The key benefits of the OS National Geographic Database (NGD) to customers are as follows:

• Increased data update frequency: With the new OS NGD APIs and OS Select+Build you can access themes of data which are updated up to daily.

• Choose exactly what data you take: For the first time, you can select and build your own data package/s rather than taking pre-selected OS products. For example, if you're only interested in buildings data, then you just select the OS NGD Buildings Theme. There's no need to take a larger product and spend time filtering out the buildings data from it. You can also select data from different OS NGD collections to build your own bespoke data package/s.

• New, easier ways to access data: The download service of OS Select+Build lets you access only the data you need in the format you want. OS NGD API – Features and OS NGD API – Tiles give you online access to the OS NGD to help you quickly request data using the latest OGC API – Features and OGC API – Tiles standards, respectively.

• Customer-friendly data formats: OS NGD data is available in four easy-to-use data formats: GeoPackage, CSV (comma-separated values), GeoJSON (via OS NGD API – Features only) and vector tiles (via OS NGD API – Tiles only).

• More discoverable data: Improved data structures and metadata within the OS NGD, new and bespoke documentation within OS Select+Build, and a brand new online Documentation Platform mean you'll find the right data and support you need quicker than ever before.

• Built with the future in mind: The OS NGD is much more flexible, allowing for changes to the data structure and enhancements to be made when needed to meet evolving customer needs.

• Rich attribution: OS NGD data has been enriched with attribution to ensure that it's straightforward to navigate and query. Attribute names have also been simplified to make them easier to understand.

• Included in the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA): Therefore, OS NGD data is free at point of use for Public Sector organisations. It's also available to OS Partners for commercial resell in your solutions.

OS NGD terminology: themes, collections and feature types

Theme

A theme is a macro grouping of features which all represent similar geographic entities. Themes are the highest level of grouping within the OS NGD, and examples include ‘Buildings’ and ‘Transport’.

Themes allow for quick discovery and navigation when using OS Select+Build or the new OS NGD APIs. They also give you the ability to quickly access all OS data relating to your particular theme of interest.

The nine OS NGD themes are: Address, Administrative and Statistical Units, Buildings, Geographical Names, Land, Land Use, Structures, Transport, and Water.

Collection

A collection is a sub-grouping of the OS NGD themes. Collections group together similar types of data within a theme. Examples include ensuring network and routing data is separated from topographic features. For example, in the OS NGD Water Theme, there are two collections: OS NGD Water Features (topographic data) and OS NGD Water Network (network data).

This makes it easier for you to access only the data you require.

Feature type

A feature type is the most granular level of grouping within the OS NGD. Feature types have their own data model and specifications which are not commonly shared with other feature types. When you order data through OS Select+Build, the data you receive will be provided at a feature type level.

How do you access the OS NGD?

The OS NGD is available via the OS Data Hub on either the Premium Plan or Public Sector Plan. There are three access methods to choose from once you are on the OS Data Hub:

• OS Select+Build: A download service which enables you to choose only the data you require and select how you want to receive your data.

• OS NGD API – Features: An OGC API – Features service.

• OS NGD API – Tiles: A vector tiles service based on OGC API – Tiles.

The OS NGD will primarily use a new identifier called the OSID (OS Identifier) to uniquely identify features. The OSID will be used persistently and will allow the unique identification of records in the OS NGD. It should be noted that the OSID will not be unique across the OS NGD, but rather only unique at a feature type level. The reason for this is, when possible, the same OSID will be used on multiple features when they represent the same geographical feature. For example, a point feature in the OS NGD Geographical Names Theme which represents a water body will have the same OSID as the more detailed water body representation in the OS NGD Water Features Theme.

Other unique identifiers are also present in the OS NGD. These include the UPRN (Unique Property Reference Number) and USRN (Unique Street Reference Number). These will remain the unique identifiers in our data to represent Address and Local Authority Street records respectively.

The TOID (Topographic Identifier) is also present in the OS NGD, but in most instances this is an optional attribute and therefore should not be relied upon to complete data linking or for implementing COUs. The reason for this identifier being optional is the improved currency on which the OS NGD will be published, meaning the TOID which is created in our existing OS product systems will not always be allocated to features as frequently as they will be accessible via the OS NGD.

Introduction

The following Core Principle pages provide an overview of the OS National Geographic Database (NGD). They cover the core elements of its design, including the format of data you can access, the coordinate reference systems used, and how Change-Only Updates (COUs) will be provided, amongst other topics.

• Terminology and access

• File formats and naming

• Data ordering and currency

• COU supplies

• Data schema versioning

• Unique identifiers

• Coordinate reference systems

• Attribute information for feature types

Change-Only Updates (COUs) are only available for CSV data supplies of the OS NGD. The benefit of taking COU supplies is that you only receive the features which have changed since your last supply, reducing the overall size of the files you receive.

There are some restrictions on when you can choose to take COUs; these restrictions are dependent on the selections you make when ordering OS NGD data. Please see the 'Data ordering and currency' page for more information.

Upon OS NGD launch, if you choose to receive a COU supply for your CSV data, this can be provided on either a daily or monthly frequency. In both cases, your COU file will contain any changes which have been made to the underlying data within the selected time frequency. If no changes have been made to a selected feature type of your choice, then you will receive a blank COU file.

The key attribution required to use and implement a COU is detailed below:

• Unique Identifier: The unique identifier for the feature type you are using is how you will ensure you are updating the correct records in your data holdings. In most instances the unique identifier will be the OSID, but this is not always true, therefore please check the appropriate feature type pages in our documentation.

• Version Date: This is the date when the feature was last updated in OS product databases.

• Version Available From Date: This is the date when the feature became the latest version and was published to customers.

• Version Available To Date: This is the date when the feature was superseded by an update or ceased to exist.

• Change Type: This is a code list which gives more information about the type of change which has occurred.

Welcome to OS NGD documentation!

What is the OS NGD?

The OS National Geographic Database (NGD) contains authoritative data that describes the geography of Great Britain. It delivers improved data structures, increased currency of data supply and enhanced metadata. OS NGD data can be accessed through the OS Data Hub via the download service, OS Select+Build, and two APIs: OS NGD API – Features and OS NGD API – Tiles.

What's available on this site?

This self-serve site is where you will find documentation to help you get started using OS NGD data via OS Select+Build and the OS NGD APIs. Using the navigation panel on the left-hand-side of the screen, you can select and view pages of interest, including OS NGD core principles, getting started information and guides for using OS Select+Build and the APIs, key benefits to customers, FAQs, and detailed information about the data structure and code lists.

Who can access the OS NGD?

OS Select+Build and the OS NGD APIs are available to Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA) Members and OS Partners. To get access to the OS NGD you must first log into the OS Data Hub. The OS NGD will be accessible via both the Premium Plan and Public Sector Plan on the OS Data Hub.

Overview of the OS NGD data structure

OS NGD data has been categorised to make it easier for you to discover the data you need:

• The data is structured into nine themes of related items: Address, Administrative and Statistical Units, Buildings, Geographical Names, Land, Land Use, Structures, Transport, and Water.

• Each theme is made up of one or more collections, which in turn have feature types.

• Feature types are the most granular level, with objects grouped by geometry or classification.

Find out more in the Data Structure section, which is specifically focussed on the different OS NGD themes, collections and feature types.

OS NGD data schema versioning

Through the OS NGD, Ordnance Survey aims to iterate and release data enhancements quicker than ever before. We want to be able to do this without disrupting customers who have adopted data schemas and are heavily reliant on a specification remaining the same for a longer period of time. With this in mind, the OS NGD is able to run multiple data schema versions for a single feature type at any given time.

When we release a new data schema version in the OS NGD, the changes will be visible on the feature type pages of this documentation platform. As you can see from the image below, each attribute on a feature type page states which data schema version it is present within, with the Version Date attribute in the example below being present in both data schema versions 1.0 and 2.0:

How has data schema versioning been implemented?

