A comma-separated values (CSV) file is a common interchange format for spreadsheets and databases that facilitates the simplistic use of data. Each field is either textual (for example, SO515RU) or numeric (for example, 21). Within the CSV, each field is separated from the next by a comma. This method of representation can also be referred to as a comma-delimited file (CDF). CSV file format is universally supported for easy ingestion into all major database products.
CSV files are designed to be opened in a database or GIS application and opening them in other software applications might corrupt the data. In particular, Excel has a row limit that is easily exceeded by large CSV files. We recommend that you load CSV files directly into a database or GIS, rather than trying to open these files in Excel.
OS Open Names is supplied in Geography Markup Language (GML) version 3.2.1. It is recommended that you read this sub-section in conjunction with the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) document 'Geography Markup Language v3.2.1' PDF document.
An understanding of XML (eXtensible Mark-up Language) and XML schemas is required. The XML specifications that GML is based on are available from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) website.
XML schemas are used to define and validate the format and content of GML. The GML 3.2.1 specification provides a set of schemas that define the GML feature constructs and geometric types. These are designed to be used as a basis for building application-specific schemas, which define the data content.
The Ordnance Survey application schema OSOpenNames.xsd, which is referenced by the data, is available on the OS website. It imports the GML 3.2.1 schemas which rely on XML as defined by W3C at: http://www.w3.org/XML/1998/namespace.html.
GeoPackage (*.gpkg) is an open, non-proprietary, platform-independent, standards-based, data format for geographic information systems (GIS), as defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). It 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. GeoPackage is natively supported by numerous software applications.
GeoPackage offer users the following benefits:
The single file is easy to transfer and offers the end-user a rich experience.
Attribute names are not limited in length, making the format user friendly.
The file size limit is large at 140 TB.
A file size limit could be imposed by the file system to which the file is written.
It supports raster, vector and database formats, making it a highly versatile solution.
It is an OGC standard.
In most cases, it is a plug-in-and-play format.
From January 2023, the following attribute names have been changed from Title case to snake case in GeoPackage format:
| GeoPackage attribute name prior to January 2023 | GeoPackage attribute name after January 2023 |
|---|---|
FID
Fid
ID
Id
NAMES_URI
names_uri
NAME1
name1
NAME1_LANG
name1_lang
NAME2
name2
NAME2_LANG
name2_lang
TYPE
type
LOCAL_TYPE
local_type
MOST_DETAIL_VIEW_RES
most_detail_view_res
LEAST_DETAIL_VIEW_RES
least_detail_view_res
MBR_XMIN
mbr_xmin
MBR_YMIN
mbr_ymin
MBR_XMAX
mbr_xmax
MBR_YMAX
mbr_ymax
POSTCODE_DISTRICT
postcode_district
POSTCODE_DISTRICT_URI
postcode_district_uri
POPULATED_PLACE
populated_place
POPULATED_PLACE_URI
populated_place_uri
POPULATED_PLACE_TYPE
populated_place_type
DISTRICT_BOROUGH
district_borough
DISTRICT_BOROUGH_URI
district_borough_uri
DISTRICT_BOROUGH_TYPE
district_borough_type
COUNTY_UNITARY
county_unitary
COUNTY_UNITARY_URI
county_unitary_uri
COUNTY_UNITARY_TYPE
county_unitary_type
REGION
region
REGION_URI
region_uri
COUNTRY
country
COUNRTY_URI
country_uri
RELATED_SPATIAL_OBJECT
related_spatial_object
SAME_AS_DBPEDIA
same_as_dbpedia
SAME_AS_GEONAMES
same_as_geonames
Geom
geometry
For information on how to open, use and understand a GeoPackage dataset, please refer to our Getting Started with GeoPackage guide. For further information on GeoPackage, please see the GeoPackage website.