All about OS MasterMap Topography Layer
Update: 1 July 2020, OS APIs now live and available via our OS Data Hub, sign up here
As Great Britain’s national mapping agency, we are responsible for keeping accurate, up-to-date location data and maps of GB for use by the private, public and third sectors.
We map GB’s topography, also known as “the arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area” (Oxford). Every day a team of surveyors, pilots and analysts explore the country to discover changes to the topography and in doing so, take measurements and record these changes in our database.
After much processing and organising, we make this available as the most detailed, current and comprehensive geographic dataset of GB: OS MasterMap Topography Layer.
Four open data products to help your data analysis
It’s been 10 years since OS OpenData first launched and we currently have 14 products for you to download and use free of charge as backdrop mapping or for data analysis. Did you know that it includes Royal Mail’s postcode data; administrative boundaries; greenspaces; and detailed basemaps? Find out about four OS OpenData products we believe can most help you.
Using Ordnance Survey’s world-class Leisure maps in your app
Update: 1 July 2020, OS APIs now live and available via our OS Data Hub, sign up here
Our OS Explorer Maps and OS Landranger Maps are iconic, and so are their digital counterparts! 1:25 000 Scale Colour Raster and 1:50 000 Scale Colour Raster can be downloaded as georeferenced image files for use on commercial terms – and they’re also available via API.
These maps have enjoyed a successful transition from paper to digital, and you can easily integrate them into your GIS, web and mobile applications. Alongside 1: 2500 000 Scale Colour Raster and Miniscale, they form part of our Leisure style which is available via our new OS Maps API.
Meet the team: John Hoopes
Continuing our OS Developer content and adding to our series of blogs introducing the individuals that make up OS, we’ve taken the opportunity to ask our newly appointed Developer Advocate John Hoopes some questions…
Which geospatial API do I need?
We recently introduced our new range of mapping and data APIs which are available from the OS Data Hub.
In this week’s post, we want to help you choose the right one for your use case by presenting a series of user stories and recommending the API that is the best fit. In some instances, there will be more than one option and your choice may come down to experience, software interoperability, or preference.
Told from the perspective of the individual, a user story is a short description of a feature stating the requirement and the reason behind it. Interested? Read on to find out our use case advice.
A different perspective on the Highlands with OS OpenData
Guest blog by Alasdair Rae, University of Sheffield
Thanks to the new Ordnance Survey Data Hub, it’s easier than ever for users to get their hands on the treasure trove of geographic data covering the length and breadth of Britain. In this article, I’ll explain how I used some of Ordnance Survey’s digital terrain model data to create a new map of the Scottish Highlands. I will also say a bit about the software and methods, and I’ve shared the data below so anyone who is interested can try it for themselves. But before that, let’s take a look back at the first ‘3D map’ of the Highlands.
The first ‘3D map’ of the Highlands
Introducing our new copy and paste code Examples
Update: 1 July 2020, OS APIs now live and available via our OS Data Hub, sign up here
To help you get started quickly with our APIs, we’ve been working on technical resources that go beyond documentation. This post introduces a key component of that – our new set of copy and paste code examples.
By copying and pasting the code from our new Examples you could have your first mapping application on your web page in just minutes. Examples range from adding a basic map, to extruding 3D buildings, to finding your nearest greenspace.
Showcasing the functionality of our Mapping and Data APIs, we’ve based our examples on well-understood, common usage patterns. They’ll help you get started and even stimulate ideas, giving you inspiration for new features to build into your own applications.
Useful tools for web mapping
Maps are nice – and sometimes necessary – for many websites. But creating beautiful, usable, accurate maps can be tricky. There is a thicket of concepts, tools and data sources to navigate.
Here’s our quick guide to some of the useful tools for web mapping out there to help web developers work with spatial data.
As a note – here we’ll present resources roughly in line with the path spatial data takes from its origin to a user’s browser from the perspective of a full stack web developer: collect – manipulate – analyse – store – access – visualise. Also, this list is not exhaustive! Loads of useful tools for web mapping exist – this is more of a windscreen tour.
Collect
Data comes from somewhere, and spatial data is no different. Exactly how spatial data is captured and created is beyond the scope of this post – all we need to know is that raster images and vector features can be downloaded or fetched from several reliable, authoritative sources.
Introducing our new location APIs
Updated: 11 January 2021
We’ve introduced a new range of location APIs that you can access via our OS Data Hub. They all give you access to OS OpenData, and the option to upgrade to premium data (unless you’re a public sector member, as you’ll be using the Public Sector Plan), and you can get started for free on the OS Data Hub.
There are different options for accessing and using OS data and which API you choose will depend on your use case. You may want to download datasets and have access to all the features locally or offline. Or you may prefer direct access to the maps or data you need, as and when you need them, via the internet – and this is where APIs are useful.
This is a short guide focusing on our new APIs, helping you choose the right one for your use case.
Introducing our OS Data Hub
Update: 1 July 2020, OS Data Hub now live, sign up here
The OS Data Hub is the new way to access our authoritative location data. It will replace the current OS ordering systems (OpenData Portal, OS Orders and API shop) with one mobile-friendly platform with a single sign on to give you a better user experience.