As new enhancements are made to a given feature type in the OS NGD which require the schema to be uplifted (for example, data schema version 2.0 being created), the new data schema version will become available via the OS NGD access services (i.e. OS Select+Build and the OS NGD APIs). This new data schema version will become known as the 'latest', with the previous data schema version becoming known as being in 'maintenance'.

When using the OS NGD access services, you will be able to choose which data schema version you want to use for feature types when ordering or interacting with the data. You can choose from data schema versions which are in the 'latest' or 'maintenance' states.

Older data schema versions (i.e. those in a maintenance state) will remain in the OS NGD for a period of time; it's important to note that these maintenance versions will continue to receive updates. Before any data schema version is retired for a given feature type (i.e. when it no longer receives updates and will be removed from the ordering and selection process), customer communications will be distributed and a notice period will be issued to allow sufficient time for customers to upgrade to a newer version of a data schema.

Worked example

In the worked example below, we demonstrate how a feature type has new data schema versions released (v2.0 and then v3.0), while maintaining older data schema versions (v1.0 and then v2.0), before the original data schema version (v1.0) moves into end of life and is retired.

• In this example, the feature type starts with a single data schema version (v1.0), known as the latest data schema version.

• At a point in the future, data enhancements are made which require the data schema version to be uplifted, so a second data schema version (v2.0) is released. As there can only be one latest data schema version (v2.0), the original data schema version (v1.0) drops down into maintenance – but it still receives updates and is still accessible to customers via the OS NGD access services.

• Further again into the future, additional new enhancements are made to the feature type, requiring a third data schema version (v3.0) to be released. Again, as before, there can only be one latest data schema version for a feature type (v3.0), so the second data schema version (v2.0) drops down into maintenance. Two data schema versions (v1.0 and v2.0) are now in maintenance, but again, both are still receiving updates and are accessible to customers via the OS NGD access services.

• At a future point, and after customer communications have been distributed and a formal notification period has elapsed, it is decided to retire the original data schema version (v1.0). V1.0 moves into the end of life state, where it stops receiving updates and can no longer be accessed by customers via the OS NGD access services. V3.0 remains the latest data schema version and v2.0 remains in maintenance, with both data schema versions receiving updates and being accessible to customers via the OS NGD access services.

Annual Full Supply orders and data schema versioning

If you select an Annual Full Supply frequency for your OS NGD data order in OS Select+Build, we will provide you with the data as it was on 01 January of the current year. This means if a new feature type or a new data schema version of an existing feature type was released after 01 January and you order either of these as part of your Annual Full Supply, you will receive an empty data package for the newly released feature type / new data schema version of an existing feature type. The data for the new feature type / new data schema version of an existing feature type will then be included in your supply on the next 01 January after the release.

For example, the March 2024 OS NGD data enhancements release contained 3 new feature types (Field Boundary, Named Road Junction and Tram On Road), and 6 new data schema versions (Land v2.0, Rail v2.0, Road Link v3.0, Road Track Or Path v2.0, Structure v2.0, and Water v2.0). The data for the new feature types and the new data schema versions will not be part of Annual Full Supply orders until 01 January 2025.

Available formats for OS NGD data

OS NGD data is available in four easy-to-use formats: GeoPackage, CSV (comma-separated values), GeoJSON and vector tiles. The download service of OS Select+Build supports GeoPackage and CSV. OS NGD API – Features supports GeoJSON. OS NGD API – Tiles supports vector tiles.

CSV overview

CSV files are delimited text files which use commas to separate each attribute from the next. CSV is one of the file formats available via OS Select+Build. A single record is commonly provided per line, with a new line being started for each new record.

Geometry attribution will be provided as Well-Known Text (WKT).

CSV offers the following benefits:

• The single file is familiar to many customers and well used across GIS and data science tools.

• It is plug and play with most databases.

• The ability to quickly load large datasets using COPY method rather than INSERT.

CSV structure

The following table shows how different attribute types in the OS NGD are delivered when you choose to receive a CSV format. This includes whether to expect quotes, and how NULL values are treated.

GeoPackage overview

GeoPackage (GPKG) is an open standard data format as defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). It is one of the file formats available via OS Select+Build. GeoPackage 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. Please be advised that older versions of GIS software may need updating before being able to display and interact with GeoPackage files.

GeoPackage offers 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 it user-friendly.

• The file size limit is very large at 140TB, so lots of data can be easily accommodated (please note that a file size limit may 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 and play format.

GeoJSON overview

GeoJSON is an IETF standard designed to represent simple geographical features and their non-spatial attributes. It is used for encoding geographic data structures using JavaScript Object Notation (JSON). GeoJSON is used by OS NGD API – Features.

Supported geometry types:

• Point

• LineString

• Polygon

• Multipart geometries: MultiPoints, MultiLineString, or MultiPolygon features

Vector tiles overview

Vector tiles are clipped tiles, or grid squares, composed of layers of vector features which are optimised for caching, scaling and producing map imagery quickly. They serve in a similar way to raster tiles but have the added functionality of being customisable by users. A client application requests tiles based on a zoom level and extent, and the server responds with binary data representing the vector tiles containing the layers to be visualised on that map.

OS NGD API – Tiles serves vector tiles as raw information which is presented using compressed packets of geographic data using the Protocolbuffer Binary Format (.pbf).

Vector tiles offer the following benefits:

• User customisation and styling functionality – customise your map with full and dynamic design control.

• Small file size – lightweight tiles that are efficient and quick to render in your client application.

• Pixel perfect maps – high-resolution, beautiful mapping for all devices (web and mobile devices).

• Snapping ability – due to the data being vector, data can be snapped to and traced.

• Smooth zooming and scaling effect – a seamless user experience when zooming in and out of maps.

• Advanced features – vector tiles contain geographic data (not just images) which can be interrogated and analysed.

File naming

When you place an order for OS NGD data via OS Select+Build, the following file naming convention will be applied to the data you receive:

themeshortcode_collectionshortcode_featuretype

In order to keep file names manageable and not overly long, shortened file names ('short codes') have been used for both the theme and collection. Using short codes in our naming convention also ensures we have consistency in naming between OS Select+Build and the OS NGD APIs.

An example of how these short codes are used is below, with the example showing a file name which would be created for an order of the Built Address Feature Type within the OS NGD GB Address Collection of the OS NGD Address Theme:

add_gb_builtaddress

A full list of the short codes we use in OS Select+Build and the OS NGD APIs is detailed in the following table:

To get access to the OS NGD you must first log into the OS Data Hub. The OS NGD will be accessible via both the Premium Plan and Public Sector Plan on the OS Data Hub.

Geographic filtering

There are three options within OS Select+Build in relation to the geographic extent of your order. These are:

• Great Britain: Receive all data for the whole of Great Britain.

• Customer Specified Area: Draw an area of interest (AOI) and only receive the data which intersects this area.

• Pre-defined Area: Select a pre-defined area, and only receive the data which intersects this area.

Order update options

When accessing the OS NGD, the following order update options will be available:

• One Off Full Supply

• Regular Full Supply

• Change-Only Update (COU; after an initial Full Supply)

• No Update

The following frequencies will be available dependent on the type of order you place:

• Daily Supply: This will provide you with the latest updates OS have loaded and verified for publication since the previous day as a COU file.

• Monthly Supply: Either a Full Supply or COU Supply of all the changes which have occurred in the previous month.

• Annual Supply: A Full Supply of the data to show how the data looked at the end of each year.

Further details about the options available to you can be found further down on this page.

Update files

If you choose to receive a COU supply for your CSV data, this can be provided on either a daily or monthly frequency. In both cases, your COU file will contain any changes which have been made to the underlying data within the selected time frequency. If no changes have been made to a selected feature type of your choice, then you will receive a blank COU file.

File supply

If you use OS Select+Build to access the OS NGD, then a separate download file will be provided for each feature type you order. For example, if your selected theme has two feature types you will be supplied with two separate files (CSV or GeoPackage) as part of your order.

