The Ordnance Survey – Britain’s national mapping agency - is offering a prize pot of £115,000 for new ideas that use geography to help solve problems in communities.

The GeoVation Challenge will award a first prize of £40,000 and three runner-up prizes of £25,000.

Entrants will take up the challenge of ‘How can we transform neighbourhoods together?’ by suggesting ways of improving the quality of life and enhancing community spirit in their local areas.

The programme aims to tackle issues such as anti-social behaviour, graffiti, fly-tipping and litter, the degeneration of high streets, and citizen apathy. 

Although the Ordnance Survey is an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the government, it takes a veiled swipe at David Cameron's Big Society on the GeoVation website.

The site states: “Umbrella terms such as ‘Big Society’ don’t enable people to appreciate and get under the skin of complex issues in their own communities. Community cohesion will invariably be improved if people in those communities can see what’s ‘in it for them’: a better society that’s local to them.”

The ideas must feature the use of Ordnance Survey products (but can include the free-to-use data and services OS OpenData and OS OpenSpace) and can also incorporate other data, including geographical.

The problems that the programme seeks to solve include:

•    How do we connect people who want to work with those who need their skills?
•    How do we establish a sense of community in the neighbourhoods in which we live?
•    How can we discourage people and businesses from littering and fly-tipping?
•    How can we help local independent businesses remain on our high streets?
•    How do we ensure public services and resources are accessible for all ages?
•    How can we ensure that residents of all ages remain engaged with community issues?

The deadline for applications is 28 March. Click here for more detail and how to enter.