THE head of Britain's national mapping agency, Southampton-based Ordnance Survey, has received a prestigious accolade from a leading surveyors' organisation.

Vanessa Lawrence, chief executive and director general, has been awarded a life-long honorary fellowship of the Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES).

It comes just a year into the high-profile Ordnance Survey post in which she has driven forward an ambitious e-business strategy and a new geo-referencing framework for the nation.

ICES president Barry Hiscox said Ms Lawrence was chosen for her work in helping to spread the benefits to the surveying industry of Ordnance Survey data and the use of geographic information.

"We are delighted to welcome Vanessa Lawrence as an honorary fellow," he said. "Her work at Ordnance Survey, the way she is modernising and taking forward the organisation, is exactly in line with our aspirations and philosophy."

When she joined in September 2000, Ms Lawrence became the first female director general in Ordnance Survey's 209-year history. She was described by Beverley Hughes, the then minister with responsibility for Ordnance Survey, as "a world-class professional, known in both the public and private sectors for her vision, dynamism and wealth of knowledge."

"I am honoured to receive this fellowship," said Ms Lawrence. "Like Ordnance Survey, ICES is known for championing excellence. There are already many close links between us, but it's a real privilege for me to now be formally associated through this award."

Ms Lawrence is the latest of several well known ICES honorary fellows, including the MP and chartered engineer Claire Curtis-Thomas and Prof Peter Dale, an adviser to the World Bank surveying.