BRITAIN'S most advanced surveying equipment was on view during a visit to Ordnance Survey's head office by the mayor of Southampton, councillor Brian Parnell.

He discovered how surveyors use hand-held pen computers and satellite technology to record details as fine as the shapes of individual buildings and the precise alignment of roads and pavements.

The mayor also viewed the latest digital map data, OS MasterMap, and saw how popular paper maps, such as the Explorer series, are produced.

Ordnance Survey's director general and chief executive, Vanessa Lawrence, presented him with a set of historical maps which will be auctioned to raise funds for the Rose Road charity, which supports children and young adults with disabilities.