Ordering combinations

The following tables summarise the different options available to you dependent on what you specify when ordering your data through OS Select+Build.

For the purposes of the tables below, the following definitions are being used:

• Unfiltered means a Great Britain supply with no further attribute filters applied.

• Filtered means an order for data which either has a geographic filter applied or an attribute filter applied.

GPKG files

CSV files

Currency of OS NGD data

OS Select+Build and OS NGD API – Features

Whether accessing OS NGD data through OS Select+Build or OS NGD API – Features, the following currency of the data will apply:

For collections that are not updated daily, the table below provides the date of the last update. It also shows the version of the OS MasterMap product to which the OS NGD data corresponds:

OS NGD API – Tiles

When accessing OS NGD data through OS NGD API – Tiles, the data currency is weekly for the basemap and variable for the three data overlays – please see the 'What data is available' (for OS NGD API – Tiles) page for more information on update frequency, available feature types and available attribution for this API.

On the feature type pages (which are located in the Data Structure section), the following information can be found about each attribute:

Name and Definition: The name of the attribute and what it is describing.

Data Types: The values the attribute can take. For example, a numeric value or a string. This is provided for all three data formats – GeoJSON, GeoPackage, and CSV.

Nullable: A True or False value to denote whether the attribute always has to be populated with a value (False) or can be NULL (True).

Code List Name: The name of the code list used in association with the attribute (if applicable) and a hyperlink to the page displaying that code list.

Max Length: Values are given here to indicate the maximum length that you will find in the attribute, to aid in developing applications.

Multiplicity: Describes how many times this value is expected to be populated in the data.

• 1: There must be a value.

• 2: There must be two values.

• n: There may be one or more values.

• 0: Population is optional.

These values may be used in combination.

OS NGD API – Features Filterable: A Yes / No value to denote whether you can refine your query in OS NGD API – Features specifically on this attribute.

OS Select+Build Filterable: A Yes / No value to denote whether you can refine your order in OS Select+Build on this attribute.

Data Schema Version: The OS NGD schema version the data above applies to. Please note that concurrent schema versions may be available at one time. For more information on how data schema versioning works in the OS NGD, please refer to the .

Webinars

If you are a PSGA Member or OS Partner and you'd like to know more about how to get the most out of the OS NGD, head to the or the and watch the recordings of our recent webinars, including 'An introduction to the OS NGD' and 'Maximising the benefits of ordering OS NGD data using OS Select+Build'. New webinars are added to both areas periodically.

Tutorials

To help make getting started easier with OS Select+Build and the OS NGD APIs, we have created the following tutorial videos (available from our YouTube channel) to give you step-by-step guidance:

Numerous are available on our (a self-serve platform that provides a one-stop shop for all your OS technical geospatial support, including demonstrators, tutorials and case studies). They introduce the OS NGD data themes, collections and feature types and show you what can be achieved using OS NGD data and how. New tutorials are added to the More than Maps site periodically.

The same tutorials are available to PSGA (Public Sector Geospatial Agreement) Members and OS Partners from the and the , respectively (just search for 'Lightning Talks').

The OS Blog also has the following useful OS NGD data tutorial:

Case studies

Find out how customers across numerous sectors are using and benefiting from OS NGD data:

OS Select+Build

The GeoPackage and CSV formats accessible via OS Select+Build are available in four different coordinate reference systems dependent on your selection:

• British National Grid (BNG: EPSG: 27700)

• British National Grid + ODN Height (EPSG: 7405)

• European Terrestrial Reference System (ETRS89: EPSG: 4258)

• World Geodetic System (WGS84: EPSG: 4326)

Default coordinate reference systems for OS Select+Build

The following table outlines the default coordinate reference system used by each OS NGD collection in OS Select+Build:

Selecting a coordinate reference system

If you don't choose a particular coordinate reference system for your data package, OS Select+Build will automatically select the default coordinate reference systems for the feature types in your data package for you.

OS NGD APIs

OS NGD API – Features

The GeoJSON format accessible via OS NGD API – Features is available in four different coordinate reference systems:

• British National Grid (BNG: EPSG: 27700).

• World Geodetic System (WGS84: EPSG: 4326)

• British National Grid + ODN Height (EPSG: 7405)

• Web Mercator (EPSG: 3857)

OS NGD API – Tiles

The vector tiles format accessible via OS NGD API – Tiles is available in two different coordinate reference systems:

• British National Grid (BNG: EPSG: 27700)

• Web Mercator (EPSG: 3857)

Definitions for the coordinate reference systems available in the OS NGD

What is OS Select+Build?

OS Select+Build is our download service that gives you access to OS National Geographic Database (NGD) data. You can use it to choose and download the OS NGD data you need (by theme, collection and feature type) and select how you want to receive your data.

For the first time, you can select and build only the data you require rather than taking off-the shelf OS products. For example, if you're only interested in buildings information, then you just select the OS NGD Buildings Theme and the content you require within that theme. There's no need to take a whole product and spend time filtering out the data you need from it.

You can also take data from different OS NGD collections. For example, you could select the Building Line and Building Part Feature Types (which are both in the Building Features Collection of the Buildings Theme) and the Structure Line Feature Type (which is in the Structure Features Collection of the Structures Theme).

The screenshot below shows what selecting this data would look like using OS Select+Build. The secondary navigation menu on the left-hand side of the screen is where you select the feature types you want from the tree view of the OS NGD themes, collections, and feature types, and where you can apply filters to the feature types (if needed). The right-hand side panel displays the definition for the feature type you've selected and lists all the attributes present within it.

There are two different file formats options available when you download OS NGD data from OS Select+Build: GeoPackage and CSV. Various supply options are available.

OS Select+Build is available via the OS Data Hub.

Recipes

What is a recipe?

A recipe is a bespoke selection of OS NGD data which is made by a user within OS Select+Build. Recipes allow you to choose the OS NGD data that best fits your requirements.

OS NGD data is structured by themes, collections, and feature types; the main advantage to this data structure is that you can easily find and select individual feature types across different themes and build your own recipes and data package/s containing only the data you are interested in. There's also the option to select all or only a few feature types from a single theme.

Every new recipe you create will be stored in your OS NGD Select+Build Recipe Library. This library will be visible to other people in your organisation. It provides a central place for colleagues to view and use recipes.

How do I create a new recipe?

Before you create a data package to receive your OS NGD data, you'll need to create a recipe.

To create a new recipe:

• Log into your OS Data Hub account.

• Select Download from the main menu.

• Choose OS Select+Build from the secondary navigation menu.

• Click the Create a new recipe button.

• Add the following details to your recipe under Create your recipe in the secondary navigation menu:

  • Give your recipe a name.

  • Add a description for your recipe.

  • Select your OS NGD data by choosing the themes, collections and feature types you want to include in your recipe.

  • If you wish to choose which schema version (where applicable) you'd like to receive the data in for a feature type, click on the feature type name within the tree view in the secondary navigation menu, then choose a data schema version from the drop-down box in the right-hand side panel.

  • Add filters to the feature types, if needed.

• Click the Create recipe button.

Your new recipe will now instantly be available in your OS Select+Build Recipe Library.

How do I find my OS Select+Build Recipe Library?

Any recipes created by your organisation will be stored in your OS Select+Build Recipe Library in the OS Data Hub.

To find your OS Select+Build Recipe Library:

• Log into your OS Data Hub account.

• Select Download from the main menu.

• Choose OS Select+Build from the secondary navigation menu.

You will then be taken to your organisation's OS Select+Build Recipe Library.

How do I check what's in a recipe?

You can easily check details about any of your organisation's existing recipes, including a recipe's name, description, creation date, author, the filters used (if applicable), and what OS NGD themes, collections and feature types are included in a recipe.

To check what's in an existing recipe:

• Log into your OS Data Hub account.

• Select Download from the main menu.

• Choose OS Select+Build from the secondary navigation menu.

• In your OS NGD Select+Build Recipe Library, scroll or search for the recipe you would like to find out more about.

