Address Classifications

Addressing Classification Levels

The Addressing classification scheme provides varying levels of classification for addressable objects which are captured and maintained by the Local Authorities and Ordnance Survey.

You can query the data to explore residential and commercial properties at the primary classification level. Or you can carry out a more specific query using the secondary and tertiary level classifications. However, there are only certain classification codes that extend to the quaternary classification level.

Table showing the four levels of classification

The level of classification varies across all addressable objects and across the different products.

Product

Primary

Secondary

Tertiary

Quaternary

AddressBase

Yes

AddressBase Core

Yes

AddressBase Plus

Yes

AddressBase Premium

Yes

OS NGD Address

Yes

The full list of classification codes can be found on the OS website

Use Case - Health Centre CM02HC

AddressBase does not allow access to beyond primary level classifications.

You can only query to identify Commercial classifications (C)

Select addr.*
from addressbase.addressbase addr
Where addr.class = 'C'

This returns 1.3 million records nationally

AddressBase records for classification 'C'

AddressBase Core does not allow access to beyond secondary level classifications.

You can only query to identify Medical classifications (CM).

Select addr.*
from abcore.addressbasecore addr
Where addr.class = 'CM'

This returns over 53,000 records nationally

AddressBase Core records for classification 'CM'

AddressBase Plus allows access to quaternary level classifications.

You can query to identify Health Centre classifications (CM02HC).

Select addr.*
from abplus.addressbaseplus addr
Where addr.class = 'CM02HC'

This returns approximately 3700 records nationally

AddressBase Plus records for classification 'CM02HC'

AddressBase Premium allows access to quaternary level classifications.

You can query to identify Health Centre classifications (CM02HC).

However, you will need to use the UPRN as a common key to join to additional attribution from other tables (e.g. geometry from the BLPU table).

Select clas.*, blpu.geom
from abpremium.classification clas
Inner Join abpremium.blpu blpu on clas.uprn = blpu.uprn
Where clas.classification_code = 'CM02HC'

This returns approximately 3700 records nationally

AddressBase Premium records for classification 'CM02HC'

OS NGD Address allows access to quaternary level classifications for each of the address statuses.

You can query to identify Health Centre classifications (CM02HC). This was carried out for built properties.

Select builtaddress.*
from osngd_add_gb.add_gb_builtaddress builtaddress
Where builtaddress.classification_code = 'CM02HC'

This returns approximately 3700 records nationally

OS NGD Address records for classification 'CM02HC'

Find out more

This content has been developed from what was originally a Lightning Talk PowerPoint slide set. These slides are available to PSGA members to view and download from the PSGA members area of the OS website

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hashtagAddressing Classification Levels

hashtagUse Case - Health Centre CM02HC

hashtagFind out more

Addressing Classification Levels

Use Case - Health Centre CM02HC

Find out more