# OS Open Names Documentation

OS Open Names is a comprehensive dataset of place names, roads numbers and postcodes for Great Britain. The data contains accurate and current settlement names, road names and numbers, postcodes and their locations, with additional contextual information and links to other datasets.

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**This product is updated quarterly in January, April, July, October.**
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<figure><img src="https://1897589978-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FcNpJpLP8RROUaWVQo5ea%2Fuploads%2Flp4zsWuASZp6IQZCbl46%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=4eb7fa2a-242d-4fc0-9365-e71c36e3a1be" alt="A representation of OS Open Names data against a background map showing place names around Newcastle upon Tyne"><figcaption><p>A representation of OS Open Names data against a background map</p></figcaption></figure>

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{% tab title="Benefits" %}
**Accurate locations of streets and postcodes**

Let your customer-facing staff find places quickly when talking to callers. OS Open Names provides the accurate locations of streets and postcodes in Great Britain.

**Place name data**

Quickly look up places and roads with two names. OS Open Names contains place name data in English and their Welsh, Scots or Gaelic alternatives.

**Comprehensive National Grid data**

OS Open Names contains over 870 000 named and numbered roads, nearly 44 000 settlements and over 1.6 million postcodes, all matched/mapped to the National Grid.
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{% tab title="Use Cases" %}
OS Open Names can be used across all sectors of industry for a wide variety of purposes. Primarily, it can be used to identify and locate named places; however, when combined with other OS products, the range of uses for the product increases.

The [Product applications](https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/addresses-and-names-portfolio/os-open-names/os-open-names-overview/product-applications) page lists a range of use cases for the product.
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{% tab title="Summary" %}

* **Access:** Download via the [OS Data Hub](https://osdatahub.os.uk/)
* **Data themes:** Administrative and Statistical Units, Geographical Names, Transport
* **Data structure:** Vector
* **Coverage:** Great Britain
* **Scale:** 1:1 250 to 1:10 000
* **Format:** CSV, GML 3.2.1, GeoPackage
* **Ordering area:** All of Great Britain
* **Publication months:** January, April, July, October
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{% tab title="Additional Information" %}
**OS Open Names level of detail**

OS Open Names doesn’t go down to the level of locations of individual houses, but it does show the location of roads. It also tells your GIS how far to zoom out to show the full length of your street.

For property locations, you will need one of the [AddressBase products](https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/addresses-and-names-portfolio/addressbase-fundamentals/addressbase-product-family).

**Need complete addresses?**

If your work requires the full postal address, we recommend [AddressBase products](https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/addresses-and-names-portfolio/addressbase-fundamentals/addressbase-product-family).
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## How to get this product

Access to this OS OpenData product is free [through the OS Data Hub](https://osdatahub.os.uk/data/downloads/open/OpenNames).

## Sample data

### Visualise OS Open Names sample data online

This product is available to try out free online using one of our three sets of sample data (Exeter, Newport and Inverness) through the OS MasterMap Product Viewer:

<table data-view="cards" data-full-width="false"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden></th><th data-hidden data-card-cover data-type="image">Cover image</th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>OS MasterMap Product Viewer</strong></td><td>Interactive demonstrator of OS MasterMap Generation data</td><td></td><td data-object-fit="cover" data-alt="Example image showing OS VectorMap Local product data over an urban area."><a href="https://1897589978-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FcNpJpLP8RROUaWVQo5ea%2Fuploads%2Fuld7V42IKrB8ovpC1JXB%2FVectorMap-Local-1.png?alt=media&#x26;token=cb3e8ae9-d669-4bc9-b7a7-5f479d780447">VectorMap-Local-1.png</a></td><td><a href="https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/20981dabcb14402687dccb437a4a78fb/">https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/20981dabcb14402687dccb437a4a78fb/</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

## What's next?

To access additional documentation and resources relating to this product, please refer to the following:

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-cover data-type="image">Cover image</th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Overview</strong></p><p>The overview introduces OS Open Names and gives context for all users – highlighting key features, providing examples of potential uses, and listing details such as file sizes, supply formats, etc.</p></td><td></td><td data-object-fit="cover" data-alt="Example image showing OS Open Names product data over a background map."><a href="https://1897589978-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FcNpJpLP8RROUaWVQo5ea%2Fuploads%2FaPYXpuLFF16PQ0yzZkhu%2FOpen-Names-5.png?alt=media&#x26;token=06be5303-3225-423f-9143-0e342ebdf333">Open-Names-5.png</a></td><td><a href="https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/addresses-and-names-portfolio/os-open-names/os-open-names-overview">https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/addresses-and-names-portfolio/os-open-names/os-open-names-overview</a></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Getting Started Guide</strong></p><p>The getting started guide provides instructions for using OS Open Names in different software applications. Users with limited technical knowledge will be able to follow this guide.</p></td><td></td><td data-object-fit="cover" data-alt="Example image showing OS Open Names product data over a background map."><a href="https://1897589978-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FcNpJpLP8RROUaWVQo5ea%2Fuploads%2F23qd7TdRR9KdfGwuY8of%2FOpen-Names-4.png?alt=media&#x26;token=5272907a-f4ec-48ea-b7a3-a05b1d0c7283">Open-Names-4.png</a></td><td><a href="https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/addresses-and-names-portfolio/os-open-names/os-open-names-getting-started-guide">https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/addresses-and-names-portfolio/os-open-names/os-open-names-getting-started-guide</a></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Technical Specification</strong></p><p>The technical specification provides detailed technical information about OS Open Names. It is targeted at technical users and software developers.</p></td><td></td><td data-object-fit="cover" data-alt="Example image showing OS Open Names product data over a background map."><a href="https://1897589978-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FcNpJpLP8RROUaWVQo5ea%2Fuploads%2Fuy95UAPQrO36JGYVxlkm%2FOpen-Names-1.png?alt=media&#x26;token=50185208-b685-45dd-be50-16ed04b4aafb">Open-Names-1.png</a></td><td><a href="https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/addresses-and-names-portfolio/os-open-names/os-open-names-technical-specification">https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/addresses-and-names-portfolio/os-open-names/os-open-names-technical-specification</a></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Downloads</strong></p><p>The downloads page provides links and resources to support the application of OS Open Names within your environment.</p></td><td></td><td data-object-fit="cover" data-alt="Example image showing OS Open Names product data over a background map."><a href="https://1897589978-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FcNpJpLP8RROUaWVQo5ea%2Fuploads%2FuOHaWI7PSgo9dKey4EbP%2FOpen-Names-2.png?alt=media&#x26;token=8abd5109-3236-4490-a070-6bbed502712d">Open-Names-2.png</a></td><td><a href="https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/addresses-and-names-portfolio/os-open-names/os-open-names-downloads">https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/addresses-and-names-portfolio/os-open-names/os-open-names-downloads</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Ordnance Survey Website</strong></td><td>View OS Open Names product information and find out how to get this product on the OS website.</td><td data-object-fit="cover" data-alt="Example image showing OS Open Names product data over a background map."><a href="https://1897589978-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FcNpJpLP8RROUaWVQo5ea%2Fuploads%2FaPYXpuLFF16PQ0yzZkhu%2FOpen-Names-5.png?alt=media&#x26;token=06be5303-3225-423f-9143-0e342ebdf333">Open-Names-5.png</a></td><td><a href="https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/products/os-open-names">https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/products/os-open-names</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

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New users should start with the Overview to gain high-level insight into the product. The Getting Started Guide will help you to begin using product data in different software systems. The Technical Specification contains detailed technical insights.
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