OS NGD Address
Introduction to the theme
The OS National Geographic Database (NGD) Address Theme provides a complete and definitive view of UK address data. It's designed to underpin a range of analytical use cases and provide the most detailed view of an address and its lifecycle.
The OS NGD Address Theme contains all of the address data found in the AddressBase Premium product:
Local Authority and Royal Mail postal addresses
Lifecycle data
Addresses for features that are not conventionally addressable (such as warehouses, car parks, etc.)
Multi-lingual addresses
Alternative addresses
However, the OS NGD Address Theme builds on the AddressBase Premium data by providing data with up to daily currency that is simple to use, understand and interrogate. This makes the data more accessible to non-address experts as it is easy to plug and play it into databases or a GIS.
The theme is interoperable with other OS NGD themes through cross-reference information and the Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) as the key identifier, allowing you to easily combine multiple datasets to answer analytical questions.
Address data is collated from Local Land and Property Gazetteers (LLPG), which are maintained by Local Authorities in England and Wales, and also from Local Authorities in Scotland, who maintain the Corporate Address Gazetteer (CAG). These data sources are supplemented by the Royal Mail Postcode Address File (PAF), references to Valuation Office Agency (VOA) data in England and Wales, and additional addresses and coordinates from Ordnance Survey.
Please note that the OS NGD Address Theme is only available via OS Select+Build and is not available via OS NGD API – Features or OS NGD API – Tiles.
Data structure
The OS NGD Address Theme is made up of the GB Address and Islands Address Collections, and each collection is comprised of five feature types: Built Address, Historic Address, Non-Addressable Object, Pre-Build Address, and Street Address.
The five feature types for each collection are supported by four additional related components which provide supplementary information against each UPRN. The four additional related components are:
Postal Address: These contain delivery point data from the Royal Mail PAF.
Other Classification: These provide additional VOA classification information.
Related Entity: These contain cross-reference information to other OS NGD themes or third-party data sets.
For more information, please see the Related Components page.
Unique identifiers
Four unique identifiers are provided with each feature within the OS NGD Address Theme:
Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN): The primary identifier and unique key for this theme. A UPRN is a unique and persistent numeric identifier for every addressable location in Great Britain. Each address record has a UPRN, assigned by Local Authorities in England, Wales and Scotland or Ordnance Survey depending on the type of address. Throughout its lifecycle, information on the address of a property can change. This may be due to a change of name, change of use, or the eventual demolition of the property. Independent of any changes being made the UPRN associated to an address is never changed, meaning the unique identifier remains persistent and reliable.
Unique Street Reference Number (USRN): A USRN is a unique and persistent identifier for a street which is curated by Local Authority custodians in England, Wales or Scotland.
OSID (Ordnance Survey Identifier): A primary identifier and unique key used in other OS NGD themes. OSIDs are referenced in the OS NGD Address Theme for purposes of cross-refencing to other themes.
TOID (Topographic Identifier): An additional secondary identifier which can aid further data linking. TOIDs are an optional attribute and therefore will not always be provided with every feature.
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