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  • OS Download Products' Documentation
  • Addressing and Location
    • Addressing and Location Portfolio Information
    • AddressBase Fundamentals
      • Release Notes
        • AddressBase Products May 2025 – Epoch 118
        • AddressBase Islands May 2025 – Epoch 118
        • AddressBase Products March 2025 – Epoch 117
        • AddressBase Islands March 2025 – Epoch 117
        • AddressBase Products February 2025 – Epoch 116
        • AddressBase Islands February 2025 – Epoch 116
        • AddressBase Products December 2024 – Epoch 115
        • AddressBase Islands December 2024 – Epoch 115
        • AddressBase Products November 2024 – Epoch 114
        • AddressBase Islands November 2024 – Epoch 114
        • AddressBase Products September 2024 – Epoch 113
        • AddressBase Islands September 2024 – Epoch 113
        • AddressBase Products August 2024 – Epoch 112
        • AddressBase Islands August 2024 – Epoch 112
        • AddressBase Products June 2024 – Epoch 111
        • AddressBase Islands June 2024 – Epoch 111
        • AddressBase Products May 2024 – Epoch 110
        • AddressBase Islands May 2024 – Epoch 110
        • AddressBase Products April 2024 – Epoch 109
        • AddressBase Islands April 2024 – Epoch 109
      • AddressBase product family
      • Future and past publication dates
      • Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN)
      • Coordinate reference systems
      • Classification scheme
      • Data sources
      • Street names and numbering
      • Currency, completeness and precision
      • Product supply
      • Code lists and enumerations
        • AddressbasePostalCode
        • BLPUStateCode
        • ChangeTypeCode
        • CountryCode
        • Date
        • FileTypeCode
        • LanguageCode
        • LogicalStatusCode
        • OfficialFlagCode
        • PostcodeTypeCode
        • RPCCode
        • StateCode
        • StreetClassificationCode
        • StreetRecordTypeCode
        • StreetStateCode
        • StreetSurfaceCode
        • Time
        • USRNMatchIndicatorCode
      • AddressBase local custodian codes
      • AddressBase Islands local custodian codes
    • AddressBase
      • Release Notes
      • AddressBase Getting Started Guide
        • Prerequisites
        • Data supply
        • Working with CSV data
        • Working with GML data
        • Working with COU data
        • Creating a single-line or multi-line address
        • Searching for addresses
      • AddressBase Technical Specification
        • Data formats
        • Supply and update
        • AddressBase structure
        • Feature types
          • Address
          • AddressBase Supply Set
        • Code list and enumerations
        • CSV to GML mapping
        • Example records
          • CSV
          • GML
      • AddressBase Downloads
      • AddressBase Known Data Issues
    • AddressBase Core
      • Release Notes
        • 20 May 2025
        • 13 May 2025
        • 07 May 2025
        • 29 April 2025
        • 23 April 2025
        • 15 April 2025
        • 08 April 2025
        • 01 April 2025
        • 25 March 2025
        • 18 March 2025
      • AddressBase Core Overview
        • Data capture and sources
        • GeoPlace
        • Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN)
        • Coordinate reference systems
        • Classification
        • Currency, completeness and precision
        • Product supply
      • AddressBase Core Getting Started Guide
        • Downloading a dataset
        • Working with CSV data
        • Working with GPKG data
        • Working with COU data
        • Working with tiled data
      • AddressBase Core Technical Specification
        • Data formats
        • Supply and update
        • Attributes
        • Enumerations
        • Example records
      • AddressBase Core Downloads
      • AddressBase Core Known Data Issues
    • AddressBase Plus
      • Release Notes
      • AddressBase Plus Getting Started Guide
      • AddressBase Plus Technical Specification
        • Data formats
        • Supply and update
        • AddressBase Plus structure
        • Feature types
          • Address
          • AddressBase Supply Set
        • Code lists and enumerations
        • CSV to GML mapping
        • Example records
          • CSV
          • GML
      • AddressBase Plus Downloads
      • AddressBase Plus Known Data Issues
    • AddressBase Plus Islands
      • Release Notes
      • AddressBase Plus Islands Getting Started Guide
      • AddressBase Plus Islands Technical Specification
        • Data formats
        • Supply and update
        • AddressBase Plus Islands structure
        • Feature types
          • Address
          • AddressBase Supply Set
        • Code lists and enumerations
        • CSV to GML mapping
        • Example records
          • CSV
          • GML
      • AddressBase Plus Islands Downloads
      • AddressBase Plus Islands Known Data Issues
    • AddressBase Premium
      • Release Notes
      • AddressBase Premium Getting Started Guide
        • Prerequisites
        • Data supply
        • Working with CSV data
        • Working with GPKG data
        • Working with GML data
        • Working with COU data
        • Creating a single-line or multi-line address
        • Searching for addresses
      • AddressBase Premium Technical Specification
        • Data formats
        • Supply and update
        • AddressBase Premium structure
        • Feature types
          • Street – (Type 11 Record)
          • BLPU – (Type 21 Record)
          • AddressBase supply set
          • Feature with lifecycle
        • Structured data types
          • Street Descriptor – (Type 15 Record)
          • Application Cross Reference – (Type 23 Record)
          • LPI – (Type 24 Record)
          • Delivery Point Address – (Type 28 Record)
          • Successor Cross Reference – (Type 30 Record)
          • Organisation – (Type 31 Record)
          • Classification – (Type 32 Record)
          • Entity with lifecycle
        • Dataset metadata
          • Metadata – (Type 29 Record)
          • Header – (Type 10 Record)
          • Trailer – (Type 99 record)
        • Code lists and enumerations
        • Attribute format comparison
        • Example records
          • CSV
          • GML
      • AddressBase Premium Downloads
      • AddressBase Premium Known Data Issues
    • AddressBase Premium Islands
