CDR Group

13/05/2026

New release of the OS CodePoint data. Don't forget that Northern Ireland is a different dataset because it is in a different projection (Irish Grid). If you opt for the Geopackage data format, GB and NI are separated for you and no need to process 120 postcode areas.

20/04/2026

It's a stunning morning here in the Peak District

18/12/2025

We are celebrating 40 years of business today for Contract Data Research Ltd (T/A CDR Group). Trevor Bell and Tom Nash formed the company in 1985 to write and market civil engineering software for the then new emerging personal computer market.
In 1988 a new software suite known as STC25, was developed which revolutionised the data collection, validation and production of public sewer records. With a strategic alliance with a major consulting engineer, the CDR Group was able to pe*****te the foreign markets in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Middle East and Spain. At its peak there were in excess of 100 staff employed.
By the mid 1990’s the water industry privatisation “bubble” had burst and the company’s main direction moved towards providing third party software solutions and services for the wider Geographic Information (GI) community. In the late 1990’s the company consolidated and specialised in the sales, support, training and bureau services centred around the MapInfo software suite. This business stream grew steadily and the CDR Group became one of the major MapInfo Partners during the mid 2000’s.
So today we celebrate the many employees, customers and business partners that have enriched our journey and made it a joy to come to work in the beautiful Peak District

08/10/2025

At last, after nearly 4 years, the roadworks at Mytham Bridge, near Bamford, have been completed. Unhindered travel through the Hope Valley, for a while

10/09/2025

Vast amounts of data now available from Ordnance Survey NGD datasets. Get in touch if you want to know more or purchase a licence to use

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08/08/2025

Today we came across a fine example of why you should not be lazy in designing your database structure.
A popular dataset containing 1.7 million point records is now available in GeoPackage format. We downloaded and saved it as a MapInfo table but a little shocked that the data file came to 3.7Gb. On investigation, all the alphanumeric fields had been set to 254 characters. The main identifying feature is only 8 characters width and the others no longer than 9 characters.
After editing the data structure, the data file dropped drastically to 166Mb - that's a difference of 3.5Gb of fresh air filling my hard disc!!! 😮

23/07/2025

Everything happens somewhere...

If your location data isn’t accurate, complete and accessible across your business, it will increase risk instead of generating value.

19/06/2025

The crew have been out on Eccles Lane to tidy up a stone wall that appeared to be a bank of ivy. 25m of wall that had been forgotten about and has now cheered up the aspect. This photo shows the difference. Great community work gang

10/06/2025

It looks like we are getting a new aerial survey of the valley this afternoon.

10/06/2025

Everything happens somewhere

Location data is exploding. You need location data to unlock valuable context to make better business decisions. With 30+ years of location intelligence expe...