• In this view, you can see the following high-level details about a recipe:

  • The recipe's name

  • The recipe's author

  • The date the recipe was created

  • A description of the recipe, if one has been added

  • OS NGD theme tags to show which themes are included in the recipe

In the screenshot below, you can see that the example recipe includes the following OS NGD themes: Land, Buildings, and Structures.

To see what OS NGD themes, collections and feature types are in a recipe, follow the steps above to find a recipe in your OS Select+Build Recipe Library, then:

• Click on the name of the recipe you would like to find out more about.

• You are now within the Recipe details screen, where you can view detailed information about the recipe, including:

  • The recipe's name

  • A description of the recipe, if one has been added

  • An option to view all of the filters applied to feature types in the recipe (if applicable)

  • The date the recipe was created

  • The recipe's author

  • An option to show the data schema version of each feature type in the recipe

  • A recipe tree detailing the OS NGD themes, collections, and feature types included in the recipe

How do I delete a recipe?

A recipe can be deleted within your recipe library. You can do this if you are the author of the recipe or an admin user.

To delete a recipe:

• Log into your OS Data Hub account.

• Select Download from the main menu.

• Choose OS Select+Build from the secondary navigation menu.

• In your organisation's OS Select+Build Recipe Library, scroll or search for the recipe you want to delete.

• Click on the name of the recipe to view the recipe details.

In this view, you will be able to see the Recipe actions dropdown

• Click the Recipe actions dropdown.

• Click the Delete recipe button.

• Click on the name of the recipe to view the recipe details.

  • If there are no data packages associated with the recipe, you will be asked to confirm the deletion of the recipe.

  • Where there are data packages associated, you will see the following warning:
• Click the Delete recipe button.

How do I edit the name of my recipe?

To edit a recipe's name:

• Log into your OS Data Hub account.

• Select Download from the main menu.

• Choose OS Select+Build from the secondary navigation menu.

• In your organisation's OS Select+Build Recipe Library, scroll or search for the recipe you want to edit.

• Click on the name of the recipe to view the recipe details.

• Click on the pencil icon next to the recipe name.

• Enter the required changes to the recipe name.

• To save your changes, simply click away from the edit box.

How do I edit the description of my recipe?

To edit a recipe's desciption:

• Log into your OS Data Hub account.

• Select Download from the main menu.

• Choose OS Select+Build from the secondary navigation menu.

• In your organisation's OS Select+Build Recipe Library, scroll or search for the recipe you want to edit.

• Click on the name of the recipe to view the recipe details.

• Click on the pencil icon next to the recipe description.

• Enter the required changes to the recipe description.

• To save your changes, simply click away from the edit box.

How do I share a recipe?

A recipe can be shared with another organisation to enable collaboration.

To share a recipe:

• Log into your OS Data Hub account.

• Select Download from the main menu.

• Choose OS Select+Build from the secondary navigation menu.

• In your organisation's OS Select+Build Recipe Library, scroll or search for the recipe you want to share.

In this view, you will be able to see the Share recipe button; please note that you can only share recipes created by your organisation.

• Click the Share recipe button.

The share recipe dialog will appear.

• Search for the organisation with whom you wish to share the recipe. To do this, just start to type the organisation's name, then select the correct organisation from the list.

• Add a message for the organisation receiving the recipe to provide them with context around why you are sharing the recipe with them.

• Click Send.

How do I accept a recipe shared with me?

To accept a shared recipe:

• Log into your OS Data Hub account.

You will see a new notification at the top right of your screen, indicated by a bell button and a number count of any unread notifications.

• Click the bell button.

You will then see details of a notification explaining You have been sent a shared recipe, which will include the name of the organisation that shared the recipe with you, along with a message if they added one when sharing the recipe.

• Click View recipe details.

The recipe details will be displayed for you to review. If you are happy with the shared recipe:

• Click the Accept recipe button.

You will be presented with a dialog box explaining: When you accept a recipe, it is added to your organisation’s recipe library. It will show as 'shared'. You can create data packages from it, but you can’t share the recipe with other organisations.

How do I reject a recipe shared with me?

To reject a shared recipe:

• Log into your OS Data Hub account.

You will see a new notification at the top right of your screen, indicated by a bell button and a number count of any unread notifications.

• Click the bell button.

You will then see details of a notification explaining You have been sent a shared recipe, which will include the name of the organisation that shared the recipe with you, along with a message if they added one when sharing the recipe.

• Click View recipe details.

The recipe details will be displayed for you to review. If this recipe is not right for you and you want to reject it:

• Click the Reject button.

Data packages

How do I create a new data package?

Once you've created a recipe, you'll then need to create a data package against it to receive your OS NGD data.

To create a new OS NGD data package:

• Log into your OS Data Hub account.

• Select Download from the main menu.

• Choose OS Select+Build from the secondary navigation menu.

• In your OS NGD Select+Build Recipe Library, scroll or search for the recipe you wish to create a data package against, select that recipe, then click the Add data package button.

• Add the following details to your data package under Add a data package in the secondary navigation menu:

  • Give your data package a name.

  • Choose the area you want to receive your data for: Either all of Britain or Predefined Area (this means you receive data and it will not be refined by location) or Draw a polygon / upload a file / use an OS polygon to select a smaller area for your data to be provided for.

  • Select the desired coordinate reference system.

  • Select a file format: CSV or GeoPackage.

  • Select the updates you want: Either not required or COU (Change-Only Update) frequency. There is also an option to select a one-off snapshot of a current or past date.

  • Set your initial supply date.

• Click the Create data package button.

You will receive an email confirming that your data package is being created and another one when your new data package is ready to download.

How do I find and download an existing data package?

All OS NGD, OS OpenData and OS Premium data packages created and ordered by your organisation will be catalogued in your Data packages list in the OS Data Hub.

To find and download an existing data package:

• Log into your OS Data Hub account.

• Select Download from the main menu.

• Choose Data packages from the secondary navigation menu.

You will be then taken to your Data packages list.

• Scroll through the list to find a particular data package or use the search bar to search by data package name, data package number, or product name.

Data packages linked to an OS NGD recipe can be identified by their prefix of 'OS NGD Recipe' against the recipe name in the Product column in the Data packages list:

• Once you have found the data package you want from the list, click the Download button in the Status column.

You are now within the Data package summary screen, where you can view and download files. Under 'Individual file downloads' in the bottom left-hand side of your screen, you will see a .zip file for every feature type in your data package order.

• Click on a file to download it.

What is the Order Summary file?

This is also known as a manifest file, a computing file which contains metadata. We provide an Order Summary file for each feature type in your data package. The following file naming convention will be applied to each Order Summary file you receive:

• collection_featuretype_orderSummary.jso

For example, the file name for the Building Part Feature Type Order Summary file would look like this:

• bld_fts_buildingpart_orderSummary.jso

The example below shows the information an Order Summary file contains:

{
 "featureName": "bld-fts-buildingline",
 "crs": "http://www.opengis.net/def/crs/EPSG/0/27700",
 "schemaVersion": "1.0",
 "validFromDate": null,
 "validToDate": "2023-03-01",
 "recordCount": 202653
}

Things to remember

OS NGD Product Viewer Tool

A new OS NGD Product Viewer Tool is available that lets you visualise product sample data online for three areas (Exeter, Newport and Inverness).

Sample data for most OS NGD feature types are available through the tool. The sample data always use the latest data schema version available for each feature type.

Downloadable sample data

Sample data are available to download from the OS website for the following OS NGD collections:

Sample data for the collections are available in GeoPackage and CSV (comma-separated values) formats.

One zip file of sample data is provided per OS NGD collection. Within each of these zip files, the individual feature types for each collection are separated into their own folder.

The sample data for each OS NGD collection cover three 10km by 10km areas in Great Britain: Exeter (England), Newport (Wales), and Inverness (Scotland). The exception to this is the OS NGD Boundaries Collection sample data which provide national coverage for Great Britain.