      • Release Notes
      • AddressBase Premium Islands Getting Started Guide
      • AddressBase Premium Islands Technical Specification
        • Release Notes
          • June 2024
        • Data formats
        • Supply and update
        • AddressBase Premium Islands structure
        • Feature types
          • Street – (Type 11 Record)
          • BLPU – (Type 21 Record)
          • AddressBase supply set
          • Feature with lifecycle
        • Structured data types
          • Street Descriptor – (Type 15 Record)
          • Application Cross Reference – (Type 23 Record)
          • LPI – (Type 24 Record)
          • Delivery Point Address – (Type 28 Record)
          • Successor Cross Reference – (Type 30 Record)
          • Organisation – (Type 31 Record)
          • Classification – (Type 32 Record)
          • Entity with lifecycle
        • Dataset metadata
          • Header – (Type 10 Record)
          • Metadata – (Type 29 Record)
          • Trailer – (Type 99 record)
        • Code lists and enumerations
        • Attribute format comparison
        • Example records
          • CSV
          • GML
      • AddressBase Premium Islands Downloads
      • AddressBase Premium Islands Known Data Issues
    • Boundary-Line
      • Release Notes
        • May 2025
        • October 2024
        • June 2024
      • Boundary-Line Overview
        • Data overview
        • Product supply
      • Boundary-Line Product Information
        • Relationships of administrative areas
        • Structure of Boundary-Line
        • Boundary-Line principles and features
        • Case studies
        • Metadata
        • Glossary
        • Exception areas
        • The coastline and associated items
      • Boundary-Line Technical Specification
        • Shapefile, TAB and GKPG
          • Features - Shapefile, TAB and GPKG
            • Area - GB
            • Area - English region
            • Area - Wales region
            • Link feature type
            • Area - Polling districts England
            • Historical and ceremonial boundaries features
          • Layers - Shapefile, TAB and GKPG
            • Shapefile
            • TAB
            • GKPG
          • Code lists - Shapefile, TAB and GKPG
            • AreaCode
            • TypeCode
        • GML
          • Features - GML
            • AdministrativeUnit
          • Code lists - GML
            • AdministrativeHierarchyValue
            • NationalClassificationValue
          • Example record - GML
        • Vector tiles
      • Guide to Ceremonial County Boundaries
      • Additional Product Details
      • Boundary-Line Downloads
      • Boundary-Line Known Data Issues
    • Code-Point
      • Code-Point Overview
        • Product details
        • Product supply
      • Code-Point Products Comparison
      • Code-Point Getting Started Guide
        • Product supply
        • Data structure
        • CSV file processing
        • Data measures
        • Metadata
        • Glossary
      • Code-Point Technical Specification
        • Product structure
        • Supply formats
      • Code-Point Downloads
      • Code-Point Known Data Issues
    • Code-Point Open
      • Code-Point Open Overview
        • Product details
        • Product supply
      • Code-Point Open Products Comparison
      • Code-Point Open Getting Started Guide
        • Requirements for using the data
        • CSV file processing
        • Data measures
        • Loading the data into a GIS
        • Glossary
      • Code-Point Open Technical Specification
        • Product structure
        • Supply formats overview
      • Code-Point Open Downloads
      • Code-Point Open Known Data Issues
    • Code-Point with Polygons
      • Release Notes
        • January 2025
      • Code-Point with Polygons Overview
        • Product details
        • Product supply
      • Code-Point with Polygons Products Comparison
      • Code-Point with Polygons Getting Started Guide
        • Using the vertical street lookup
        • Creating single-space postcodes
        • Data measures
      • Code-Point with Polygons Technical Specification
        • Data supply
        • Specification
      • Code-Point with Polygons Downloads
      • Code-Point with Polygons Known Data Issues
    • 🆕OS Emergency Services Gazetteer
      • 🆕OS ESG Overview
        • 🆕Product supply
        • 🆕Planned enhancements
      • OS ESG Getting Started Guide
      • OS ESG Technical Specification
        • Feature type
          • BLPU (Type 21 Record)
        • Structured data types
          • LPI (Type 24 Record)
          • Classification (Type 32 Record)
        • 🆕Code lists
          • AddressbasePostalCode
          • BLPUStateCode
          • ChangeTypeCode
          • 🆕ClassificationCode
          • CountryCode
          • FileTypeCode
          • LanguageCode
          • LogicalStatusCode
          • OfficialFlagCode
          • RPCCode
          • USRNMatchIndicatorCode
        • Dataset metadata
          • Header (Type 10 Record)
          • Metadata (Type 29 Record)
          • Trailer (Type 99 Record)
      • 🆕OS ESG FAQs
      • 🆕OS ESG Downloads
      • OS ESG Known Data Issues
    • OS Open Built Up Areas
      • Release notes
        • April 2024
      • OS Open Built Up Areas Overview
        • Product details
        • Product supply
      • OS Open Built Up Areas Technical Specification
        • Feature types
          • Built Up Areas
          • Built Up Extents
          • Non Built Up Extents
        • Structured data types
          • MultiSurfaceWithAreaType
          • NameType
        • Code list
          • LanguageValue
        • Supply formats
      • OS Open Built Up Areas Known Data Issues
    • OS Open Names
      • Release Notes
        • April 2025
        • January 2025
        • October 2024
        • July 2024
      • OS Open Names Overview
        • Product applications
        • Product details
        • Product supply
      • OS Open Names Getting Started Guide
        • Obtaining OS Open Names data
        • CSV file processing
        • Loading the data in a GIS
      • OS Open Names Technical Specification
        • Source of OS Open Names
        • Viewing resolution
        • Product structure
        • Feature type
          • NamedPlace
        • Code lists
          • LanguageValue
          • NamedPlaceTypeValue
          • LocalTypeValue
        • Structured data types
          • GeographicalName
          • Identifier
