OS Open Greenspace Overview

This overview introduces OS Open Greenspace and gives context for all users – highlighting key features, providing examples of uses, and listing details such as file sizes, supply formats, etc.

This guide contains an overview of the OS Open Greenspace product and basic information needed to understand, use, and manage the product. For more detailed technical information and the data format specification, please see the Technical Specification.

OS Open Greenspace depicts the location and extent of spaces, such as parks and sports facilities, which are likely to be accessible to the public. Where appropriate, it also includes access points to show how to get into these sites. Its primary purpose is to enable members of the public to find and access greenspaces near them for exercise and recreation.

OS Open Greenspace is a generalised product which has been automatically generated and generalised from Ordnance Survey large-scale data.

Representation of OS Open Greenspace data

Product highlights

The key highlights of OS Open Greenspace are as follows:

• Comprehensive coverage of publicly accessible greenspaces.

• Polygons of greenspace extents.

• Access points to depict the place and type of access to each site.

• Up to four distinctive name attributes per site allow multiple official and local names to be available in the product for a single site.

• The product is freely available online as an OS OpenData download and is part of the OS OpenData Portfolio.

Product applications

OS Open Greenspace supports a wide range of customer applications that use geographical information. The product can be used alone or combined with other Ordnance Survey products, such as OS Open Roads, OS OpenMap – Local or other OS OpenData products.

Applications of the OS Open Greenspace product include, but are by no means limited to:

• Encouraging activity for all.

• Allowing local residents to find new greenspaces local to them.

• Encouraging discovery and use of new greenspaces.

• Promoting health and wellbeing.

• Analysing use of amenities.

• Mapping routes to access the nearest greenspaces.

• Managing and planning greenspaces effectively.

Complementary datasets

Over the last few years, greenspace as a topic has seen a rise in interest and opinion. As a result, many other datasets on the topic have become available. These datasets can be used in conjunction with

OS Open Greenspace to increase the range of potential applications, answer a wider spectrum of questions, and further promote activity and wellbeing. There are numerous sources of these datasets, and we have included the following links to get you started:

• MAGIC website – Authoritative geographic information about the natural environment from across government.

• 'Find open data' page of the gov.uk website – Open data published by central government, local authorities, and public bodies.