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Cookies on this, our corporate website

This information concerns www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk, to which a number of other domain names that we have registered – usually to protect our trademarks or because the content has been subsumed into this site – will redirect you if you use them.

First-party cookies

First-party cookies are set by the website you are visiting and can only be read by that website.

Ordnance Survey

If you use our text-sizing accessibility function, a cookie is set to save you having to re-select the text size on every page.

To provide a better user experience, our server detects your device type – and recorded it in a cookie – to enable it to serve page layout instructions to your browser that best suits your device. If you are viewing our site on a smartphone, for example, it will look and work differently from how it does on a desktop PC.

NameFunctionContentExpires
savedTextSize Stores your chosen custom text size, so that it does not have to be re-selected on every page. Number between 1 and 3 1 Year
savedDevice Stores your gemeric device type in order to deliver either a mobile or desktop version of the website. Single word describing your device 1 Year

A cookie is used by the web server, to assist in tracking a user's log-in status.

NameFunctionContentExpires
prod_as101202_http_pool (AKA prod_webgate_http_pool, BIGipServerprod_as101202_http_pool, prod_psma_https_pool, ObSSOCookie) Enables our server load-balancing software to maintain your communication with one specific server and, if you have logged in to one of our sites, to specify that your connection must be secure (via https). Numbers One hour
JSESSIONID To remember your selections or preferences that you’ve already made when looking at information or using a service Text and numbers When browser closes

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to monitor how many people visit our site, which pages are most popular and other metrics. This helps us to provide better targeted and more useful content.

NameFunctionContentExpires
__utma Determines unique visitors to the site and it is updated with each page view. Randomly generated number 2 Years
__utmb Used to establish and continue a user session with the site. Numbers 30 minutes
__utmc No longer used by Google but set for compatability with legacy code. Numbers When browser closes
__utmv Set only when certain analytics variables are assigned. Text and numbers 2 Years (if set)
__utmx Created when the site is using Google Website Optimizer (GWO) which can be implemented with Google Analytics. Numbers 1 year
__utmxx Created when the site is using GWO. Numbers 1 year
__utmz Stores the type of referral used by the visitor to reach the site. Text and numbers 6 Months

Learn more about Google Analytics cookie use.

Third-party cookies

Third-party cookies are set by websites other than the one you are actually visiting. Unlike first-party cookies, the information they contain can be read by another website.

We use a number of suppliers who may set cookies on their websites on our behalf.

Facebook

We use a number of social networking applications, such as Facebook, to provide additonal functionality and sharing capabilities on our websites and applications.

NameFunctionContentExpires
datr Track Facebook account login status Text and numbers 2 Years
lu Track Facebook account login status Text and numbers 2 Years
reg_ext_ref Used by Facebook to authenticate you as a user of its site if you aren't already logged in when you 'Like' an article or product that is published on our site. Encoded URL When browser closes
reg_fb_gate Used by Facebook to authenticate you as a user of its site if you aren't already logged in when you 'Like' an article or product that is published on our site. Encoded URL When browser closes
reg_fb_ref Used by Facebook to authenticate you as a user of its site if you aren't already logged in when you 'Like' an article or product that is published on our site. Encoded URL When browser closes

Learn about Facebook's cookie use.

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For general enquiries, complaints, feedback or suggestions, email: customerservices@ordnancesurvey.co.uk or call us on 08456 05 05 05