        • Local Type
        • Supply formats overview
        • Attribute naming format comparison
        • LocalType code list
      • OS Open Names Downloads
      • OS Open Names Known Data Issues
    • Points of Interest
      • Release Notes
        • March 2025
        • December 2024
        • September 2024
        • June 2024
      • Points of Interest Product Information
        • Using Points of Interest
        • Data measures and data sources
        • Classification scheme
        • Points of Interest Provenance
        • Glossary
        • Points of Interest symbology
      • Points of Interest Technical Specification
        • Using Points of Interest
        • Pipe delimited text (PDT) file format
          • Record structure
        • Code lists
          • Positional Accuracy
          • Match Indicator
        • Example records
        • Glossary
      • Points of Interest Classification Scheme
        • Accommodation, eating and drinking
        • Commercial services
        • Attractions
        • Sport and entertainment
        • Education and health
        • Public infrastructure
        • Manufacturing and production
        • Retail
        • Transport
      • Points of Interest Class Count
        • Accommodation, eating and drinking
        • Commercial services
        • Attractions
        • Sport and entertainment
        • Education and health
        • Public infrastructure
        • Manufacturing and production
        • Retail
        • Transport
      • Points of Interest Downloads
      • Points of Interest Known Data Issues
  • Contextual or derived mapping
    • Contextual or Derived Mapping Portfolio Information
    • Colour Raster Map Fundamentals
      • Colour Raster Map Overview
        • Metadata
        • Data compression
        • Data measures
        • Product supply
      • Colour Raster Map Technical Specification
        • Georeferencing
        • Image file directory (TIFF)
        • Abbreviations used on OS 1:25 000 and 1:50 000 scale mapping
        • Product glossary
    • 1:25 000 Scale Colour Raster
      • 1:25 000 Scale Colour Raster Overview
        • Product details
        • Features depicted in the product
        • Georeferencing
      • 1:25 000 Scale Colour Raster Technical Specification
      • 1:25 000 Scale Colour Raster Downloads
      • 1:25 000 Scale Colour Raster Known Data Issues
    • 1:50 000 Scale Colour Raster
      • 1:50 000 Scale Colour Raster Overview
        • Product details
        • Features depicted in the product
        • Georeferencing
      • 1:50 000 Scale Colour Raster Technical Specification
      • 1:50 000 Scale Colour Raster Downloads
      • 1:50 000 Scale Colour Raster Known Data Issues
    • 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster
      • 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster Overview
        • Product details
        • Georeferencing
        • Gazetteer
      • 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster Technical Specification
      • 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster Downloads
      • 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster Known Data Issues
    • GB Overview Maps
      • GB Overview Maps Downloads
      • GB Overview Maps Known Data Issues
    • MiniScale
      • MiniScale Product Guide
        • Supply and formats
        • Georeferencing
        • Depiction of roads and towns
        • Data compression
        • Features, layers and styles
      • MiniScale Technical Specification
        • National Grid
        • MiniScale file management
      • MiniScale Downloads
      • Miniscale Known Data Issues
    • OS Open Zoomstack
      • OS Open Zoomstack Getting Started Guide
        • Zoomstack vector tiles
        • Zoomstack GeoPackage format
      • OS Open Zoomstack Technical Specification
        • List of Layers
        • Description of the cartographic styles
        • Sea Extent and Name Languages
        • Vector Tiles Schema
        • GeoPackage Schema
      • OS Open Zoomstack Known Data Issues
    • OS OpenMap – Local
      • Release Notes
        • April 2025
      • OS OpenMap – Local Overview
        • Product applications and uses
        • Product details
        • Product supply
      • OS OpenMap – Local Getting Started Guide
        • Loading raster data
        • Loading vector data
        • Loading and displaying GML Data
        • POSTGIS
        • Loading and displaying Shapefile supply
        • Viewing the data in QGIS
        • Using shapefiles in PostGIS
        • Using MapInfo Professional
      • OS OpenMap – Local Technical Specification
        • Data structure
        • Feature types
          • Building
          • ElectricityTransmissionLine
          • Glasshouse
          • RailwayStation
          • RailwayTrack
          • RailwayTunnel
          • Road
          • RoadTunnel
          • Roundabout
          • MotorwayJunction
          • CarChargingPoint
          • Foreshore
          • SurfaceWater_Area
          • SurfaceWater_Line
          • TidalBoundary
          • TidalWater
          • Woodland
          • FunctionalSite
          • ImportantBuilding
          • NamedPlace
        • Code lists
          • RailwayStationClassification
          • RailwayTrackClassification
          • DrawLevelValue
          • OverrideValue
          • RoadClassification
          • RoundaboutClassification
          • CarChargingType
          • RatedVoltage
          • ChargeMethod
          • TidalBoundaryClassification
          • BuildingTheme
          • BuildingClassification
          • SiteClassification
          • FontHeightClassification
          • NamedPlaceClassification
      • OS OpenMap – Local Downloads
      • OS OpenMap – Local Known Data Issues
    • OS VectorMap District
      • OS VectorMap District Overview
        • Generalisation
        • Feature types
        • Style definition
        • Product supply
      • OS VectorMap District Technical Specification
        • GML Overview
        • Raster Specification
        • Georeferencing
        • Feature types
          • Building
          • ElectricityTransmissionLine
          • Glasshouse
          • RailwayStation
          • RailwayTrack
          • RailwayTunnel
          • MotorwayJunction
          • Road
          • RoadTunnel
          • Roundabout
          • Foreshore
          • SurfaceWater_Area
          • SurfaceWater_Line
          • TidalBoundary
          • TidalWater
