# Product supply

## **Available formats**&#x20;

The OS ESG is available in two formats:

* **GeoPackage** – Full Supply only
* **Comma-separated values (CSV)** – Full Supply and Change-Only Updates (COU)

{% hint style="info" %}
The GPKG and CSV formats conform to the AddressBase Premium specification.&#x20;
{% endhint %}

It is not available in Geography Markup Language (GML) format.&#x20;

### GeoPackage overview&#x20;

GeoPackage is an open standard data format as defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). GeoPackage is designed to be a lightweight format that can contain large amounts of varied and complex data in a single, easy-to-distribute and ready-to-use file.

Please be advised that older versions of GIS software may need updating before being able to display and interact with GeoPackage files.

{% hint style="info" %}
COUs are not available in GeoPackage format.&#x20;

The ordering area is all of Great Britain for GeoPackage format or you can select areas of interest (AOIs).
{% endhint %}

GeoPackage offers users the following benefits:&#x20;

* The single file is easy to transfer and offers the end-user a rich experience.&#x20;
* Attribute names are not limited in length, making it user-friendly.&#x20;
* The file size limit is very large at 140TB, so lots of data can be easily accommodated (please note that a file size limit may be imposed by the file system to which the file is written).&#x20;
* It supports raster, vector and database formats, making it a highly versatile solution.&#x20;
* It is an OGC standard.&#x20;
* In most cases, it is a plug and play format.&#x20;

For information on how to open, use and understand a GeoPackage dataset, please refer to our [‘Getting Started with GeoPackage’ guide](https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/getting-started/getting-started-with-geopackage). Further detailed information on GeoPackage can be taken from the [GeoPackage website](https://www.geopackage.org/).

### CSV overview

CSV files are a delimited text file that uses commas or other characters to separate individual elements of a feature. It is used to store data, often in the form of a table. These tables can be freely loaded into databases and programs, allowing for the easy loading and updating of data holdings.

{% hint style="info" %}
Full Supply and COUs are available in CSV format.&#x20;

The ordering area is all of Great Britain for CSV format or you can select AOIs.
{% endhint %}

In the CSV supply of OS ESG:&#x20;

* There is one record per line in each file.&#x20;
* Fields are separated by commas.&#x20;
* String fields are delimited by double quotes.&#x20;
* No comma is placed at the end of each row in the file.&#x20;
* Records are terminated by Carriage Return / Line Feed.&#x20;
* Double quotes inside strings are escaped by doubling.&#x20;
* COUs are available in this format. &#x20;

Where a field has no value in a record, two commas are placed together in the record (one for the end of the previous field and one for the end of the null field). Where the null field is a text field, double quotes are included between the two commas, for example -, “”,&#x20;

The CSV data is transferred using Unicode encoded in UTF-8. Unicode includes all the characters in ISO-8859-14 (Welsh characters).

The transfer is normally in a single file, but the data can be split into multiple files using volume numbers. The OS ESG records are provided within continuous files cut at approximately 1  million lines, as referred to above.&#x20;

This means different record types (for example, [BLPUs](https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/addresses-and-names-portfolio/os-emergency-services-gazetteer/os-esg-technical-specification/feature-type/blpu-type-21-record) and [LPIs](https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/addresses-and-names-portfolio/os-emergency-services-gazetteer/os-esg-technical-specification/structured-data-types/lpi-type-24-record)) can be found in the same CSV file.&#x20;

### CSV header files

The CSV header files are available to download from the [OS ESG Downloads page](https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/addresses-and-names-portfolio/os-esg-downloads#os-esg-csv-header-files).

## Supply mechanism

The OS ESG product is supplied as an online download from the [OS Data Hub](https://osdatahub.os.uk/). You can select a data format (GeoPackage or CSV) during the download process.

## :arrows\_clockwise: Currency

The product will be refreshed on a monthly basis.

The OS ESG references unique street reference numbers (USRNs) in AddressBase Premium; however, there is a disconnect in publication schedules between the two products, with the OS ESG publishing monthly and AddressBase Premium publishing every six weeks.&#x20;

The following table shows the corresponding publication schedule alignments between the two products:

<table><thead><tr><th width="363">OS ESG Release</th><th>Corresponding AddressBase Premium Epoch</th><th data-hidden></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>January 2027</td><td>Epoch 132</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>December 2026</td><td>Epoch 131</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>November 2026</td><td>Epoch 131</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>October 2026</td><td>Epoch 130</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>September 2026</td><td>Epoch 129</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>August 2026</td><td>Epoch 128</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>July 2026</td><td>Epoch 128</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>June 2026</td><td>Epoch 127</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>May 2026</td><td>Epoch 126</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>April 2026</td><td>Epoch 126</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>March 2026</td><td>Epoch 125</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>February 2026</td><td>Epoch 124</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>January 2026</td><td>Epoch 123</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>December 2025</td><td>Epoch 123</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>November 2025</td><td>Epoch 122</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>October 2025</td><td>Epoch 121</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>September 2025</td><td>Epoch 120</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>August 2025</td><td>Epoch 120</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>July 2025</td><td>Epoch 119</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>June 2025</td><td>Epoch 118</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>May 2025</td><td>Epoch 118</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>April 2025</td><td>Epoch 117</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>March 2025</td><td>Epoch 117</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>February 2025</td><td>Epoch 116</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>January 2025</td><td>Epoch 115</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

{% hint style="info" %}
Please note that the publication schedule alignments between the two products may change for future releases, especially as we add more datasets to the OS ESG.
{% endhint %}
