Technical specification
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This technical specification explains the content of the OS Names API and the methods you can use to call it.
This technical specification extends the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE) Geographical Names theme to ensure compliance with European open data initiatives.
If you are not familiar with the OS Names API please read the overview documentation before proceeding.
This specification does not cover core concepts that apply to all Ordnance Survey APIs.
Please read the following pages to learn more about OS API core concepts:
The OS Names API is an API, which returns queries to the service in either XML or JSON. The service offers two resources:
Find a string-based lookup service.
Nearest uses a pair of BNG coordinates to return the nearest features.
/find
Free text search parameter.
The format the response will be returned in.
JSON, XMLThe maximum number of results to return. Minimum = 1. Maximum = 100. Default = 100.
Offset the list of returned results by this amount.
Biases the results to a certain area. The <BoundingBox> is a British National Grid bounding box in the form: XMIN,YMIN,XMAX,YMAX
[414000,114000,414100,114100]Filters the results by bounding box or local_type.
["&fq=BBOX:414000,114000,414100,114100","&fq=LOCAL_TYPE:City","&fq=LOCAL_TYPE:City LOCAL_TYPE:Bay"]Airfield, Airport, Bay, Beach, Bus_Station, Channel, Chemical_Works, Cirque_Or_Hollow, City, Cliff_Or_Slope, Coach_Station, Coastal_Headland, Electricity_Distribution, Electricity_Production, Estuary, Further_Education, Gas_Distribution_or_Storage, Group_Of_Islands, Hamlet, Harbour, Helicopter_Station, Heliport, Higher_or_University_Education, Hill_Or_Mountain, Hill_Or_Mountain_Ranges, Hospice, Hospital, Inland_Water, Island, Medical_Care_Accommodation, Named_Road, Non_State_Primary_Education, Non_State_Secondary_Education, Numbered_Road, Oil_Distribution_or_Storage, Oil_Refining, Oil_Terminal, Other_Coastal_Landform, Other_Landcover, Other_Landform, Other_Settlement, Passenger_Ferry_Terminal, Port_Consisting_of_Docks_and_Nautical_Berthing, Postcode, Primary_Education, Railway, Railway_Station, Road_User_Services, Sea, Secondary_Education, Section_Of_Named_Road, Section_Of_Numbered_Road, Special_Needs_Education, Spot_Height, Suburban_Area, Tidal_Water, Town, Tramway, Urban_Greenspace, Valley, Vehicular_Ferry_Terminal, Vehicular_Rail_Terminal, Village, Waterfall, Wetland, Woodland_Or_Forest/nearest
A set of British National Grid coordinates to which the nearest record in a straight line should be found.
The radius in metres to search within. Minimum = 0.01, Maximum = 1,000 . Default = 100
The format the response will be returned in.
JSON, XMLFilters the results by bounding box or local_type.
Airfield, Airport, Bay, Beach, Bus_Station, Channel, Chemical_Works, Cirque_Or_Hollow, City, Cliff_Or_Slope, Coach_Station, Coastal_Headland, Electricity_Distribution, Electricity_Production, Estuary, Further_Education, Gas_Distribution_or_Storage, Group_Of_Islands, Hamlet, Harbour, Helicopter_Station, Heliport, Higher_or_University_Education, Hill_Or_Mountain, Hill_Or_Mountain_Ranges, Hospice, Hospital, Inland_Water, Island, Medical_Care_Accommodation, Named_Road, Non_State_Primary_Education, Non_State_Secondary_Education, Numbered_Road, Oil_Distribution_or_Storage, Oil_Refining, Oil_Terminal, Other_Coastal_Landform, Other_Landcover, Other_Landform, Other_Settlement, Passenger_Ferry_Terminal, Port_Consisting_of_Docks_and_Nautical_Berthing, Postcode, Primary_Education, Railway, Railway_Station, Road_User_Services, Sea, Secondary_Education, Section_Of_Named_Road, Section_Of_Numbered_Road, Special_Needs_Education, Spot_Height, Suburban_Area, Tidal_Water, Town, Tramway, Urban_Greenspace, Valley, Vehicular_Ferry_Terminal, Vehicular_Rail_Terminal, Village, Waterfall, Wetland, Woodland_Or_Forest