          • Ornament
          • Woodland
          • FunctionalSite
          • NamedPlace
          • SpotHeight
          • AdministrativeBoundary
        • Code lists
          • RailwayStationClassification
          • RailwayTrackClassification
          • RoadClassification
          • RoundaboutClassification
          • DrawLevelValue
          • OverrideValue
          • TidalBoundaryClassification
          • FunctionalSiteClassification
          • NamedPlaceClassification
          • FontHeightClassification
          • AdministrativeBoundaryClassification
        • Attributes
        • Feature Codes
        • Styling of Land and Sea
      • Vector Simple Guide
        • Downloading OS OpenData
        • Opening OS OpenData in QGIS
        • Styling vector data
        • Opening and saving maps in Composer
      • Raster Simple Guide
        • Downloading OS OpenData
        • Opening OS OpenData in QGIS
        • Opening and saving a map in composer
      • OS VectorMap District Downloads
      • OS VectorMap District Known Data Issues
    • OS VectorMap Local
      • Release Notes
        • January 2025
      • OS VectorMap Local Overview
        • Product details
        • Features represented in the product
        • Product style definition
        • Product supply
        • National Grid coverage for OS VectorMap Local
      • OS VectorMap Local Technical Specification
        • GeoPackage overview
        • GML overview
        • Raster data
        • Feature types
          • Area
          • Line
          • VectorMapPoint
          • RoadCLine
          • RailCLine
          • Text
        • Code lists
          • DrawLevelValue
          • AnchorPositionValue
          • TextFontValue
        • Structured data types
          • textRenderingType
        • Feature codes and descriptions
        • Vector tiles overview
        • Important Buildings classification
      • OS VectorMap Local Downloads
      • Supporting documents
        • OS VectorMap Local Cartographic Style Definitions
      • OS VectorMap Local Known Data Issues
  • Networks
    • Networks Portfolio Information
    • OS Detailed Path Network
      • OS Detailed Path Network Overview
        • Product details
        • Attribution
        • Product supply
        • Coordinate reference system
      • OS Detailed Path Network Getting Started Guide
        • Downloading the data
        • Loading GML data
      • OS Detailed Path Network Technical Specification
        • OS Detailed Path Network structure
        • Feature types
          • Route
          • RouteLink
          • RouteNode
        • Structured data types
          • VerticalGainType
        • Code lists
          • LevelCodeValue
          • PotentialHazardValue
          • RightOfWayValue
          • RouteDescriptiveGroupValue
          • RouteDescriptiveTermValue
          • RouteLinkDescriptiveTermValue
          • RouteNodeDescriptiveTermValue
          • SurfaceTypeValue
        • Data quality
        • GML overview
        • GeoPackage overview
          • Route
          • RouteLink
          • RouteNode
        • Vector Tiles overview
          • Route
          • RouteLink
        • GML examples
      • OS Detailed Path Network Downloads
      • OS Detailed Path Network Known Data Issues
    • OS MasterMap Highways Network Fundamentals
      • Release Notes
        • May 2025
        • April 2025
        • March 2025
        • February 2025
        • January 2025
        • December 2024
        • November 2024
        • October 2024
        • September 2024
        • August 2024
        • July 2024
        • June 2024
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network Product Family
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network Overview
        • Standards
        • Coordinate reference system
        • Feature types
          • Road Link (present in Roads & RAMI products)
          • Road Node (present in Roads & RAMI products)
          • Path Link (present in Paths product)
          • Path Node (present in Paths product)
          • Connecting Link (present in Paths product)
          • Connecting Node (Present in Paths product)
          • Road (present in Roads & RAMI products)
          • Path (present in Paths product)
          • Street (present in all OS MasterMap Highways Network products)
          • Road Junction (present in Roads & RAMI products)
          • Ferry Link (present in all OS MasterMap Highways Network products)
          • Ferry Node (present in all OS MasterMap Highways Network products)
          • Ferry Terminal (present in all OS MasterMap Highways Network products)
          • Access Restrictions (present in RAMI product)
          • Turn Restrictions (present in RAMI product)
          • Restrictions For Vehicles (present in RAMI product)
          • Hazards (present in RAMI product)
          • Structures (present in RAMI product)
          • Maintenance (present in RAMI & Paths products)
          • Reinstatement (present in RAMI & Paths products)
          • Highways Dedication (present in RAMI & Paths products)
          • Special Designations (present in RAMI & Paths products)
        • Product supply
        • Product packaging
        • File naming
        • Feature validation data set
        • Volume feature count
        • OS Open Roads Lookup Table
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network Getting Started Guide
        • What do I need to use this data?
        • Product supply
        • Coverage
        • Product packaging
        • File naming
        • Unzipping GML, GeoPackage, and vector tiles files
        • Loading OS MasterMap Highways Network products into a GIS
        • Relationships between Highways tables
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network Playbook
        • Connecting to Address Data
        • Identifying Change in the Network
        • Highlighting Roads Under Construction
        • Creating a Map of Winter Gritting Routes
        • Adding Road Names and Numbers to a Map
        • Merging Tables and Dropping Geometry
        • Creating a Routable Network
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network Downloads
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network Known Data Issues
    • OS MasterMap Highways Network – Roads
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network Overview
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network – Roads Technical Specification
