MAP users can print out tailor-made mini versions of Britain's most popular maps in a matter of minutes - thanks to a groundbreaking move by Ordnance Survey being pioneered in the New Forest.

An interactive touch screen kiosk at the New Forest Visitor Centre in Lyndhurst gives walkers, cyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts the chance to buy exactly the map they want, when they want it.

The coin-operated kiosk is believed to be the first in Britain to print high quality maps from data served directly from the web. Users can search by postcode or place name before printing out full colour paper copies of exactly the area they want.

The New Forest kiosk is starting a three-month trial which if successful could open the door to similar touch screen services across the country.

"The technology is ideal for information centres, tourist attractions and service stations," says John Rollin, business development manager for Southampton's Ordnance Survey. "It takes just a few minutes to have the map you want right there in your hand. We believe kiosks will become an important new way of delivering our products.''

A range of Ordnance Survey mapping is on offer including Road maps (1: 250,000 scale) and Landrangers (1: 50,000) covering the whole of Britain. For central southern England, there are also Outdoor Leisure and Explorers (1: 25,000), plus street level mapping. Users can choose A4 extracts at £1 each, or the larger A3 size at £2.

New Forest visitors have the added option of pre-set maps centred on nearbytourist spots such as the Beaulieu Motor Museum, the WestQuay shopping centre in Southampton, and Paulton's Park near Romsey. They can also access the Met office website for local weather forecasts and tourist services provided by New Forest District Council.

"We believe the Ordnance Survey kiosk will be an excellent addition to the range of services we provide," says the council's tourism and publicity officer, Anthony Climpson. "It's not only our visitors who can benefit.

"Local residents can also print out maps for destinations across the country before they set off. The chance to produce instant, individualised maps is something which should prove extremely

popular."

The development of kiosks is a key part of Ordnance Survey's e-business strategy, designed to transform the agency and make more of its mapping available through online channels. It is also in line with the government's vision for the electronic delivery of public services.

Ordnance Survey has worked with two partners on the kiosk idea. They are Avatar Interactive, an e-business and interactive kiosk solutions company, and eMapSite.com, operators of a leading online distribution portal for digital mapping. The system uses Netshift kiosk operating software and the maps are printed on a Hewlett Packard colour laserjet printer.