# 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster Overview

The 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster product is a small-scale, digital, raster mapping product that gives a regional view similar in content and appearance to a typical road atlas. It clearly shows the landscape features relevant to its scale, including cities, towns, many villages, motorways, A and B roads, railways, rivers, and some woodlands across Great Britain. You can use 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster to overlay your own geographic or business data, or use it as a standalone map.

<figure><img src="https://1897589978-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FcNpJpLP8RROUaWVQo5ea%2Fuploads%2F8EYfIPSPOkAJepvloUNI%2F1.png?alt=media" alt="An example extract of 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster map showing Bristol, the Severn Estuary and Newport"><figcaption><p>An extract of 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster over Bristol and the Severn Estuary.</p></figcaption></figure>

## Product highlights <a href="#bookmark1" id="bookmark1"></a>

The 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster product:

* Is an ideal regional overview or backdrop map.
* Has classic road atlas styling:
  * Motorways and main roads stand out, but you can also see country lanes clearly.
  * Places of interest, including camping and caravan sites, are clearly shown.
  * Road and junction numbers, junction-to-junction mileage, and primary routing are included.
* Is compatible with other open datasets available from data.gov.uk and many other sources.

## Product applications <a href="#bookmark2" id="bookmark2"></a>

1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster combines cities, towns, motorways, A and B class roads, railways, rivers, and other key features. This makes it the ideal geographic context on which to overlay your own business data or to use in your applications.

1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster can be used for:

* Route planning
* Geographic context
* Webpage enhancement

## Package inclusions <a href="#bookmark18" id="bookmark18"></a>

The compressed download file includes (among others):

* 56 edged-matched individual 100km by 100km tiles aligned to the National Grid
* Product legend in TIFF and PDF format
* 1:250 000 scale gazetteer

{% hint style="info" %}
**Legends**

Maintained versions (in English and Welsh) of the 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster legend (key), which defines all of the map symbols used in the product, can be found on the [1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster Downloads page](https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/maps-and-imagery-portfolio/1-250-000-scale-colour-raster/1-250-000-scale-colour-raster-downloads).
{% endhint %}

## Ordnance Survey National Grid <a href="#bookmark19" id="bookmark19"></a>

Ordnance Survey divides Great Britain into squares of 100km by 100km. Each square has a unique two-letter reference, for example, TG in the grid below. 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster tiles are identified by the National Grid reference of the south-west corner of the 100km² area they cover.

<figure><img src="https://1897589978-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FcNpJpLP8RROUaWVQo5ea%2Fuploads%2Fiw7kvkSEDWAbXu2fQEjF%2F2.jpeg?alt=media" alt="Map of Great Britain overlaid with National Grid consisting of two-letter reference squares."><figcaption><p>Map of Great Britain overlaid with the National Grid consisting of two-letter reference squares.</p></figcaption></figure>

[An introductory guide to the British National Grid (BNG)](https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/guides/beginners-guide-to-grid-references/) is available on the OS website.

## Index

This overview includes the following sections:

* [Product details](https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/maps-and-imagery-portfolio/1-250-000-scale-colour-raster/1-250-000-scale-colour-raster-overview/product-details)
* [Gazetteer](https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/maps-and-imagery-portfolio/1-250-000-scale-colour-raster/1-250-000-scale-colour-raster-overview/gazetteer)
* [Product supply](https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/maps-and-imagery-portfolio/1-250-000-scale-colour-raster/1-250-000-scale-colour-raster-overview/product-supply)
* [Maps and Imagery Portfolio products georeferencing guide](https://docs.os.uk/os-downloads/products/maps-and-imagery-portfolio/maps-and-imagery-fundamentals/maps-and-imagery-products-technical-specification/georeferencing)