        • Specification changes
        • Structure
        • How the product fits together
        • Change-Only Update (COU) supply
        • Feature types
          • RoadLink
          • RoadNode
          • Road
          • Street
          • RoadJunction
          • FerryLink
          • FerryNode
          • FerryTerminal
        • Structured data types
          • identifier
          • OperationalStateType
          • DesignatedNameType
          • ResponsibleAuthority
          • CycleFacilityType
          • ElevationGainType
          • RoadWidthType
        • Code lists and Enumerations
          • ChangeValue
          • RoadClassificationValue
          • RoadFunctionValue
          • MatchStatusValue
          • OperationalStateValue
          • ProvenanceSourceValue
          • RoadStructureValue
          • LinkDirectionValue
          • FormOfWayValue
          • CycleFacilityValue
          • RoadWidthConfidenceLevelValue
          • FormOfRoadNodeValue
          • RoadNodeClassificationValue
          • AccessPointValue
          • StreetTypeValue
          • JunctionTypeValue
          • ConnectionTypeValue
          • FormOfWaterwayNodeValue
        • GML overview
        • GeoPackage overview
          • ferry_link
          • ferry_node
          • ferry_terminal
          • road
          • road_junction
          • road_link
          • road_node
          • street
        • Vector tiles overview
          • ferry_link
          • ferry_node
          • ferry_node
          • road_link
          • road_node
          • street
        • GML examples
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network Getting Started Guide
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network Known Data Issues
    • OS MasterMap Highways Network – Routing and Asset Management Information
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network Overview
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network – Routing and Asset Management Information Technical Specification
        • Specification changes
        • How the product fits together
        • Routing and Asset Management feature information
          • Data types
            • NetworkReference
            • NodeReference
            • LinkReference
            • PointReference
            • Multiple Link Reference
            • Point Reference
        • Common attribution
        • Rights and Restrictions
          • Feature types
            • AccessRestriction
            • HighwayDedication
            • TurnRestriction
            • RestrictionForVehicles
        • Advisory information
          • Feature types
            • Hazard
            • Structure
        • Asset management
          • Feature types
            • Maintenance
            • Reinstatement
            • Special Designation
        • Change-Only Update (COU) supply
        • Code lists and enumerations
          • ChangeValue
          • UseTypeValue
          • VehicleTypeValue
          • LoadTypeValue
          • NamedDateValue
          • NamedDayValue
          • NamedPeriodValue
          • NamedTimeValue
          • AccessRestrictionValue
          • DedicationValue
          • TurnRestrictionValue
          • RestrictionTypeValue
          • HazardTypeValue
          • StructureTypeValue
          • ReinstatementTypeValue
          • SpecialDesignationTypeValue
          • LinkDirectionValue
          • MaintenanceValue
        • Data types
          • TemporalPropertyType
          • DateRangeType
          • DayPropertyType
          • TimePropertyType
          • TimeRangeType
          • TrafficRegulationOrderType
          • VehicleQualifier
          • ResponsibleAuthority
          • Identifier
        • GML overview
        • GeoPackage overview
          • Access Restriction
          • Highway Dedication
          • Turn Restriction
          • Restriction for Vehicles
          • Hazard Point
          • Hazard
          • Structure Point
          • Structure
          • Maintenance
          • Maintenance Point
          • Maintenance Line
          • Maintenance Area
          • Reinstatement
        • GML examples
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network Getting Started Guide
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network Known Data Issues
    • OS MasterMap Highways Network – Paths
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network Overview
      • OS MasterMap Highways Network – Paths Technical Specification
        • Specification changes
        • Structure
        • How does the product fit together?
        • Change-Only Update (COU) Supply
        • Feature types
          • PathLink
          • PathNode
          • ConnectingLink
          • ConnectingNode
          • Path
          • Street
          • FerryLink
          • FerryNode
          • FerryTerminal
          • Maintenance
          • Reinstatement
          • SpecialDesignation
          • HighwayDedication
        • Structured data types
          • Identifier
          • CycleFacilityType
          • ElevationGainType
          • OperationalStateType
          • DesignatedNameType
          • ResponsibleAuthority
          • TemporalPropertyType
          • DateRangeType
          • DayPropertyType
          • TimePropertyType
          • TimeRangeType
        • Data types
          • NetworkReferenceLocation
          • Temporal Properties
        • Code lists and Enumerations
          • ChangeValue
          • FormOfWayValue
          • SurfaceTypeValue
          • MatchStatusValue
          • ProvenanceSourceValue
          • CycleFacilityValue
          • FormOfRoadNodeValue
          • RoadNodeClassificationValue
          • OperationalStateValue
          • StreetTypeValue
          • ConnectionTypeValue
          • FormOfWaterwayNodeValue
          • DedicationValue
          • ReinstatementTypeValue
          • SpecialDesignationTypeValue
          • MaintenanceValue
        • GML Overview
        • GeoPackage overview
          • connecting_link
          • connecting_node
          • ferry_link
          • ferry_node
          • ferry_terminal
          • highway_dedication
          • maintenance
          • path
          • path_link
          • path_node
          • reinstatement
          • special_designation
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  1. Contextual or derived mapping
  2. OS OpenMap – Local
  3. OS OpenMap – Local Getting Started Guide

