Guidance

UK Geospatial Data Standards Register

Updated 15 April 2024

Purpose of the register and use of standards

The UK geospatial data standards register entries are agreed ways of sharing and accessing geographic information. They help ensure that the data is findable, accessible, interoperable, and re-usable adhering to the FAIR data principles. Using these standards will:

• Ensure UK geospatial data is more consistent and coherent and usable across a wider range of systems
• Empower the UK geospatial community to become more engaged with the relevant standards and standards bodies
• Advocate the understanding and use of geospatial data standards within other sectors of government

At the current time the register contains standards for geospatial identifiers, metadata, data format, data content, coordinate reference systems, coordinate reference system transformation and data services.

These standards should be used for the majority of cases for geospatial data exchange and management. The exception would be for geospatial communities that have established domain specific open standards which underpin interoperability within their own community. For example, domain standards exist in the areas of defence, land use, land cover, land administration, transport, marine environmental, marine navigation, and hydrographic data.

Although these standards help ensure geospatial data is consistent with Inspire legislation, using them alone does not make data and data services Inspire compliant. These recommendations should therefore be used alongside current Inspire guidance when data falls within scope of Inspire.

Geospatial identifiers and metadata

These standards support the discovery and identification of data that represent or contain geospatial objects or features.

Geospatial data is described using the GEMINI metadata standard. GEMINI is the UK profile of the international ISO 19115 standard for geospatial metadata. There may be a domain specific profile of GEMINI which is more appropriate for use. For some organisations it can be advantageous to adopt a specific profile, rather than the base standard.

The Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) and the Unique Street Reference Number (USRN) are methods used to attribute individual property and street data known as identifiers. These identifiers attributed by local government to every address and street in the UK are used to link data and systems to ensure unambiguous and persistent identification.

Name	Type	Owner	Scope	References
UK GEMINI v2.3	Metadata	AGI	Geospatial metadata	Gemini supporting information UK government advice on metadata
UPRN and USRN	Identifier	Geoplace Improvement Service Land and Property Services	Unique ID for properties and streets	UK government advice of UPRN/USRN

Geospatial data format and content

Data format standards support interoperability and reuse of data between different systems by defining the ways data is structured and encoded. This means the data can be decoded and presented to a user or understood by software. They do not describe the information content of the data.

Data content standards support interoperability and reuse of data by defining the semantics and meaning of data so precise actions can be undertaken based on the data. The register currently only recommends content standards for ‘addresses data’. Different user communities will define the content standards relevant to them; however the content should be represented in one of the data format standards listed below.

NetCDF is a data format for multidimensional gridded data products in environmental science. It is suitable for encoding data cubes. NetCDF is commonly used alongside metadata conventions such as ‘CF’ for ‘Climate and Forecasting’

Name	Type	Owner	Scope	Reference
NetCDF (Network Common Data Form)	Data format	Unidata	Binary, platform-independent encoding format for array-oriented data, and associated software libraries	NetCDF Unidata CF conventions.
GeoJSON	Data format	IETF	Simple geometries in WGS 84 CRS	IETF GeoJSON information
GeoPackage v1.3.	Data format	OGC	Simple vectors and rasters	GeoTIFF supporting information OGC standards support
GeoTIFF 1.1	Data format	OGC	Raster / gridded data	Geopackage supporting information OGC standards support
CSV	Data format	IETF	Tabular data	CSV supporting information UK Government advice on CSV
WKT for features v1.2.1	Data format	OGC	Expressing geometries in text	OGC standards support
BS 7666	Data content	BSI	Gazetteer of addressable places and streets	AGI supporting Information on BS7666

Coordinate reference systems

The coordinate reference systems (CRS) listed are essential for managing geographic information covering the UK. Which one to use depends on the scale of the data (UK, European, Global) and whether the data is in one dimension (height only), 2 dimensions (flat earth surface) or 3 dimensions (earth surface + height).

These coordinate reference systems are well established, and therefore the Coordinate Reference System (CRS) listing is not expected to change in the medium to long term. They are listed in three sections according to the extent of their use. Advice on which CRS to use can be found in the UK Geospatial data standards - Coordinate Reference Systems guidance

Onshore Coordinate Reference System (CRS) for Great Britain and Ireland

Name	Type	Owner	Scope	Reference
OSGB36 / British National Grid	CRS: Easting, northing	OSGB	National Grid (England, Scotland and Wales onshore).	OSGB,ESPG:27700
ETRS89 / Irish TM	CRS: Easting, northing	OSNI	National Grid (Northern Ireland onshore)	OSNI,EPSG:2157
BI height	CRS:Height above sea level	OSGB	Heights above mean sea level throughout the UK. Includes Ordnance datum Newlyn, Belfast Lough, Malin Head and island datums.	EPSG:9451
OSGB36 / British National Grid + BI Height	CRS: Easting, northing, height above sea level	OSGB	National Grid with height (England, Scotland and Wales).	EPSG:9920
ETRS89 / Irish TM + BI Height	CRS: Easting, northing, height above sea level	OSNI	National Grid with height (Northern Ireland).	EPSG:9922

