Between 1979 and 1987, the British government published three major national reports that focused on mapping, satellite remote sensing, and GIS and geographic information. The first was a report on the future of the Ordnance Survey, the United Kingdom's National Mapping Agency; the second was a report by the Select Committee on Science and Technology of the House of Lords in 1984; and the third was what has become to be known as the “Chorley Report on Geographic information.” The first two reports influenced the subsequent one. For example, the Select Committee Report urged the government to carry out a further study because it had come to realize that the issue was not the technology (the GIS), but rather the huge range of applications and ...