Loading vector data

PreviousLoading raster dataNextLoading and displaying GML Data

Last updated 5 months ago

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The guides below detail how to load vector data for the following products:

QGIS

It is assumed that the user will have already set the default co-ordinate reference system in QGIS to British National Grid (EPSG 27700).

Loading and Displaying Shapefile Supply

  1. Open QGIS. Select ‘open vector layer’ from the left hand toolbar.

  1. In the next window, click ‘browse’ and navigate to the folder in which the OS OpenMap-Local shapefiles are located.

  1. OS OpenMap-Local data is comprised of a number of shapefiles containing different elements of the whole dataset. It is up to the user as to which elements are loaded depending upon requirements. In this example, all of the main elements will be loaded into QGIS. After selecting the files required and clicking ‘open’ twice, the user will be presented with the data loaded.

  • In the example below, the SU 100km grid tile has been loaded.

  1. It will be noted that some features extend beyond the tile edge. This is indicative of the ‘hairy tile’ supply. The layers will need to be ordered correctly in order to display correctly, so that the polygon data does not cover the line and point data. A suggested layer order is shown below, but the user may wish to change this as per requirements.

  1. It should be noted that initially, it is easier to turn off the functional site layer whilst styling is applied to the other layers. The functional site layer is an attribution layer which highlights various important sites and does not form part of the map base itself. Performance will be improved by adding a spatial index to each of the layers. Right click each layer in turn. In the context menu, select ‘properties’ and then click the ‘general’ tab. The ‘create spatial index’ button will be seen just below the co-ordinate reference system box. Each layer can be styled to appear as per user requirements. In QGIS, style files are identified by having the extension .QML. To add a style to a layer, right-click on the layer in the layer window and select ’properties’. Click the ‘style’ tab. The user can now either style the data using the various tools available or by loading a predefined style from a .QML file. For more information, please see the Getting Started with QGIS guide referred to at the beginning of this section. Ordnance Survey has released a set of style files for OS Open Map for QGIS. These will be available on the . Instructions for layer ordering and loading of these styles are provided in the Quick Start Guide which is included with the style files.

The example above is styled using the published OS OpenMap-Local style files and layered according to the instructions included in the Quick Start guide available with those files.

Merging the Shapefile Supply

The user may have a requirement to load more than one 100km² grid square to cover the area that is required. The user will need to extract the relevant shapefiles from each tile into a folder. In the final release of data, the individual shapefiles will be prefixed with their National Grid 100km grid square reference letters as shown below.

Each shapefile element of OS OpenMap-Local will need to be merged separately in order that the user obtains a shapefile, for example, buildings, covering the whole area of interest. It is recommended that the user copies each of these elements into a new empty folder before merging is carried out. In the case shown above, the buildings shapefiles for SU and TQ have been copied to an empty folder. To merge the shapefiles together in QGIS, from the main menu, select ‘vector’ then ‘data management tools’. The ‘merge shapefiles to one’ option is towards the bottom of the list of options.

In the next window, the user will need to define if the shapefiles to be merged are either points lines or polygons, and also the folder where the files to be merged will reside. In this example, all of the files in the folder specified will be merged, which is easier than defining individual files. Finally, an output folder and filename for the merged shapefile needs to be selected. The user can also specify if they want the newly merged file to be automatically added to the map canvass.

Once ‘OK’ is clicked, QGIS will create a merged shapefile covering the element of the grid tiles required. In this example, the building shapefiles for SU and TQ are being merged. This procedure will need to be repeated for all of the other layer shapefiles for OS OpenMap-Local which the user requires.

When working with merged shapefiles of any kind, it is highly recommended that a spatial index be applied to each element of the data, particularly if the user is loading national sets of data. The performance improvement in rendering the data will be very noticeable. In the case above, styling can now be applied to the data as described previously in this guide.

Removing Duplicate Features from Merged data

As has already been stated, OS OpenMap-Local data is supplied as ‘hairy tiles’ with features which cross a 100km2 tile edge being supplied in both tiles in which the feature appears. In many instances, the user will simply wish to use the merged OS OpenMap-Local data as a contextual backdrop map. In this case, there will be no need to remove duplicate features along the tile edges as the features will display perfectly clearly with one duplicate feature overlying the other.

There may however, be instances where the user wishes to carry out some form of analysis using feature counts contained within the data. In this case, the data will need to have the duplicate features removed. There are several ways within QGIS to achieve this. There are also several plugins for QGIS which can be installed to carry out this function, in particular one called ‘MMQGIS’. However methods using these options are not described here.

The ‘Dissolve’ function in QGIS which is part of standard functionality will effectively carry out this procedure. In the example described below, we are going to de-duplicate the merged SU_TQ Buildings file that we created in section 2.1.2. We have the file loaded into the map window.

From the main menu, select ‘vector’ then ‘geoprocessing tools’ followed by ‘dissolve’. Another window will then appear.

