used by numerous national mapping and charting agencies worldwide, including the Ordnance Survey Great Britain. It allows users to ensure the accuracy of their data through automated processes.

Put simply, “the stories you hear of people being routed in bizarre fashion by their Sat Nav has nothing to do with the Sat Nav itself but the inaccuracy of the road network data it is interrogating to make the route calculation,” explains 1Spatial director Duncan Guthrie. 1Spatial helps to reduce the errors through a system of rule-based validation.

The new subsidiary company – Socium Limited – utilises the cloud to allow customers to use the technology without having to invest in software or infrastructure.

Users upload their data into the system and then validate it against a set of either standard or bespoke rules. The non-conforming features within the data are then identified and displayed on an initial summary report within the programme. Then, users can download a report of the errors and load it into their existing applications for visualisation and correction.

A free version of the service enables users to quantify the errors in their data against geometric, network or polygon validation rule sets.

Said Guthrie: “We are thrilled to be launching Socium. As a team we have a substantial amount of experience in working with organisations that experience issues of validating, maintaining and protecting the quality of their spatial data. We believe that our new services will truly help organisations to overcome these problems quickly, easily and within a very flexible payment model.”

The company also has plans to launch its own social networking community to form a collaborative environment in which spatial data users can share knowledge, experience and ideas.

Furthermore, Socium is inviting users to suggest rule sets that they would like to see created and made available through the service as standard.

“The real value here is those new rules will be made available to all users of the service thus providing value to all and following Socium’s principle of building a community,” said Guthrie.