Offshore Coordinate Reference System (CRS) for Great Britain and Ireland

Name	Type	Owner	Scope	Reference
ETRS89 / UTM zone 28N	CRS: Easting, northing	North Sea Transition Authority	UK continental shelf exploitation west of 12° West.	EPSG:25828
ETRS89 / UTM zone 29N	CRS:Easting, northing	North Sea Transition Authority	UK continental shelf exploitation between 12° West and 6° West.	EPSG:25829
ED50 / UTM zone 30N	CRS: Easting, northing	North Sea Transition Authority	UK continental shelf exploitation between 6° West and 0° East.	EPSG:23030
ED50 / UTM zone 31N	CRS: Easting, northing	North Sea Transition Authority	UK continental shelf exploitation east of 0° East.	EPSG:23031

For maritime and air navigation refer to the section “CRS for use at the Global Scale”.

Coordinate Reference System (CRS) for use at the European Scale

Name	Type	Owner	Scope	Reference
ETRS89	CRS: Geocentric XYZ	INSPIRE data specification D2.8.I.1	Compatible with OS Net and IRENET satellite positioning services.	EPSG:4936
ETRS89	CRS: Latitude, longitude, ellipsoidal height	INSPIRE data specification D2.8.I.1	Compatible with OS Net and IRENET satellite positioning services, with ellipsoidal height values	EPSG:4937
ETRS89	CRS: Latitude, longitude	INSPIRE data specification D2.8.I.1	Specified in INSPIRE for pan-European 2D spatial data exchange.	EPSG:4258
ETRS89 + BI height	CRS: Latitude, longitude and height above sea level		United Kingdom and Ireland onshore. Includes Ordnance datum Newlyn, Belfast Lough, Malin Head, and island datums.	EPSG:9452

Coordinate Reference System (CRS) for use at the Global Scale

Name	Type	Owner	Scope	Reference
WGS 84 / Pseudo Mercator	Easting, northing		Also known as Web Mercator. Used across web applications for georeferencing principally raster data and imagery.	EPSG:3857
WGS 84	Geocentric XYZ	NGA	Maritime and aeronautical navigation, metre-level (or poorer) positioning based on the GPS satellite navigation system. For higher spatial accuracy refer to the specific version of WGS 84 used and the coordinate epoch of the data set, e.g. WGS 84 (G2139) at epoch 2022.25.	EPSG:4978
WGS 84	Latitude, longitude, ellipsoidal height	NGA	Maritime and aeronautical navigation, metre-level (or poorer) positioning based on the GPS satellite navigation system, with ellipsoidal height values. For higher spatial accuracy refer to the specific version of WGS 84 used and the coordinate epoch of the data set, e.g. WGS 84 (G2139) at epoch 2022.25.	EPSG:4979
WGS 84	Latitude, longitude	NGA	Maritime and aeronautical navigation, metre-level (or poorer) positioning based on the GPS satellite navigation system. For higher spatial accuracy refer to the specific version of WGS 84 used and the coordinate epoch of the data set, e.g. WGS 84 (G2139) at epoch 2022.25.	EPSG:4326
WGS 84 OGC [CRS84]	Latitude, longitude	OGC	2-dimensional CRS used by IETF GeoJSON	CRS84 Supporting Information
WGS 84 OGC CRS84h	Latitude, longitude, ellipsoidal height	OGC	3-dimensional CRS used by IETF GeoJSON	CRS84h Supporting Information

Coordinate reference system transformation

These standards should be used to transform from one coordinate reference system to another. The transformation standards allow the user to transform their geographic information between the ETRS89 reference system (which within a metre is GNSS compatible) and British National Grid.

Name	Type	Owner	Scope	Reference
ETRS89 to OSGB36 / British National Grid	Transformation	OSGB	OSTN15 national transformation between ETRS89 and British National Grid. At the metre level of accuracy can also be used as an approximate transformation from WGS 84 to British National Grid.	EPSG 7953
ETRS89 to BI height	Transformation	OSGB	OSGM15 national transformation between ETRS89 ellipsoid heights and heights above mean sea level (England, Scotland and Wales).	EPSG 9916
ETRS89 to BI height	Transformation	OSGB	OSGM15 national transformation between ETRS89 ellipsoid heights and heights above mean sea level (Northern Ireland)	EPSG 9914

Accessing spatial data on the web

Data services standards support the creation, modification and querying of spatial data on the web, however their main function is to improve access to geospatial data. The older WMS, WFS and WMTS suite of standards detailed below have served and continue to serve the geospatial industry.

