Ordnance Survey is opening up its source code to the public to allow far wider use of its digital map data.
OS OpenSpace will enable users to build "mashups" – new maps with other kinds of information added on top.
The move is in line with government aims to make public sector information more accessible, said Ordnance Survey director general Vanessa Lawrence.
"The project is all about promoting innovation and allowing non-commercial experimentation with our mapping data," she said.
It is the first time Ordnance Survey data - collected with taxpayers money – has been opened up to the public.
Under an application programming interface (API) developers can register to access a range of maps of different scales covering the whole of Great Britain down to street level.
And Ordnance Survey's 500-odd business partners can also offer their own equivalent experimentation platform, as well as offer developers the chance to create commercial applications.
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