Access to Digimap

Digimap, EDINA's collection of mapping services, now has an additional way to log in: through the UK Access Management Federation.

Digimap background

'Digimap Collections' is a set of EDINA services, each of which delivers maps and map data to users from subscribing institutions in UK higher and further education. Data is available either to download (for use with appropriate GIS or CAD software), or as maps generated by Digimap online. The following four services are currently offered:

Digimap – Ordnance Survey Collection
Historic Digimap – historic maps from Landmark
Geology Digimap – geological maps and data from the British Geological Survey
Marine Digimap – marine maps and data from SeaZone Solutions, Ltd

A prerequisite to gaining access to any of these services is that the institution to which the user belongs has an appropriate Digimap licence and subscription. Assuming that the institution does have such a licence and subscription, what else is required? When a user logs in, he or she must be able to be identified, and so an identity management system is also involved.

Until recently, access to Digimap services could only be achieved through use of the Athens identity management system. In early January 2008, however, access via the UK Access Management Federation for Education and Research ('the UK federation') was also provided. One consequence is that a potential Digimap user is now faced with a choice of buttons – "Login via Athens" or "Login via UK federation".

Access via UK federation

There are two important caveats to gaining access to Digimap via the UK federation:

This access route is only available to end-users whose institutions have joined the UK federation and have deployed Identity Provider software. If your institution has done this then you will have been told.
The rules of membership of the UK federation allow Identity Providers to decide whether or not to claim 'user accountability'. This indicates whether or not they have procedures in place to be able to identify users from their institution when they make use of services through the UK federation. Access to Digimap through the UK federation requires that your institution does claim user accountability. If it does not then you must continue to use Athens.

Finally, note that the first time a user gains access to Digimap via the UK federation, he or she will be required to register within the service as if they were a new user. That is, there is no link between their personality when gaining access via the UK federation, and their personality when gaining access via Athens.

Why UK federation?

The briefing paper linked to below is summary of JISC's decision to make a major investment in the access management technology underpinning the UK federation, and to support institutions when making the transfer from use of Athens, which will not be funded by JISC in its current form after July 2008:

Connecting People to Resources – Federated Access Management: JISC Guide for Institutions (PDF file, 64 Kb)