OS MasterMap Highways Network Getting Started Guide

This getting started guide provides instructions for using OS MasterMap Highways Network in different software applications. Users with limited technical knowledge will be able to follow this guide.

Ordnance Survey, GeoPlace and Improvement Service have collaborated to bring together Ordnance Survey’s detailed road and path information, the National Street Gazetteer (NSG), the Trunk Road Street Gazetteer (TRSG), and the Scottish Street Gazetteer (SSG) to create an authoritative road and path network for Great Britain: OS MasterMap Highways Network.

OS MasterMap Highways Network integrates the Unique Street Reference Number (USRN) from the gazetteers with the most detailed definitive geometry from Ordnance Survey. It is produced in partnership with GeoPlace and the Local Government Association, and as of March 2021, contains data created and maintained by Scottish Local Government.

The OS MasterMap Highways Network product family includes three products:

OS MasterMap Highways Network – Roads
OS MasterMap Highways Network – Routing and Asset Management Information (RAMI)
OS MasterMap Highways Network – Paths

OS MasterMap Highways Network products contain a wide range of features, including:

Unique Street Reference Number (USRN).
Road names from the naming and numbering authority.
Department for Transport (DfT) road classifications.
Road maintenance authority.
Motorway junction to junction information.
Routing information.
Information on height, weight, width and length restrictions.
Special designations.
Road reinstatement information.
Connected network across Great Britain (GB), including islands through the Ferry Network.

Product benefits

OS MasterMap Highways Network is a single authoritative view of the road and path network that underpins decision making across government as it:
- Reduces duplication of effort on maintaining highways information across multiple departments and datasets.
- Facilitates data-sharing.
The product provides OS detailed geometry and routing information on highways together with the best asset management information from authoritative sources into one central location.
It enables planning, routing and navigation for a variety of vehicle types.
The USRN as the key identifier for a Street enables systems to share information about the same entities without the need to match multiple datasets. With the USRN, you can also easily link to OS's AddressBase products, which lets you search for or navigate to an address and find the property access and delivery points.
The product provides accurate and precise asset management information on who maintains the road network, special designations and the type of surface reinstatement value.

Product applications

OS MasterMap Highways Network is designed to be used as a single source of highway asset management by private and public sectors alike. The following table describes some of the key product applications:

Key applications for OS MasterMap Highways Network products.

Product name

Suggested application

OS MasterMap Highways Network – Roads

Source for legal road identifications
Costings or benefits of road policies
Calculating funding allocations
For evidence-based policy making
Journey and transport planning
Emergency service planning
Enforcement regulation
Traffic statistics
School allocation
Smart cities

OS MasterMap Highways Network – Routing and Asset Management Information (RAMI)

Source for legal road identifications
Costings or benefits of road policies
Calculating funding allocations
Policy making
Asset management
Journey planning, routing, and navigation
Emergency service planning
Transport planning
Enforcement regulation
Traffic statistics
Delivery
Waste management
Planned works
Projects on the resilience of infrastructure
Lane rental schemes
Smart cities

OS MasterMap Highways Network – Paths

To estimate costs or benefits of road and paths policies
Calculating funding allocations
Policy making
Asset management
Journey planning, routing, and navigation
Emergency service planning
Transport planning
Delivery
Enforcement regulation
School allocation
Sustainable travel
Planned works
Projects on the resilience of infrastructure
Smart cities

PreviousOS Open Roads Lookup Table NextWhat do I need to use this data?

Last updated 29 days ago

Product benefits

OS MasterMap Highways Network is a single authoritative view of the road and path network that underpins decision making across government as it:

Reduces duplication of effort on maintaining highways information across multiple departments and datasets.
Facilitates data-sharing.

The product provides OS detailed geometry and routing information on highways together with the best asset management information from authoritative sources into one central location.

It enables planning, routing and navigation for a variety of vehicle types.

The USRN as the key identifier for a Street enables systems to share information about the same entities without the need to match multiple datasets. With the USRN, you can also easily link to OS's AddressBase products, which lets you search for or navigate to an address and find the property access and delivery points.

The product provides accurate and precise asset management information on who maintains the road network, special designations and the type of surface reinstatement value.