Cookies

Find out which cookies we use to help make your experience on our website as smooth as possible

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are downloaded to your computer, laptop or phone when you visit a website or application. Cookies (and similar technologies such as pixel tags, session and local storage) can be used to store user’s preferences and other information about visits and actions.

This cookie policy outlines our use of cookies (and similar technologies) across our websites and applications and should be read in conjunction with our privacy policy.

What type of cookies do you use?

To make it easier for you to set your cookie preferences we divide our cookies into the following recognised categories:

  • Strictly necessary
    These essential cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.
  • Performance
    Performance cookies allow us to update this website to cater for user preferences and improve performance. They collect information about how this website is used, e.g. which pages users visit most often and where error messages are delivered. These typically collect and process information at an aggregated and often anonymous level.
  • Functionality
    Functional cookies allow this website to remember the choices you make e.g. language preferences and any customisations you make to website pages during your visit. They assist in providing features and services specific to individual users.
  • Targeting
    These cookies do things like show you content and promotions that are relevant to you while browsing the Ordnance Survey websites and other sites on the internet. It helps to limit the number of times those adverts are served to you and measure the effectiveness of campaigns. Switching off these cookies won’t reduce the number of promotions you see but will mean they are less personalised.

How we use cookies

We use cookies to make our sites and applications work, find out how you are using them and to serve content we believe will be of interest to you.

Setting cookie preferences

Our cookie management software will ask you to set your cookie preferences the first time you visit one of our sites or applications, visiting with a new device, or after deleting your cookies. You are able to change your cookie preferences at any time.

If you prefer, you can manage cookies manually, using the options within your browser. Please refer to your bowsers help option for further information.

What happens if I refuse all or some cookies?

While every effort has been made to ensure sites and applications function without requiring cookies, some functionality may be unavailable or impacted and you may be asked for choices and confirmations more frequently, should you reject some or all cookie categories.