2024 OS NGD enhancements

September 2024 – OS NGD data enhancements

Buildings

• New number of floors attribution added to Building features to identify the maximum number of occupiable floors at or above ground level within a residential or office building. Over 23.5 million office or residential buildings in Great Britain now have a number of floors value, and a total of nearly 47 million floors have been added to the OS NGD. Among other uses, the new attribution will provide emergency services with more information when responding to real-time incidents, such as a fire in a high-rise building, and will help support insurers to improve their risk profiling and underwriting.

Land Use – Enhanced land use attribution, increased coverage for Sites, and more Site Access Location points

• New land use attribution will be provided for the OS NGD ‘Features’ Collections for Buildings, Land, Land Use, Structures, Transport and Water. The new attribution maps the OS land use classifications to the National Land Use Database (NLUD) schema and the land use information derived from OS Addressing. The new attribution helps to give more detail about what is contained within a Site – for example, the total number of addresses contained within a single Site and what number of those addresses are defined as commercial, residential, or other.

• Greater coverage for land use Sites, particularly non-residential sites, with over 1.5 million Sites added to the OS NGD gradually over the last two years. This has brought the total number of Sites contained within the OS NGD to 26 million.

• An additional 180 000 Site Access Location points have been added to the OS NGD. These features show where vehicles and / or pedestrians can access Sites and, among other uses, help the emergency services to identify the most efficient routes for reaching an incident.

Structures

• Additional bridge interaction attribution added to Compound Structure features to identify the type of network (road, path, railway, canal, water or multiple) passing over and / or under bridges. Over 660 000 bridge interactions have been added to the OS NGD.

March 2024 – OS NGD data enhancements

Buildings

• New attribution provided for Buildings:

  • Building Age: The age of the main building in a site, created using Verisk data and OS data​.

  • Construction Material: The primary construction material of the building, created using Verisk data and OS data​.

  • Basement Presence: An indicator to show whether a basement or a self-contained basement flat are present at the building, created using Verisk data and OS data​.

  • Building Description: A new description attribute to describe the nature of the building, derived from its use and relation to surrounding buildings,​ created using OS data​.

• More information on the buildings enhancements is available from the OS NGD Buildings pages in the 'Using OS NGD Data' section.

Land cover – Enhanced land cover attribution

• Enhanced land cover attribution to ‘natural’ topographic area features across the OS NGD ‘Features’ Collections for Land, Structures, Transport and Water.

• Improved consistency and accuracy for specific land features by reducing the minimum capture size criteria in rural and moorland geographies.

• Mapping OS land cover classification to recognised habitat classification schemes (EUNIS and UK BAP Broad Habitats) in a new cross reference table.

• Assigning a percentage cover value to topographic areas in a new cross reference table.

• More information on the land cover enhancements is available from the OS NGD Land cover enhancements pages in the 'Using OS NGD Data' section.

Structures – Field Boundary

• New Field Boundary Feature Type added to the Structure Features Collection to identify the location, nature and properties of a field boundary in rural and moorland areas.

• Height and width values provided for vegetated field boundary features.

• More information on this enhancement is available from the Field Boundary pages in the 'Using OS NGD Data' section.

Transport

• New Tram On Road​ Feature Type added to the Transport Network Collection to locate where trams are present against the OS road network.

• Tram track attribution added indicating the presence of tram tracks on a road​. Supplied as new attribution against Road Link features​.

• More information on these enhancements is available from the OS NGD Transport pages in the 'Using OS NGD Data' section.

Geographical Names

• New Named Road Junction Feature Type added to the OS NGD Named Features Collection, which provides enhanced names and the numbers of junctions. Includes both intersects without an official name or number and officially named or numbered junctions.

2023 OS NGD enhancements

OS NGD delivery roadmap for 2024 and 2025

The OS NGD delivery roadmap (as of September 2024) can be seen in the following image; the roadmap details what was delivered in the March and September 2024 data enhancements releases, and what is planned for delivery in the upcoming March 2025 data enhancements release:

In the future, we plan to deliver over 25 data enhancements to the OS NGD. As we design and develop these data enhancements, more details will be added to the 'Future OS NGD Data Enhancements' page.

What is GeoPackage?

GeoPackage (.gpkg) is an open, non-proprietary, platform-independent, and standard data format for geographic information systems (GIS), as (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.

Key features and benefits of GeoPackage

GeoPackage offers users the following key features and 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 very large at 140 TB, so lots of data can be easily accommodated (please note that a file size limit may 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 and play format.

• Data will be supplied in British National Grid (ESPG:27700), World Geodetic System (WGS84: EPSG: 4326), or British National Grid + ODN Height (EPSG: 7405), depending on your selection when ordering OS NGD data.

Accessing GeoPackage data via GIS software

The following sub-sections provide step-by-step instructions on how to access GeoPackage data via various GIS software packages, all current versions of these support GeoPackages natively.

Converting / Loading a GeoPackage to other data formats

It is possible to use Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) tools to convert the data into different formats and to load into databases.

Requirements

• ArcMap (version 10.2.2 or later)

• A GeoPackage dataset

Instructions

These instructions were created using ArcMap version 10.7, but versions from 10.2.2 onwards will also support GeoPackage features.

Open ArcMap.

Once ArcMap loads, select the Add Data button, which can be found in the ribbon at the top of the workspace.

Once you have connected to the appropriate folder, locate the GeoPackage to upload into ArcMap. The GeoPackage file will look similar to the one in the following screenshot:

Double-click on the GeoPackage file to reveal the layers within it. Select the layers you want to upload into ArcMap.

Add the relevant selected GeoPackage layers into the map by clicking the Add button.

The GeoPackage layers should now be viewable in the layers list in the Table Of Contents on the left-hand side of the workspace.

Requirements

• ArcGIS Pro (version 1.1 or later)

• A GeoPackage dataset

Instructions

These instructions were created using ArcGIS Pro version 2.5, but versions from 1.1 onwards will support GeoPackage.

Start ArcGIS Pro, then open an existing project or create a new one. To create a new project, select Map from the Blank Templates section, then enter a Name and a Location for the project in the Create a New Project section. Click OK.

In the ribbon at the top of the project, select Map > Add Data.

A dialog box will appear. Navigate to the GeoPackage to be added into ArcGIS Pro. Select the GeoPackage and click Open. This will open the GeoPackage to reveal the individual layers.

The layers can be selected either individually or together. Once the relevant layers have been selected, click OK. The selected layers will then be added into ArcGIS Pro.

The layers added into ArcGIS Pro will appear in the contents pane on the left-hand side of the project.

Requirements

• QGIS (version 2.10.1 or later)

• A GeoPackage dataset

Instructions

These instructions were created using QGIS version 3.22. Other versions of QGIS can be used, from version 2.10.1 onwards.

Open a new or existing QGIS project.

On the top ribbon of the workspace, add a layer by selecting Layer > Add Layer > Add Vector Layer.

The Data Source Manager - Vector dialog box will appear. Here, it is possible to select the GeoPackage that will be loaded using the three dots button located next to the Vector Dataset(s) box. Click the three dots button.

Navigate to the GeoPackage. Double-click the file or select it, then click Add.

A separate dialog box will appear. Here, the layers of the GeoPackage can be selected and added to a map. It is possible to add selected layers, numerous layers or all layers.

Once the relevant layers have been selected, click OK.

The GeoPackage layers should now be viewable in the layers list on the left-hand side of the workspace.

Requirements

• MapInfo Professional (version 15.2 or later)

• A GeoPackage dataset

Instructions

These instructions were completed using MapInfo Professional version 2019; however, any version from 15.2 onwards can be used.

Start MapInfo Professional.

Select Open > Table in the top ribbon.

A dialog box will appear where you can search for the appropriate GeoPackage. Once located, select the GeoPackage and click Open.

Another dialog box will appear. Here, it is possible to select which layers to import into MapInfo Professional from the GeoPackage.

Once the layers have been selected, click OK.

