The International Collection was the result of the work of the Directorate of Colonial Surveys, the Directorate of Overseas Surveys, Ordnance Survey (Overseas Surveys Directorate) and Ordnance Survey International. The history of the International Collection In Britannia, [2] as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a network of paved trunk roads to (surfaced highways). In their nearly four centuries of occupation (43 – 410 AD) they built about 2,000 miles of Roman roads in Britain. They are shown on the Ordnance Survey's Map of Roman Britain. [3] This is the most accurate and up-to-date layout of certain and probable routes that is available to the general public. The DOS maps from the collection have been re-located to RGS-IBG, which now holds a complete set designated as The Ordnance Survey International Collection (OSIC) Map Archive. The National Archives In 1957, DCS was renamed the Directorate of Overseas Surveys (DOS) to reflect the independence of many former Colonies. Some non-Commonwealth countries such as Ethiopia, Liberia, Sudan, and Yemen Arab Republic were mapped by DOS between 1975 and 1991.

The Directorate of Overseas Surveys (DOS) book collection was merged with the Ordnance Survey Library’s collection in 1987. It has since been withdrawn from the library and has relocated to other institutions under the direction of the National Archives. Roman roads remained in use as trunk roads for centuries after the Romans withdrew from Britain in 410 AD. Systematic construction of paved highways did not resume in England until the 18th century. The example map sheets are held with full supporting records. Directorate of Overseas Surveys staff lists We would be able to overlay these historical maps onto modern maps, so that it would be possible to see the historical data in relation to current features. In addition to contract photography, the collection occasionally holds cover obtained by the national survey departments, and other aid agencies such as the Canadian International Development Agency.There are two sets of air photographs. One is held at the National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP) in Scotland, and the second has been entrusted to Oxford University to support global climate change research. A small-scale guide to this photography is included in the DOS Annual Reports from 1951 to 1984, to be held by The National Archives (TNA). Other photography in the collection is shown on non-DOS cover diagrams or sortie plots produced by the originator of the photography. Summary diagrams for each country illustrate the location of all photography. The principal points of photos used in the mapping are shown and numbered on almost all DOS 1:50 000–1:125 000 scale topographic maps and provide accurate indications of the location of individual photos. Air photo mosaics and print laydowns (uncontrolled mosaics produced as map substitutes on standard sheetlines in advance of the regular mapping) are archived at the National Collection of Aerial Photography. Three films showing DOS activities were transferred to the B ritish Film Institute's National Film and TV Archive. DVD copies of one of these films, a DOS training film, was supplied to all main repositories holding parts of the Ordnance Survey International Collection. Non-Directorate of Overseas Surveys mapping Records of field work by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey and the British Antarctic Survey, formerly held by the DOS Survey Data Library, are now held by the British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge.

In difficult cases DOS would study the evolution of the boundary over many decades, then write a critique explaining how the boundary alignment was transferred from official documents to the DOS map. One example would be the former Yemen Arab Republic-People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen boundary. Directorate of Overseas Surveys map production example set The Roman roads in Britain were, with Roman aqueducts, and the Roman army, [1] one of the most impressive features of the Roman Empire in Britain. We used to hold our own archive of maps, air photography and survey records from our work in many countries around the globe over the last half century or more. This archive - also known as the Ordnance Survey International Collection - has sat with several custodians since 2003. Here you can discover the history of the International Collection and find details on where our records are archived. Ordnance Survey of Great Britain, shewing military districts. Sheet 1 (North), Sheet 2 (Central), Sheet 3 (South)A guide to the areas mapped by DOS is included in the DOS Annual Reports from 1951 to 1984; later maps (1967 onwards) indicate areas where there is both pre- and post-1960 mapping. Sheet indices exist for most series.

Four maps have been permanently preserved at The National Archives as typical examples of Directorate of Overseas Surveys (DOS) map production between 1946 and 1999: listed chronologically)• ca. 1852? - Diagram shewing the principal triangulation for the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain and Ireland. Great Britain 1:1,000,000 (in the style of the International 1/1M map). Sheet 1 (North), Sheet 2 (South) Into the fossa was dumped large amounts of rubble, gravel and stone, whatever fill was available. Sometimes a layer of sand was put down, if it could be found. When it came to within 1 yd (1 m) or so of the surface it was covered with gravel and tamped down, a process called pavire, or pavimentare. The flat surface was then the pavimentum. It could be used as the road, or additional layers could be constructed. A statumen or "foundation" of flat stones set in cement might support the additional layers.The RGS-IBG collection contains all series produced by the Directorate of Colonial Services (DCS) and its subsequent successors between 1946 and 1999. This includes: