Comprehensive Mapping and Data Solutions
What is the National Geographic Database (NGD)?
The Ordnance Survey National Geographic Database (NGD) is the next generation of geospatial data for Great Britain. It brings together detailed mapping, location intelligence and rich feature attributes into a modern, connected data model that supports planning, infrastructure, environmental analysis & GIS workflows.
Unlike traditional mapping products, NGD is structured around individual real-world features, allowing users to access the specific attributes they need while benefiting from more frequent updates and improved data consistency.
NGD is designed to support a wide range of industries, including planning & developing, architecture, engineering, utilities, environmental consultancy and asset management, helping professionals make faster and more informed decisions.
How OS NGD data is structured
OS NGD data is different from our other products because it is accessed from one single source where you can find the data you need without having to download whole datasets. The National Geographic Database also has a simpler data structure, designed to help answer questions, and develop more intelligent solutions, with quicker loading and implementation.
Geographic data of Great Britain is structured into nine themes. Each theme is made up of one or more collections, which in turn have feature types.
Take a look at our series of webinars where we explain how NGD is transforming geospatial data today!
What datasets are available within NGD?
The National Geographic Database contains a wide range of connected datasets, including:
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Buildings
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Land Use
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Roads & Transport
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Water Features
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Address Data
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Structures
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Vegetation
Key Benefits
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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.
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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.
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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 National Geographic Database to help you quickly request data using the latest OGC API – Features and OGC API – Tiles standards, respectively.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
What's the difference between NGD and OS MasterMap?
Many organisations are familiar with OS MasterMap, but the National Geographic Database represents the evolution of Ordnance Survey's mapping products.
OS MasterMap
Purpose: Provides detailed topographic mapping of Great Britain.
Best for: Traditional mapping, planning, surveying and GIS applications.
Data structure: Product-based mapping with rich geographic detail.
Includes:
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Buildings
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Roads
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Land features
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Property outlines
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Topographic detail
Ideal for: Users who need accurate, detailed mapping for day-to-day planning, design and analysis.
OS National Geographic Database
Purpose: A modern geospatial database that builds on OS mapping with richer feature attribution and connected datasets.
Best for: Location intelligence, advanced GIS analysis and digital workflows.
Data structure: Feature-based data model with enhanced attributes and greater flexibility.
Includes:
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Connected geographic features
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Rich feature attributes
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Land use information
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Infrastructure data
Ideal for: Organisations requiring more detailed insights, integrated datasets and scalable geospatial analysis.
Applications of NGD
Planning and development: Understand buildings, land use and infrastructure.
Utilities: Analyse assets, infrastructure and service networks.
Environmental assessment: Support biodiversity, flood and land-use analysis.
Asset management: Maintain accurate property and infrastructure records.
GIS analysis: Combine datasets for spatial modelling and decision-making.
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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.
Samples