Application Programmable Interfaces (APIs) offer an easier way for developers and other software to integrate with your system and therefore your data. Minor tweaks and updates to your data delivery portal can also be made without costly software re-development, using the API functionality.

Name	Type	Owner	Scope	Reference
Web Map Service (WMS)	Web services	OGC / ISO	An interface for requesting geo-registered map images. Also published as ISO 19128:2005	Web Map Service OGC
Styled-Layer Descriptor (SLD) Styles - XML encoding	Web services	OGC	An extension of the Web Map Service (WMS) to allow user-defined styling.	Styled Layer Descriptor OGC
Web Feature Service (WFS)	Web services	OGC / ISO	Provides access to geographic information at the feature and feature property level. Also published as ISO 19142:2010	Web Feature Service OGC
Web Map Tile Service (WMTS)	Web services	OGC	An Open GIS web map tile service implementation standard	Web Map Tile Service OGC
OGC API Tiles	Web services	OGC	An API building block that can serve tiled feature data	OGC API - Tiles
OGC API Features	Web services	OGC	A multipart API standard with the capability to create, modify and query spatial data on the web	OGC API - Features
OGC Environmental Data Retrieval (EDR)	Web services	OGC	An Environmental Data Retrieval (EDR) API to access Environmental Data resources	OGC API - EDR

Geospatial data product specification

The use of geospatial data product specification both internally and externally will improve the interoperability of geospatial data. A standardised method to describe a dataset to customers, clients and internal colleagues will assist with data creation, supply, and use. The data specification may also contain non-technical elements.

Name	Type	Owner	Scope	Reference
ISO 19131: 2022 Data products specification	Data specification	ISO	Data specification	ISO 19131:2022

Geospatial data capture

Data capture standards support the interoperability and reuse of geospatial data in its many forms. They can be really effective if the associated metadata is captured simultaneously.

There are lots of different ways to capture geospatial data including earth observation, ground based techniques such as land and GNSS surveys, and by accessing data from IoT sensors.

The common denominator between all of these techniques is that they are independent of the domain in which the data can be used.  For example, earth observation data is used in many different areas including defence & security, environmental monitoring, and infrastructure development.

Name	Type	Owner	Scope	Reference
OGC Sensor Things API. Part 1: Sensing v1.0	Data capture	OGC	Data capture on the web via IoT devices	OGC SensorThings API
Earth Observation and Aerial Surveys 6th edition	Data capture	Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors RICS	Data capture from a platform above the earth using satellites, manned aircraft, helicopters, and drones	Earth observation and aerial surveys (rics.org)
Use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) in land surveying and mapping, 3rd Edition	Data capture	Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors RICS	Data capture using GNSS techniques for land surveying and mapping	Use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) in land surveying and mapping, 3rd edition (rics.org)

Geospatial data quality

Data quality standards are not only important to ensure that data producers maintain the quality of their data assets, but they also allow users to select the data that is the most appropriate for their requirements. It is essential that a common understanding of data quality measures exists to allow comparison and selection of geospatial data for a particular purpose.

Assurance of data quality from an internal supply chain or from a third party is increasingly important as organisations seek to bring new bespoke geospatial data products to the market.

Name	Type	Owner	Scope	Reference
ISO 19157-1: 2023 General Requirements	Data quality	ISO	Data quality general requirements	ISO 19157-1:2023
ISO 19158: 2012 Quality Assurance of Data Supply	Quality assurance	ISO	Quality assurance of data supply	ISO/TS 19158:2012

Geospatial data preservation

The preservation of digital and metadata assists the reuse of geospatial data in its many forms. Archiving data in this way supports maintaining data provenance and its lineage, ensuring that it is easy to select particular datasets for future use.

Analysis of historic datasets is becoming a more regular requirement to validate previous insight to support ongoing policy and decision making. Understanding our past from geospatial data is also a prerequisite to determine future mitigations. This is particularly true in the area of climate science.

Name	Type	Owner	Scope	Reference
ISO 19165-1: 2018 Fundamentals	Preservation of digital and metadata	ISO	Long term preservation of geospatial data	ISO 19165-1:2018

Governance and update of the register

The contents of this register of standards is maintained by the Geospatial Commission in association with the Data Standards Authority. The formal governance of the register is in accordance with ISO 19135. In this context

• Geospatial Commission is the register owner
• Ordnance Survey acts as the register manager
• BSI IST/36 standards committee on geographic information is the control body for the register

The criteria for inclusion of standards on the register are:

1. It has been mandated either by law and or government policy
2. It has been widely implemented in the UK
3. It is a revision of a standard that is already on the UK register

The contents of this register are expected to grow as new standards are developed and adopted by existing and new users of geospatial data. The register is reviewed quarterly. Comments can be provided to the Geospatial Commission email: geospatialcommission@dsit.gov.uk or Ordnance Survey email: NationalGeospatialDataRegister@os.uk on existing entries as well as recommendations on new entries to be considered for inclusion.