Epsom, Surrey, 13th May, 2013 – Astun Technology solutions are now available from the CloudStore, part of the Government’s G-Cloud supplier framework which was expanded at the beginning of May. This could not be more timely as the Cabinet Office announces its Cloud First mandate. This ensures that in future, public sector organisations must consider and fully evaluate potential Cloud solutions first when procuring new or existing services, before considering any other options.
The Cloud First policy is mandated to central government and ‘strongly recommended’ to the rest of the public sector. Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office, said “G-Cloud brings a step change in the way government buys IT. It’s quicker, cheaper and more competitive, open to a wider range of companies, including a majority of SMEs, and offers more choice and innovation. The Cloud First policy will embed the skills a modern civil service needs to meet the demands of 21st-century digital government and help us get ahead in the global race.”
Astun has been awarded a place on the framework for two offerings in the CloudStore. The first is ‘Astun Data Services’ (ADS) is a comprehensive, cost effective and resource free alternative to translating, storing, updating and serving base mapping data to internal and public users. Map data services include: Ordnance Survey Premium Data (MasterMap, VectorMap Local, Meridian and Strategi) Ordnance Survey OpenData (VectorMap District, Meridian and Strategi) OpenStreetMap (GB coverage in British National Grid). This is augmented by OpenData services including Edubase, NHS Choices, Local Government Boundaries, Electoral Boundaries (BoundaryLine) enhanced with data from OpenlyLocal and UKWhip Neighbourhood Crime incident data.
The second offering is ‘Get INSPIREd’, an INSPIRE compliant service for Metadata Discovery Services, View and Download Services. Get INSPIREd enables users to meet their publishing and delivery obligations under the INSPIRE regulations without having to implement any additional technology locally.
To find out more go directly to the CloudStore: http://govstore.service.gov.uk/cloudstore/search/?q=astun
“Our CloudStore solutions have been in development for some time and will hit the spot for many public sector organisations that are looking to make savings without compromise,” said Mike Saunt Managing Director of Astun Technology. The new CloudStore is better than ever and a great place to find and compare different vendor solutions. We are confident that the Cloud First mandate and the fact that our solutions are based on Open Source underpinnings will prove compelling,” continued Saunt.
Astun Technology provides geospatial solutions built on Open Source foundations, helping organisations to realise the power of geography and corporate data in managing assets and business processes.
Astun’s iShare data integration and publishing platform provides public facing geoweb applications and corporate geographic information across the enterprise and is in use with more than 50 public sector organisations including Local Government, Emergency Services, and Housing Associations.
Astun offers bespoke geospatial application development, training, mentoring and support plus a range of ‘Cloud’ services built on OSGeo Open Source Technology.
About The G-Cloud
The G-Cloud Programme is a cross government initiative under the direction of the Chief Information Officer, Delivery Board as part of the Government ICT Strategy. The initial focus is on introducing cloud ICT services into government departments, local authorities and the wider public sector. To achieve this a G-Cloud procurement framework for services has been introduced under the OJEU process. These services can then be reviewed and bought through the CloudStore. Everything relating to the CloudStore programme can be found in one place:
http://gcloud.civilservice.gov.uk/cloudstore/