The user will need to select the input vector layer to be de-duplicated; in this case, the SU_TQ Buildings file is already selected. The dissolve field is set to ‘ID’ which will be the field in the data which will be searched for duplicate features. Finally, the user will need to specify an output folder and filename for the

de-duplicated data. Once this is done, the user can specify whether or not the newly created file can be added to the current map canvass. Click ‘OK’ to start the process.

A message appears once the process is complete. The new shapefile containing the de-duplicated data can now be loaded into QGIS. Once again, it is highly recommended that the de-duplicated file be given a spatial index using the method previously described to improve rendering performance

The data can now be styled with a suitable style as per user requirements using the procedures as described earlier in this guide.

Loading and Displaying GML Supply

Open QGIS. Select ‘open vector layer’ from the left hand toolbar.

In the resulting window, click ‘browse’ to open the window, which will allow the user to select the .GML file to be loaded.

The user will need to specify that a .GML (geography mark-up language) file needs to be opened from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the window. Select the file and then click ‘open’ twice.

Another window will appear which will allow the user to select which layers of the data to load. If all of them are required, click ‘select all’.

The data will now load into the map window.

In the example below, just the roads and buildings from the SU tile were selected.

The data can now be styled using a predefined style file (.QML file) as described previously or using the tools within QGIS. Please note that style files created for shapefile supply of the data will not work with GML supply without modifications. It is highly recommended that style files created specifically for the GML supply be used.

It should be noted that rendering performance of the data within QGIS will be much poorer than in the case of the shapefile format as GML data cannot be spatially indexed. It should also be noted that multiple 100km² tiles of OpenMap .GML data cannot easily be merged together as with the shapefile option and as a consequence, rendering performance will also be much slower. In addition, it is not easy to de-duplicate features along tile edges using common spatial geoprocessing tools within QGIS. As a result, the GML data itself will have to be queried using code scripts to highlight and remove duplicate features within a text editor. This is not covered in this guide.

ArcGIS ArcMap

Loading and Displaying Shapefile Supply

There are two possible ways of loading and displaying the shapefile data in ESRI ArcGIS. The shapefile data can be loaded straight into ArcGIS. However, if more than one 100km2 tile is being loaded, the rendering performance can become an issue. The recommended way of loading the data is to use a file geodatabase to house the data. This is the method which will be described in this guide.

  1. Open ArcCatalog. Choose a folder where the file geodatabase is to be created.

  1. Right click on the folder and in the context menu select ‘new’ and then ‘File Geodatabase’. Give the new file geodatabase a suitable name for ease of reference by highlighting the geodatabase and typing a new name.

  1. Once created, right click on the file geodatabase and select ‘import’ and then ‘feature class (multiple)’.

  1. In the next window, browse to the location where the data resides which is to be imported. Because the individual shape files begin with the 100km prefix, it is possible to import more than one OS OpenMap-Local tile into the geodatabase as per user requirements.

  1. Click on the button to the right of the blank window under ‘input features’ and navigate to the folder where the OS OpenMap-Local shapefile data resides.

  1. Select all of the shapefiles that are required in the window and click ‘add’.

  1. The shapefiles selected will now appear as a list in the import feature class window. The output file geodatabase should default to the one which has been previously selected. Click ‘OK’. The window will close and now ArcCatalog will import the features classes into the file geodatabase. A dialog box will appear when the process is complete.

  1. If the file geodatabase is now highlighted, a list of the imported features classes should be visible. In this example, both SU and TQ shapefiles have been imported.

A useful point to note is that loading the shapefiles into a file geodatabase will automatically add spatial indexes to the data in the import process. There is therefore no requirement to manually add one once the data has been loaded, which would be the case if shapefiles had been loaded into ArcGIS without using the file geodatabase option. As has been previously mentioned, the addition of a spatial index greatly improves rendering performance.

  1. Start ArcMap. Click on the ‘import data’ button in the top toolbar.

  1. In the window that appears, navigate to the location of the file geodatabase just created. Select the feature classes that are required and click ‘add’.

The data will load into ArcMap. Although ArcMap does put the shapefiles into a more logical sequence, the user can move the layers according to the desired preferences. The data will, of course load in as un-styled data. ArcMap will assign a random style to the data.

The user can manually style each of the layer files by right-clicking on each of the loaded layers, selecting ‘properties’ and then ‘symbology’. ArcMap contains an extensive range of tools to allow the user to apply various styles to each layer of the data and then save the work as an ArcGIS layer file. This procedure is not covered in this guide.

A set of ESRI layer files for OS OpenMap-Local will be available for download from the GitHub web site at product launch. Follow the instructions in the Quick Start Guide which accompanies these files to apply the styling to the data. These style files will work with either a direct shapefile load in ArcMap or using the file geodatabase methodology described here.

The user should see something like the screenshot above when the process is complete.

Alternate procedure for adding layer files into ArcMap

If using a different set of layer files, the procedure for adding a style in ArcMap is as follows – this method can be used for many other data types. To add a style to a layer, simply right-click on a layer, select ‘properties’ and then ‘symbology’

  1. In the layer properties window, select ‘import’ (the button below the tabs at the top). A list of available styles, drawn from the imported layer file will appear. Simply select the required style and click ‘OK’. The symbol in the box will now change to the predefined style.

Click ‘OK’ again and the style will then be applied in ArcMap. Repeat this procedure for all of the layers until the OS OpenMap-Local data is styled to requirements. Labels for certain features can also be applied as required.

