Digimap OpenStream is a Web Map Service (WMS) streaming Ordnance Survey OpenData products to users within UK HFE .  By subscribing to the WMS, students, postgrads, researchers and staff across UK HFE are able to gain access to a web service of Ordnance Survey OpenData products that they can pull into any web site they have developed or use in any mapping client of choice.  So, e.g. a student may wish to pull Ordnance Survey OpenData into Google Earth and drape over 3D terrain data or, a student may wish to view the WMS in a number of open source mapping softwares e.g. QGIS overlaid with any number of other geospatial data e.g. other WMS compliant data sources such as those found on data.gov.uk.   An understanding of web services is required to consume the service however the benefits are flexibility and interoperability and reliable accurate data for use in external web sites.