OS MasterMap Highways Tips for Success

• Focus on the core job that you ultimately trying to get done.

• Consider what other products will help to meet your goals

• Don’t overcomplicate the task.

Steps

1. Start by doing a data backup.

2. Translate the data using our FME workbenches.

3. Follow the steps outline in the scenarios below to success.

Scenarios

The OS MasterMap Highways playbook is broken down into a series of data scenarios that might be used in data projects and step-by-step instructions on how to solve these challenges. These are:

• Scenario 1: Connecting to Address Data

• Scenario 2: Identifying Change in the Network

• Scenario 3: Highlighting Roads Under Construction

• Scenario 4: Creating a Map of Winter Gritting Routes

• Scenario 5: Adding Road Names and Numbers to a Map

• Scenario 6: Merging Tables and Dropping Geometry

• Scenario 7: Creating a Routable Network

Sources:

• RoadLine – includes name, number and alternative name

• Road – includes designated name and who has designated it

• Street – designated name, descriptor and local name

What are the Differences?

Street contains designated name given by name and numbering authority. Where matched this will be in the name field on the road link. Roadlink name comes from name plate from survey this will be alternative on matched streets and name on unmatched.

Use cases

• Adding street names to mapping

• Directions for routing

• Gazetter searching and identifying the correct street

What You Will Need

Data

• Roads Specification

• Roadlink

• Road

• Street

Software

• Translation software is required to convert data from GML into chosen format. FME workbenches are available on GitHub to help with this.

• Data storage – once translated the data will need to be stored in a format compatible with your systems, this may be on your file system as a shape file, geopackage or tab file or in a database.

• GIS or web application to manipulate and display your results.

Steps to Success: Adding Road Names and Numbers to a Map

1. Local name contains other names the authority may know a street by.

2. The GML and may contain multiple values for each e.g.

<highway:roadName xml:lang="cym">Ffordd Conway</highway:roadName> 
<highway:roadName xml:lang="eng">Conway Road</highway:roadName>

1. Note a language field is also present to indicate the language of the name, e.g. English, Welsh or Gallic. These can either be held as one or split into multiple fields.

2. Once translated the road names can be added to either roadlink or street geometry using the labelling tools within your chosen software.

3. You may want to combine names across tables, for instance, to display the local name with the road name on the roadlink There are a number of ways to do this:

   1. Construct are query in your labelling tool.

   2. Append local name from street to roadlink.

   3. Create a new table of roadlinks with the columns containing the labels.

Sample Code for Creating Name Table

CREATE TABLE schema.local_names AS SELECT
r.roadclassification, r.formofway, r.roadname1_name, r.roadname2_name, s.localname1, s.localname2, r.geom 
FROM
schema.roadlink AS r, schema.street AS s, schema.streetnetworkref AS n WHERE
(r.toid = n.roadlink_toid) AND
(s.usrn = n.usrn);

• Special designations contains references to which streets are gritted.

• This information can be displayed against either the street geometry or road link.

Use cases

• Understanding which is the best route to use in winter avoiding untreated roads where possible

  • Emervency services

  • Logistics

What You Will Need:

Data

• Roads Specification

• Roadlink

• Street

• StreetNetworkRef

• RAMI Specification

• SpecialDesingation_Area

• SpecialDesingation_Line

• SpecialDesingation_Point

• SpecialDesingation_NoGeom

Software

• Translation software is required to convert data from GML into chosen format. FME workbenches are available on GitHub to help with this.

• Data storage – once translated the data will need to be stored in a format compatible with your systems, this may be on your file system as a shape file, geopackage or tab file or in a database.

• GIS or web application to manipulate and display your results.

Steps to Success: Connecting to Address Data

1. Information on Gritting routes is held in the Special Designation tables. This can be viewed with a simple query for example:

 SELECT networkref, designation, description FROM highways_nov.specialdesignation_area where designation LIKE '%Winter%’

1. However as Special Designation is split into 4 tables depending on geometry type. The results can be merged into 1 table by querying all 4 with UNION ALL and dropping the geometry from the query output.

2. If you are working with a large data set it may be easier to create a new table of the results. (CREATE TABLE AS…)

3. The results can be linked using USRN to the Street table and use the geometry to display.

4. However you may want to add these to RoadLink as this includes classifications as well as road name and number.

5. This can be achieved by linking the USRN using the StreetNetworkRef table containing TOIDS:

SELECT * FROM highways_nov.winter AS w, highways_nov.streetnetworkref AS r WHERE w.networkref = r.usrn;

1. Use the TOID to then join the data to RoadLink, the example limits the information returned:

SELECT w.designation, w.description, r.toid, r.roadclassification, r.formofway, r.geom FROM highways_nov.winter_toids AS w, highways_nov.roadlink AS r WHERE w.roadlink_toid = r.toid;

1. The output can then be displayed on a map or used as part of routable network to add a priority to roads that have been treated.