The data should now be available in your workspace.

Requirements

• CadCorp SIS (version SIS 9 or later)

• A GeoPackage dataset

Instructions

These instructions were created using CadCorp SIS 9 Desktop Express; however all versions of CadCorp SIS 9 or later support GeoPackage.

Start CadCorp SIS.

In the upper ribbon, select Add Overlay.

A dialog box will appear. Select Files > File.

From here, another dialog box appears where you can map to where the GeoPackage has been stored locally.

Once the correct GeoPackage has been located, click Finish.

The data should now appear on the map.

GDAL is a translator library for raster and vector geospatial data formats that is released under an X/MIT style Open Source License by the Open Source Geospatial Foundation. It comes with a variety of useful command line utilities for data translation and processing. The following section covers the loading of GeoPackage datasets into a PostgreSQL database using the ETL tool GDAL. The process will be similar for other databases such as Oracle and SQL Server, as well as converting to other data formats.

Requirements

• A PostgreSQL database with PostGIS extension enabled

• GDAL version 1.11.0 or above (with access to a command line interface to use it)

• A GeoPackage dataset

Instructions

You can interrogate a GeoPackage dataset using the ogrinfo program which lists information about it. At a basic level it will return the layers contained within it:

ogrinfo <PATH_TO_GEOPACKAGE>

ogrinfo wtr_ntwk_waterlinkset.gpkg

INFO: Open of `C:\wtr_ntwk_waterlinkset.gpkg'
      using driver `GPKG' successful.
1: wtr_ntwk_waterlinkset
2: wtr_ntwk_waterlinkset_wtrlinkref (None)

Using the ‘Summary Only’ (-so) and ‘List all features of all layers’ (-al) arguments you can view summary information about all the layers within the GeoPackage, including projection, schema, feature count and extents:

ogrinfo<PATH_TO_GEOPACKAGE>-so -al

ogrinfo wtr_ntwk_waterlinkset.gpkg -so -al

INFO: Open of `C:\wtr_ntwk_waterlinkset.gpkg'
      using driver `GPKG' successful.
Layer name: wtr_ntwk_waterlinkset
Geometry: Unknown (any)
Feature Count: 116
Extent: (209562.134000, 79229.510000) - (341688.834000, 853194.875000)
Layer SRS WKT:
PROJCRS["OSGB 1936 / British National Grid",
[...]

The GeoPackage can be loaded into a PostgreSQL database using the ogr2ogr program, the below will load all layers from the source GeoPackage into the specified target schema in the database:

ogr2ogr -f PostgreSQL "PG:user=<USERNAME>password=<PASSWORD> dbname=<DATABASENAME>host=<HOST>port=<PORTNUMBER>active_schema=<TARGETSCHEMA>" <PATHTOGEOPACKAGE>

<USERNAME>, <PASSWORD>, <DATABASENAME>, <HOST>, <PORTNUMBER> are the connection details of the target PostgreSQL database.

<TARGETSCHEMA> is the schema in the database that the layers should be loaded into. If this doesn’t exist or if it is omitted, they will be loaded into the default schema, the default is usually the ‘public’ schema.

ogr2ogr -f PostgreSQL "PG:user=example_user password=example_password dbname=postgres host=localhost port=5432 active_schema=example_schema" wtr_ntwk_waterlinkset.gpkg

Will create two tables in the example_schema schema:

schemaname     | tablename
---------------+---------------------------------
example_schema | wtr_ntwk_waterlinkset
example_schema | wtr_ntwk_waterlinkset_wtrlinkref

Different loading options (including renaming tables, reprojecting the data, etc.) can be found on the PostgreSQL / PostGIS — GDAL documentation page.

What is a CSV file?

A comma-separated values (CSV) file is a common interchange format for spreadsheets and databases which facilitates a simplistic use of data. Each field is either textual or numeric. Within the CSV, each field is separated from the next by a comma. CSV file format is universally supported for easy ingestion into all major database products.

Please be aware that CSV files are designed to be opened in a database or GI system, and opening them in other software applications could corrupt the data. In particular, Excel has a row limit which might be exceeded by some of our CSV files containing OS NGD data, depending on the order you placed and its size. We recommend that you load CSV files containing OS NGD data directly into a database or GI system, rather than trying to open these files in Excel.

Key features of OS NGD CSV format

CSV offers users the following key features:

• Change-Only Update (COU) files are only supplied in CSV format (they are not supplied in GeoPackage format)

• Geometry provided as Well-Known Text (WKT)

• Header rows included in the file

• There will be one record per line in each file

• Fields will be separated by commas

• Where string fields contain commas, they will be delimited by double quotes

• Double quotes inside strings will be escaped by doubling

• Records will be terminated by Carriage Returns and Line Feeds

• CSV files will be Unicode encoded in UTF-8

FME is a data integration platform which can read the GeoPackage format and be used to convert and transform the data into other formats or databases. The below example shows how to read a GeoPackage into an FME workbench.

Requirements

• FME Desktop

• An FME license

• A GeoPackage dataset

Instructions

Start up FME. In the top ribbon, click the Add Reader button, which will look similar to the following image:

A dialog box will appear. Here, the format (OGC GeoPackage in this instance) can be specified using the drop-down list. Select the three dots button next to Dataset to specify which GeoPackage you want to read. The Coordinate System should also be set appropriately.

Click Parameters…

Another dialog box will appear. Here, specific layers within the GeoPackage can be selected, rather than importing the entire file. Additionally, the Search Envelope can be used to clip the GeoPackage to an extent.

Click the three dots button next to the Tables drop-down menu.

The next dialog box to appear allows for the selection of specific layers. Here, it is possible to select which themes / layers should be added into the workbench.

Click OK.

An orange reader will appear which will display the name of the GeoPackage table that has been ‘read in’.

Introducing attribute filtering

Attribute filtering is a new concept which we have introduced as part of OS Select+Build. The filters can help you to narrow down the exact data you need from the OS National Geographic Database (NGD). If required, you can add attribute filters to individual feature types when you create a new bespoke recipe of OS NGD data using OS Select+Build. (The has step-by-step instructions on how to create a new recipe.)

The following sub-sections give step-by-step instructions on how to add attribute filters to a new recipe and provide worked examples of creating both simple and nested filters.

How do I add attribute filters to a new recipe?

To add attribute filters to a new recipe:

• Select Download from the main menu.

• Choose OS Select+Build from the secondary navigation menu.

The Advanced Filter Options panel will slide into view from the right, where you can begin to build your filter(s):

• For a simple filter, select +Add rule.

• For a more complex nested filter, select +Add group.

• Once you have added all of your relevant filters, click Apply Filter.

• Click the Create recipe button.

Worked example of creating a simple filter

In the following worked example of creating a simple filter, we will use the OS NGD Buildings Theme and select the Building Part Feature Type from the Building Features Collection. Our aim is to build a filter to select buildings where education is recorded as the land use.

To do this:

• Select Download from the main menu.

• Choose OS Select+Build from the secondary navigation menu.

• Click the Create a new recipe button.

• Click on the arrow to the right of Buildings within the theme selection tree to see the collections available within the theme, then click on the arrow to the right of Buildings Features to see the feature types available within that collection.

• Click on the check box next to Building Part to select that feature type.

The Advanced Filter Options panel will slide into view from the right, where you can begin to build your filter(s).

We are going to build a filter where the OS Land Use Tier A attribute is set to Education.

• In the Advanced Filter Options panel, click + Add rule, then select OSLandUseTierA from the first drop-down.

• Leave the operator in the second drop-down as: = (i.e. the equal sign), then select Education from the third drop-down.

• Click Apply filter.

• Click the Create recipe button.

Worked example of creating a nested filter

What if, in addition to the simple filter above (returning results for buildings with a land use of education), we want those results to show only buildings over 15 metres in height? What if you also wanted to add an additional filter to show buildings with a land use of rail? To achieve this, you could create a nested filter using the + Add group option.

