OS Vector Tile API
Have you considered the benefits of the OS National Geographic Database?
OS Vector Tile API is anticipated to reach End of Life in Autumn 2028 and will be retired.
Its replacement, OS NGD API – Tiles, is built on the latest OGC API - Tiles standard and offers you all of the benefits of the OS National Geographic Database (OS NGD), including:
Increased data update frequency (up-to-daily updates for many datasets)
Richer attribution
Improved data structures
A continuous series of ongoing data enhancements
A detailed comparison between the OS Vector Tile API and OS NGD API – Tiles is available on our More than Maps site. Alternatively, find out how to get started using OS NGD API – Tiles. with our getting started guide.
What is OS Vector Tile API?
OS Vector Tile API is a vector tile service providing detailed Ordnance Survey data as a customisable basemap. It can be used with most web mapping libraries including Mapbox GL JS, Leaflet, OpenLayers and ArcGIS API for JavaScript. Vector tiles have the benefit of being optimised for use across the internet and are great for building interactive web maps. You can zoom, pan, rotate, tilt and even extrude 3D buildings.
You have a choice between using OS styles or creating your own. You can customise the content and the style to create a map that perfectly meets your needs. Design a map that matches your brand or get creative and add some cartographic flair to your application.
With OS Vector Tile API you can also select and interact with the individual map features.
OS Vector Tile API is available in two projections:
British National Grid for Great Britain (GB) data
Web Mercator, which is a global coordinate system
Get this data
To access the OS Vector Tile API, you need an API Key. This key will be specific to a dedicated API project linked to your OS Data Hub account.
Click Get started to find out how to get your API Key and access OS Vector Tile API data, or Go to the OS Data Hub where you can access the API Projects page to manage all of your OS APIs.
Scalable vector tile mapping
Provides lightweight, high-resolution vector tile basemaps in different styles and projections for fast rendering in interactive applications.
Customisable style options
Access to pre-defined, professional styling which can be customised to meet your own requirements and map designs.
3D visualisation support
Allows for tilting and extruding building features.
Built in data overlays
Access build in and detailed overlays to add give additional geographic context.
Faster performance
Loads maps quicker than traditional raster-mapping services.
Up-to-date mapping
Ensures that users always have access to the most current mapping data.
Flexible customisation
Customise the style and content to make your map meet your requirements.
Interactive mapping
Improves interactivity by offering high-quality, scalable mapping with direct access to attribution.
Format: Vector tiles
Primary Data Source: OS Open Zoomstack and OS MasterMap Topography Layer
Coverage: Great Britain
Update: 15 working days from each product refresh date
Associated products reached / reaching their End of Life (withdrawal) dates
The following associated product has reached its End of Life and has been removed from the API:
The OS MasterMap Water Network Layer product (also referred to as OS MasterMap Networks – Water Layer) reached its End of Life on 31 March 2026 and was removed from the OS Features API. Further information on the withdrawal of this product is available on the OS MasterMap Water Network Layer End of Life documentation page.
The following two associated products are reaching their End of Life soon:
The OS Detailed Path Network product will become End of Life on 30 September 2026. As of this date, access to the product will be removed from the OS Features API.
The OS MasterMap Greenspace Layer product will become End of Life on 31 March 2027. As of this date, access to the product will be removed from the OS Features API.
Further information on these product withdrawals is available from the End of Life Product Notices page on the OS Download Products' Documentation site.
Things to remember for OS Vector Tile API
You can:
Use as a basemap in GIS, web or mobile applications
View the whole of Great Britain in unrivalled detail
Seamlessly pan, zoom, pitch and tilt the map
Overlay your own data to give it geographic context
Trace over OS MasterMap Topography Layers (Premium data) detailed geometries
Customise the map style and content to create the map you need
Access the maps in different projections – British National Grid and Web Mercator
You can't:
Retrieve all the detailed attribution from OS data
What's next?
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