Tips for Success: Cleaning Geometry Created with FME

• When FME writes to some databases it writes the geometry as geometry and not point, line or area.

• This creates a problem for some software reading the metadata as it does not fully understand the data type.

• This can be resolved by cleaning the metadata table – In PostGIS use: SELECT Populate_Geometry_Columns()

• Or by pre-creating the table and in the FME writer set table handling to either ‘Use Existing’ or ‘Create If Needed’.

• An SQL script can be used within FME to create the table if necessary

OS MasterMap Highways contains the information needed to build network data sets taking into consideration the features that control where we can drive such as one-way streets, no entry etc. The data can be used to create routes for emergency response, refuse collection or delivering goods. Adding the Path data set extends the network capabilities allowing you to generate walking routes and look at access to services such as schools and health practices.

Tips for Success: Popular Routing Software Packages

There are a number of options for use in routing and some systems will have this built in. The most popular across the Public Sector are:

• RouteFinder – Produced by a 3rd party to provide a routing engine for MapInfo Pro. Has a translator which supports Highways.

• Network Analyst – The beta version in ArcGIS Pro provides support for Highways.

• pgRouting – An open-source routing extension to PostGreSQL/PostGIS. Results can be displayed in any software that can supports the database however QGIS has tools for this.

• CadCorp MapModeller – Has a built-in routing engine with support for Highways.

Use cases

• Emergency Service command and dispatch

• Routes to school

• Public transport planning

• Optimising waste collection

• Service reviews and optimisation

Tips for success: Popular routing software packages

There are a number of options for use in routing and some systems will have this built it. The most popular across the Public Sector are:

• RouteFinder – Produced by a 3rd party to provide a routing engine for MapInfo Pro. Has a translator which supports Highways.

• Network Analyst – The beta version in ArcGIS Pro provides support for Highways.

• pgRouting – An open-source routing extension to PostGreSQL/PostGIS. Results can be displayed in any software that can supports the database however QGIS has tools for this.

• CadCorp MapModeller – Has a built-in routing engine with support for Highways.

What You Will Need

Data

• RAMI Specification

• Roadlink

• Roadnode

• TurnRestrictions

• AccessRestrictions

• FerryLink

• FerryNode

• Hazards

• Structures

And to go one step further:

• Path Specification

• PathLink

• PathNode

• ConnectingLink

• ConnectingNode

Software

• Translation software is required to convert data from GML into your chosen format. FME workbenches are available on GitHub to help with this.

• Data storage – once translated the data will need to be stored in a format compatible with your systems, this may be on your file system as a shape file, geopackage or tab file or in a database.

• Routing application to perform the routing analysis and display the results in a meaningful way.

Steps to Success: Creating a Routable Network

1. Using your preferred method translate the GML, this will also depend on the routing application used, some have their own translators.

3. Add additional information to your network such as road speed.

Additional Steps

You can enhance this output even further with the addition of PathLinks to make a walking network. Add these to the RoadLinks to create a new data set and then use the same steps to create a network.

Query the Streets table using this string:

"operationalstate_state" = 'Under Construction’

Use cases

• Identify which features change and how that affects other information related to it.

• Identify physical change to the road network.

• Identify roads under construction and affects on service provision.

Steps to Success: Identifying Change in the Operational State of a Street

• Common attribute is across all features

• Gives the reason why a feature has changed using these values

Considerations When Adding Your Own Data to OS MasterMap Highways

1. Back up your data.

2. Use feature validation data set (FVDS) to check which features are affected and how (TOID value and UPDATE, INSERT or DELETION).

3. Connect data to either TOID or USRN as this are persistent with a finite life cycle.

4. Further useful information:

   • BeginLifespanVersion – gives date of when the object was inserted or changed in the data

   • Validfrom – data when the custodian entered the data into LSG (Street records)

Things to Note: Data Captured Against OS MasterMap ITN Layer is Easily Transferred Over to OS MasterMap Highways

• TOIDS are persistent across both products and have not changed

• Data linked to ITN using TOID should link to Highways

• FVDS can be used to identify where a reference may have changed

Steps to Success: Identifying Change in the Operational State of a Street

• Operational State – indicates the construction status of the street

• Streets – all values are permitted, default is open

• RoadLink – Operational status defaults to open, although may occasionally be under construction

• Special designations table – provides additional information and can be linked directly to Street by USRN.

