Ordnance Survey: the data backbone of Great Britain

Trusted location data underpinning everyday services across Great Britain

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Every day, Great Britain relies on location data.

From emergency response and transport to housing and logistics, Ordnance Survey helps things run smoothly. Our data and expertise underpins how the nation functions.

As the national mapping service, we maintain the most accurate, up‑to‑date picture of Great Britain, a shared view of location that helps public services work better, supports businesses, and powers products people use every day.

Since 1791, we’ve evolved from paper maps into a vital part of modern digital infrastructure. Today we maintain 600+ million location features and make around 30,000 updates every day, providing a single trusted source of location data for Great Britain.

That foundation supports everything from local government to utilities, transport networks, telecommunications, financial services, national security and resilience. It is the platform businesses build on, investors and developers rely on, and our Partners use to create innovative location-based solutions.

Find out how OS supports Great Britain

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Supporting public services across Great Britain

You might not notice location data until you need it. But it plays a vital role in how services are delivered every day.

For example, our data supports:

  • Emergency services, improving response times and coordination for police, fire, ambulance, and NHS services
  • Land and property, enabling planning, development, land registration and a property market worth hundreds of billions annually
  • Utilities and infrastructure, helping organisations plan, maintain, and protect vital national assets
  • Transport and telecommunications, supporting safer journeys and connected communities 
Explore government and public sector case studies
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Enabling economic growth and innovation

OS provides the trusted location data businesses rely on to innovate with confidence.

Our authoritative, nationwide datasets reduce uncertainty and help organisations move faster, from planning and logistics to risk, resilience and new digital services.

We’re also enabling integration and distribution of third‑party datasets, and working with an ecosystem of over 2,000 Partners who bring sector expertise and build solutions on OS data.

Explore how OS supports business growth
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Supporting everyday life

Our impact goes beyond services and the economy.

We support education and skills, reaching hundreds of thousands of pupils and helping teachers, universities and researchers use location data in their work.

Even the maps you use for leisure and navigation are part of the same trusted national dataset, continually updated to reflect a changing world, and make adventures easier, safer, and more accessible.

Explore how OS underpins everyday life

What is the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement?

The Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA) sets out how Ordnance Survey (OS) provides world-leading location data and expertise to the public sector across Britain.

Learn more about the PSGA

Discover OS data

Ordnance Survey provides the trusted location data that underpins how organisations plan and operate. Explore our mapping data and discover the OS products behind confident decisions.

Learn more about OS data