To do this:

• Follow the steps outlined above for creating a simple filter for Building Part until you reach the Advanced Filter Options panel step.

• In the Advanced Filter Options panel, click + Add group, then select OSLandUseTierA from the first drop-down. Leave the operator in the second drop-down as: = (i.e. the equal sign), then select Education from the third drop-down.

• Click + Add rule to add a second rule below the OSLandUseTierA rule.

• In the second rule, select relativeHeightMaximum from the first drop-down, set the operator in the second drop-down as > (i.e. the more than sign), and type 15 in the input box.

• Before continuing, select whether you would like the rules within the group to have an And or an Or condition. In this case, you should select And from the And / Or selector.

• Next, click + Add group.

The application has drawn an extra box for you. Whatever rules are contained inside this box will be evaluated together, before combining with any rules outside the box.

• Before continuing, select whether you would like the rule in the second group to have an And or an Or condition. In this case, you should select Or from the And / Or selector.

• In the rule in the extra box, select OSLandUseTierA from the first drop-down, leave the operator as = (i.e. the equal sign) in the second drop-down, and select Transport: Rail from the third drop-down.

• Click Apply filter.

• Click the Create recipe button.

How do I check if filters are used in an existing recipe?

To check what filters have been applied to feature types in an existing recipe:

• Select Download from the main menu.

• Choose OS Select+Build from the secondary navigation menu.

• In your OS NGD Select+Build Recipe Library, scroll or search for the recipe you would like to find out more about.

• Click on the name of the recipe you would like to find out more about.

You are now within the Recipe details screen, where you can view detailed information about the recipe, including the recipe's name, the date it was created, etc. If filters have been applied to the recipe, a filter icon (i.e. a black funnel symbol) will appear under the recipe name alongside text stating: 'Filters have been applied to this recipe'.

• Click View all filters to view all of the filters that have been applied to feature types in the recipe.

In the example recipe below, you can see that there is a filter icon (i.e. the black funnel symbol) against the Building Part Feature Type; therefore, this feature type has filters applied to it.

The process to load the COU files will depend on a number of factors based on your own environment and requirements, including:

• Database software

• Data loading method or software

• Feature retention and lifecycle requirements

Feature retention options

There are two main scenarios that represent either extreme of the feature lifecycle options:

1. Latest feature view

2. Full feature archive

Latest feature view

In this scenario, the COU files are processed and only the current version of every feature is retained. This will result in the same data holdings that would be achieved if a new full supply was received on this date.

To achieve this, either post-processing will have to be done once all COU data is loaded into a database, or the loading process will need to evaluate the COU data against your existing data and process accordingly. This processing will be based on the supplied attributes which detail the type of change and the dates for that version.

Change type

Each feature type is supplied with a Change Type attribute (changetype), which is populated from a code list value (changetypevalue).

Below is a table of the possible change types and the resultant actions required to maintain a latest feature view of the data for the specific feature type. Individual features should be targeted based on that feature type's unique identifier. In the majority of feature types, this will be the osid, but this is not always the case; therefore, please check the appropriate feature type documentation.

Version dates

A single feature may be updated multiple times in a single COU file when multiple changes occur within the selected COU frequency. Instead of suppressing all changes other than the last edit, the COU will contain all of the edits which have been made to that feature.

To obtain the current 'live' view of a feature, the latest edit is required; all previous edits can be discounted. In essence, this requires the following two processes:

1. Discarding all feature records with the exception of the latest Version Available From Date (versionavailablefromdate)

2. Discarding all feature records that have a Version Available To Date (versionavailabletodate) populated, i.e. it is NOT NULL. These records will also have the Change Type Value (changetypevalue) of 'End Of Life' or 'Moved To A Different Feature Type'.

Full feature archive

In this scenario, every record is retained, giving a full lifecycle since the supply started of each feature. This will result in multiple records for each feature.

To enable this in a database, the default primary keys (as defined in the provided DDL scripts) will have to be changed to also include the version available from and to dates (versionavailablefromdate, versionavailabletodate).

It is recommended that you have a basic understanding of database terminology before following the guides in the tabs below. The guides contain generic instructions, and it is recognised that there are multiple ways to load CSV files into databases which may be more suitable to your environment and existing processes.

Prior to loading the data into a database, it is necessary to create the relevant tables in the database. We have supplied the DDL statements that can be accessed in our .

The following pages provide an overview of the OS National Geographic Database (NGD) APIs and how you can access them. They cover the core elements of the design (including data available), technical specifications, and how to get started, amongst other topics.

These pages should be used in conjunction with the more detailed pages within the Data Structure section which are specifically focussed on the different OS NGD themes, collections and feature types.

The APIs are self-documenting and allow you to easily discover what OS NGD data is available before using it. You can explore the various data collections for free to decide what best suits your needs. The data is ready to use in numerous applications (desktop, web, and mobile), enabling you to power your applications with rich, consistent and current information about the real world.

The OS NGD APIs are available via the OS Data Hub.

Introducing temporal filtering

Temporal filtering allows you to order a one-off snapshot of data from the OS National Geographic Database (NGD) from a current or past date.

Temporal filtering is an optional step when you create a new data package against one of your existing recipes. For further information and step-by-step instructions on creating recipes and data packages, please see the 'Downloading with OS Select+Build' page.

How do I add a temporal filter to a new data package?

To create a new OS NGD data package and apply a temporal filter to it:

• Log into your OS Data Hub account.

• Select Download from the main menu.

• Choose OS Select+Build from the secondary navigation menu.

• In your OS NGD Select+Build Recipe Library, scroll or search for the recipe you wish to create a data package against, select that recipe, then click the Add data package button.

• Add the following details to your data package under Add a data package in the secondary navigation menu:

  • Give your data package a name.

  • Choose the area you want to receive your data for: Either all of Britain or Predefined Area (this means you receive data and it will not be refined by location) or Draw a polygon / upload a file / use an OS polygon to select a smaller area for your data to be provided for.

  • Select the desired coordinate reference system.

  • Select a file format: CSV or GeoPackage.

  • Select the updates you want: Instead of selecting the 'not required' or COU (Change-Only Update) frequency options (which are available under the 'Select updates' drop-down), to apply a temporal filter, you should select the option for a one-off snapshot of a current or past date by ticking the following check box:

  • Select the supply date needed for the snapshot:
• Click the Create data package button.

You will receive an email confirming that your data package is being created and another one when your new data package is ready to download.

API Reference

OS NGD API – Features Technical Specification provides an overview of the endpoints available, as well as the parameters that can be used with each endpoint. The Technical Specification is intended to be used by customers who want to integrate with the API. Click into each endpoint to learn more.

Use of CQL Operators

The OS NGD API – Features supports a generic filter grammar called Common Query Language (CQL) for specifying enhanced filter criteria to return a subset of features. CQL is written using a familiar text-based syntax, making it more readable and better-suited for creating complex filters.

The following table documents the supported operators:

What is OS NGD API – Features?

With OS NGD API – Features, you can filter by attribute, location and / or time to create your own customised data selections. Based on the latest standard, this API can help accelerate your time-to-value by making it easier to build awesome things with our trusted geospatial data. You can use it to reduce your data management overheads, automate your workflows, and innovate at pace.

Benefits

Things to remember for OS NGD API – Features

The following pages provide an overview of how to get started using OS NGD API – Features. They provide step-by-step instructions to get started in the most common and .

What feature types are available in OS NGD API – Features?

The following table documents the OS NGD datasets available through the OS NGD API – Features showing the themes, collections and lists the available feature types.

OS NGD themes and collections have been created to group similar geographic entities and data types, making it quicker and easier to identify the data you need. The OGC API - Features standard also references feature collections, and in the context of OS NGD datasets, this is equivalent to feature types.