Code List: OperationalStateValue

OS MasterMap Highways contains USRN as a unique reference for each street. This is really important as this provides a better link to addressing than the TOID information in the AddressBase Premium cross-reference table. This also gives more accurate results to users planning and using services by allowing them to link more effectively to a road. This improves a user's ability to identify properties, for use in routing; planning services such as waste management; calculating routes to school; reviewing service location and provision; identifying those affected by street works.

Use Cases:

• Identify delivery/collection addresses

• Optimising waste collection

• Metering

• Service review and optimisation

Question: How do I connect addresses to a road?

A: AddressBase will give you a basic answer, but OSMM Highways can tell you much more… By linking across the relational mode using the unique keys in the data you can link the Roadlink geometry to AddressBase data. This will give a more reliable match than using the Cross Reference table in AddressBase as it is based upon gazetteer data.

What You Will Need

Data

• Roads Specification

• Roadlink

• RoadLink_FormsPartof *

• Roadlink TOID

And to go one step further:

• Road

• Street

* = SQL wildcard. This will display all columns in the data in the query result. As an alternative you can list only the columns you need separated by a comma e.g. column1, column2, column3….

Software

• Translation software is required to convert data from GML into your chosen format. FME workbenches are available on GitHub to help with this.

• Data storage – once translated the data will need to be stored in a format compatible with your systems, this may be on your file system as a shape file, geopackage or tab file or in a database.

• GIS or web application to manipulate and display your results.

Steps to Success: Connecting to Address Data

1. Using your preferred method translate the GML for Roadlink, Road and Street into a format of your choosing.

2. To join the RoadLink geometry to addresses in AddressBase the USRN* can be used as a cross-reference. In the technical specification the USRN of the Street the RoadLink forms part is held in the RoadLink table. However, some translators will split this out into a separate table to avoid duplication into a RoadLink_FormsPartOf.

3. Either in your database or GIS query select the RoadLink you want to find the addresses for. In the example I want to select all properties along the A3026

1. Next is to link to RoadLink_FormsPartOF on TOID in both tables.

1. This will return a list or RoadLinks with a reference to both the Street and Road it forms part of. As the USRN is a reference to the Street we can exclude Road from our query. In the GML formsPartOf includes these references, some translators may join these in one field or create a separate column.

1. The final step is to link to either AddressBase Plus or Premium using the USRN. (AddressBase does not contain the USRN).

* USRN not currently populated in Scotland

The Results

Remember…

• USRN in AddressBase is an integer

• To remain INSPIRE compliant, OSMM Highways needs to have the USRN integer value prefixed by ‘USRN’

Solution:

• Create a lookup table to combine values from AddressBase with a character field with USRN added or

• Concatenate the 2 fields within your SQL query something like CONCAT(‘usrn’, usrn)

Completed SQL query:

Example output:

With an output similar to this depending on which columns you choose to return.

Additional Steps

You can enhance this output even further by considering Road and Street features. Road feature – this represents a collection of RoadLinks that share the same name or classification number and can be used to create a list of all RoadLink TOIDs for a feature and then linked to a USRN. Street feature - Additional information on the street is contained in the Street record and can be linked to the RoadLink using the RoadLink_FormsPartOf reference.

Additional information includes:

• Street Type: The type of Gazetteer record for which the USRN relates

• Operational State: indicates whether the Street is proposed, under construction, open, or closed (permanently or temporarily)

• Responsible Authority: reference to the authority who performs an administrative function – notably naming and numbering

• Local name: Unofficial local name associated to the highway

Maintenance, Reinstatement and Special Designation can have different geometry (point, line or area) or no geometry. In a non-spatial database this is not a problem and they can easily be merged into one. A spatial database will not allow mixed geometry types. It is suggested to create a new table, dropping the geometry. Link to geometry can then be preserved if required.

What You Will Need

Data

• RAMI Specification

• Maintenance

• Reinstatement

• Special Designation

Software

• Translation software is required to convert data from GML into chosen format. FME workbenches are available on GitHub to help with this.

• Data storage – once translated the data will need to be stored in a format compatible with your systems, this may be on your file system as a shape file, geopackage or tab file or in a database.

• GIS or web application to manipulate and display your results.

Steps to Success: Merging Tables and Dropping Geometry

Create table statement with UNION ALL: