Data capture and sources

The creation of AddressBase Core brings together the best parts of:

• Local Government’s National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG)

• The One Scotland Address Gazetteer (OSG)

• Ordnance Survey-owned large-scale data and coordinates

• Royal Mail Postcode Address File (PAF)

Local Government’s National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG)

The National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) provides the most up-to-date addresses, including street names and numbers from each Local Authority’s LLPG in England and Wales. This data also provides a Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) for each address encompassing residential, commercial and public infrastructure such as fire stations.

The One Scotland Address Gazetteer (OSG)

One Scotland Address Gazetteer (OSG) provides the most up-to-date addresses including street names and numbers from each Scottish Local Authority’s CAG. This data also provides a Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) for each address encompassing residential, commercial and public infrastructure such as fire stations.

Ordnance Survey owned large-scale data and coordinates

Ordnance Survey provides a wide range of additional addresses including Objects Without a Postal Address (OWPAs) such as Telephone Exchanges, a wider spatial context by including references for both the OS MasterMap Topography Layer and OS MasterMap Highways Networks Layer which the address feature is related to and additional classification information.

Royal Mail Postcode Address File (PAF)

PAF contains approximately 30 million Royal Mail addresses that are identified as receiving post in Great Britain. Addresses from the NLPG and OSG are matched to the PAF addresses to provide the Unique Delivery Point Reference Number (UDPRN) into product and supplement the Local Authority address with information such as organisation name, postal town and postcode.

Address source

The address provided in AddressBase Core is captured by the Local Authority Street Naming and Numbering (SNN) custodian and Scottish Local Street Gazetteer (LSG) custodian, who allocate the official street name and building information. The SNN / LSG custodian has a statutory obligation to provide this information for all addresses within their administrative area. This information forms the legal authoritative representation of an address.

Elements of the provided address in AddressBase Core such as PO Box, Organisation, Post Town and Postcode are provided from Royal Mail PAF, where it has been matched to a local authority address.