The following naming convention has been applied to the feature collections: theme-collection-featuretype-version. Short codes have been used for both the theme and collection to keep the feature collection names manageable and not overly long. An example of the short codes used is below:

bld-fts-buildingline-1

Click on the theme to find out more information about the dataset:

Accessing OS NGD data with OS NGD API – Features via GIS software

The following sub-sections provide step-by-step instructions on how to access OS NGD data via OS NGD API – Features in various GIS software packages:

• Cadcorp SIS

• ArcGIS Online

• QGIS

Accessing OS NGD data with OS NGD API – Features via web mapping libraries

The following sub-sections provide step-by-step instructions on how to access OS NGD data via OS NGD API – Features in various web mapping libraries:

• Leaflet

• MapLibre GL JS

• OpenLayers

QGIS is an open GIS (Geospatial Information System) desktop application that allows you to display, interrogate, visualise and create geospatial information including from geo-centric APIs (for example, a WFS).

The instructions that follow demonstrate how to connect to OS NGD API – Features using QGIS.

What you need

• QGIS (version 3.12.0 or later).

• A preloaded basemap, for example, .

• OS NGD API – Features added to an API project in the OS Data Hub with an API Key. See for more information.

Instructions

1. Open an existing project or create a new one.

2. Deselect the Render checkbox in the bottom bar, if necessary.
3. Click (Add WFS Layer icon) in the Manage Layers toolbar on the left. To activate this toolbar, go to View > Toolbars and select Manage Layers Toolbar.

4. In Data Source Manager | WFS > Server Connections, click New.
5. In the Create a New WFS Connection dialog, provide the service details:

   • Name: Provide a name for the connection. You can reuse this connection in the future.

   • URL: Copy the OS NGD API – Features endpoint address from the OS Data Hub and paste it into this field. Your API Key is automatically appended to this URL in the key parameter.

   • Authentication: Leave these settings at their defaults. You do not need a username or password as authentication is done through your API Key.

   • Version: Click Detect to identify the version.

   • Enable feature paging: Select this option, if necessary.

   • Page size: Enter a maximum page size. This limits the page size to a maximum number of features. We recommend a setting of about 100 to speed up response times. Larger values may result in a very slow response time.

   • Other: Leave the other settings at their defaults.

   • Click OK.

     QGIS saves the connection details and lists the new connection in the Server Connections dropdown for future use.

6. In Data Source Manager | WFS > Server Connections:

   • Select your new connection in the dropdown, if necessary.

   • Click Connect.

     When you click Connect, a list of features available in OS NGD API – Features populates in the main box.

7. In Data Source Manager | WFS:

   • Features: Select the features you want to load. You can select multiple layers using your Ctrl key.

     As a best practice, only load features that relate to your current task – not all features. The more features you call, the longer it takes to load them into QGIS. In addition, each feature, regardless of its layer, counts towards your rate limits.

   • Only request features overlapping the view extent: Select this option. This engages the bounding box which is set by your viewing window. This means that only selected features within the viewing window will load (not all features).

   • Click Add to add the features.

   • Optionally, click Close to close the dialog.
8. Select the Render checkbox in the bottom bar on the main UI, and select the checkbox next to each feature you want to display in the Layers panel.

The Cadcorp Spatial Information System® (Cadcorp SIS®) is an integrated family of geospatial products comprising desktop, web, and developer applications.

Cadcorp SIS Desktop connects directly to the OS Data Hub through dedicated wizards.

What you need

• Cadcorp SIS (version SIS 9 or later).

• A preloaded base map, for example, .

• OS NGD API – Features added to an API project in the OS Data Hub with an API Key. See for more information.

Instructions

1. In Cadcorp SIS Desktop, open an existing map or create a new one.
2. In the Home tab, click Add Overlay.
3. In the Overlay Types dialog, select Ordnance Survey (GB) > OS (GB) Data Hub, and then click Next.

4. In the OS (GB) Data Hub dialog:

   • Select OS National Geographic Database (NGD) API - Features.

   • API Key: Enter your API key.

   • Premium/Public Sector Plan: Select this option if you have this plan.

   • Save in the UI settings database (encrypted): Select this option.

   • Click Next.
5. In the OS Data Hub NGD API - Features Data Themes and Feature Types dialog:

   • Well-known ‘recipe’: Select a predefined recipe, if available.

   • Data Themes: Select your data themes.

   • Features: If necessary, use the editing tools (on the right) to delete feature types or to change the order in which they display in your SIS Workspace Definition (SWD). By default, all feature types within the selected data themes are available in the right panel.

   • Local cache: Select this option to store the data temporarily on your machine. If you save and reopen the SWD, the data will still be available as it is fetched from your local cache.

   • One-off import: Select this option to do a one-off import of the data. If you save and reopen the SWD, the data will not be available and you will need to re-import it. These imports have a larger file size.

   • Filtering: These settings are used in conjunction and define how much data is required for display. It is recommended that you always set a spatial filter and feature limit.

     • Spatial: The Intersect with current view extent option limits the download to only selected features within the current window extent. You can also load features within a specific area of interest using the polygon feature to draw your area of interest on the map BEFORE opening the Add Overlay dialog.

     • Maximum number of features: Limits the number of feature values downloaded to the number set. This limit is applied per feature within any filtered spatial area.

   • Click Finish.
6. The selected themes and feature types display in the SWD and map area.

is an open-source JavaScript library for displaying interactive maps on the web or mobile. A simple and lightweight library that will enable you to display and visualise location data and build dynamic applications.

What you'll need

• OS Maps API and OS NGD API – Features added to an API project in the OS Data Hub with an API Key. See for more information.

• A text editor like Visual Studio Code or Notepad to edit and save your HTML and JavaScript files.

Create a basic map

Step 1: Set up your HTML file

1. Create a new HTML file with a text editor (for example, Notepad, Visual Studio Code).

2. Add the basic HTML structure to your file with a placeholder <div> for the map.

Step 2: Insert your API Key and OS NGD collection

1. To enable access to OS APIs an API Key is required. Inside the <script> tag, add a variable called apiKey, replacing 'INSERT_API_KEY_HERE' with the API Key from your project.

2. Add a variable called collectionID, replacing 'INSERT_COLLECTIONID_HERE' with the collection ID for the desired OS NGD feature type and version (for example, bld-fts-buildingpart-1).

Step 3: Add a basemap

1. Define the configuration options for the map, defining minZoom, maxZoom, center, zoom, maxBounds, attributionControl.

   • minZoom and maxZoom: Sets the minimum and maximum zoom level for the map. Users will not be able to go beyond these levels.

   • center: Sets the initial centre point of the map.

   • zoom: Sets the initial zoom level of the map.

   • maxBounds: Defines the maximum bounds and restricts panning the map.

   • style: Defines the style of the map, configured via a URL pointing at the style specified.

   • attributionControl: When set to 'false', it hides the attribution control which displays map credits.

2. Initialize the map with the id of the <div> element and the configuration option defined in mapOptions.

3. Using the 'L.tileLayer' method, specify the basemap layer for OS Maps API, which includes your API Key to load the tiles to your map.

Step 4: Add an OS NGD API – Features layer

1. Create a function called fetchFeatures that fetches the API based on the current map extent (bounding box) by generating a bbox string.

2. Construct the API request URL to fetch OS NGD data from OS NGD API – Features. The URL includes the collectionId, bbox and apiKey.

3. Once the features have been returned in JSON, update the source data of the map's layers to display the features.

Step 5: Load and update features on the map dynamically

1. The map.on('moveend',...) event handler fetches and updates the features based on the map's current extent.

What's next?

Congratulations! You've successfully created a map using Leaflet and added an OS NGD layer using OS NGD API – Features in a few steps.

What feature types are available in OS NGD API – Tiles?

Basemap (ngd-base)

The following table details the OS NGD datasets that were used to create the OS NGD API – Tiles basemap. The result is a detailed OS basemap that combines OS Open Zoomstack and OS NGD data.

Data overlays

The following table details the OS NGD datasets that can be used as overlays to the basemap to add additional information:

Attribution available in OS NGD API – Tiles

The following attribution is available as part of OS NGD API – Tiles:

Update frequency