Loading multiple shapefiles

If there is a requirement to load a larger area of interest, it is recommended that the user merge the shapefiles together before loading into the file geodatabase. This procedure is described under point 2.2.3. below. Doing this will also mean that the supplied layer files for styling will only need to be applied once to the data and all the styles will work properly.

If however, the user simply wants to load multiple areas using the file geodatabase option, there is no mandatory requirement to merge shapefiles together.

To add another 100km2 tile of data in ArcMap previously loaded into the file geodatabase created earlier, simply click ‘add data’ and repeat the procedure described above for loading the individual layers for the subsequent tile(s). The user may wish to group the layers for each 100km tile loaded in the table of contents window to avoid confusion.

  1. Select all of the layers within the new 100km tile added, right-click and then select ‘group’. The additional layers can be styled as previously using a predefined layer file or manually as required.

This example shows that all of the layers for SU and TQ have been loaded into ArcMap from within the file geodatabase. The file geodatabase option in ArcGIS is also useful in that if the user wishes to add another tile of data at a later date, the shapefiles can be simply imported into the same file geodatabase using ArcCatalog and then displayed in ArcMap.

Merging shapefiles and removing duplicate features from the data

As has already been stated, OS OpenMap-Local data is supplied as ‘hairy tiles’ with features which cross a 100km tile edge being supplied in both tiles in which the feature appears. These duplicate features will occur if more than one 100km2 tile is loaded into a file geodatabase. In many instances, the user will simply wish to use the OS OpenMap-Local data as a contextual backdrop map. In this case, there will be no need to remove duplicate features along the tile edges as the features will display perfectly clearly with one duplicate feature overlying the other.

There may however, be instances where the user wishes to carry out some form of analysis using feature counts contained within the data. In this case, the data will need to have the duplicate features removed.

To remove duplicate features in ArcMap, it is necessary firstly to merge the elements of the tiles together before removing the duplicate features. This procedure can take some time, so the user should consider if this requirement is really needed.

  1. The elements of the data first need to be merged together to create new features classes within the file geodatabase containing the original data (or to a completely new file geodatabase or shapefile if required).

  1. Using either ArcMap or ArcCatalog, from the main menu, select ‘Geoprocessing’ followed by ‘merge’.

  1. In the next window, select the layers to be merged. In this example the SU_Roads and TQ_Roads are being merged together. All of the attribution is being copied into the new shapefile though the user can specify what attributes need to be copied. The user can also specify the output required. This can be a new feature class within a file geodatabase or a shapefile. In this example a new shapefile containing the merged data will be created.

  1. Click ‘OK’ when all of the elements to be merged have been selected. It can be seen using this method, the roads element of a number of 100km tiles could be merged together, although only two are shown in this example. ArcGIS will then merge the files and load the newly created shapefile into the map window. Depending upon the sizes and number of of the data layers being merged, this could take some time. A dialog box will appear when the process is finished.

  1. In the example shown below, a new file geodatabase has been created to hold a set of merged shapefiles covering the SU and TQ grid squares. These have been styled using the style files for OS OpenMap-Local available from Github. As stated above, it is important that the instructions provided in the Quick Start guide, that accompanies these files, be followed to obtain the intended end result.

  1. The ‘Dissolve’ function in ArcGIS will remove the duplicated features along the tile boundaries. This procedure can be carried out in either ArcCatalog or ArcMap. Firstly, select ‘Geoprocessing’ and then ‘Dissolve’ from the main menu.

  1. The user will then need to specify which merged file from which duplicate features are to be removed. In this example we are looking at the SU_TQ_Merged road file.

We are going to save the new feature class as a new shapefile called ‘Dissolve_SU_TQ_Roads’. All of the dissolve fields in the box need to be ticked except the FID field as otherwise the attribution will not be carried over to the new dissolved file. Once complete, the dissolved layer will be loaded into ArcMap. This merged file will contain no duplicate features. It can now be styled as previously described. A count using the attribute table on both the original merged file and the dissolved file will confirm that the dissolved shapefile contains fewer features

Ordnance Survery GitHub repository
Open OGR Supported Vector layers
SU 100km grid tile data loaded into the main map window
Suggested layer order
OS OpenMap Local styled data
New FIle Geodatabase opption in ArcCatalog
OS OpenMap Geodatabase
Import feature class menu option
Feature class to Geodatabase dialog window
OK button highlighted on the feature class to Geodatabase dialog window
List of imported feature classes from the database
Add data file explorer window
Screenshot of data loaded into the software successfully
Layer properties window with the OK button highlighted
Layers shown in the table of contents for a 100km tile
Merge menu option in the Geoprocessing menu
Merge dialog window
Styled shapefiles covering the SU and TQ grid square
Dissolve menu item in the Geoprocessing menu
Dissolve dialog window
Screenshot of the Open OGR Supported Vector layers file explorer window
Screenshot of 100km grid tile data loaded into the main map window
Screenshot of the suggested layer order
A screenshot of OS OpenMap Local styled data
ArcCatalogue new file Geodatabase option
Screenshot of the OS OpenMap Geodatabase file
Import feature class menu option
Screenshot of the Feature class to Geodatabase dialog window
OK button highlighted on the feature class to Geodatabase dialog window
Screenshot showing a list of imported feature classes from the database
Screenshot of the add data file explorer window
Screenshot of data loaded into the software successfully
Screenshot of the layer properties window with the OK button highlighted
Layers shown in the table of contents for a 100km tile
Merge menu option in the Geoprocessing menu
Merge dialog window
Dissolve menu item in the Geoprocessing menu
Dissolve dialog window