Data Access for Users within the UK Public Sector

Geographically referenced datasets are expensive to create and maintain and have considerable commercial value. The key datasets in the UK are created by several different organizations and the exact mechanisms for access vary according to the sector in which you are working. In general, access is simplest for the academic sector, available at reduced cost or through central licensing for public sector users and most expensive for the commercial sector.

Users outside the academic community are able to access key georeferencing datasets but this may involve some additional cost or complexity. There is a wide range of commercial data consultancies who are able to provide most of these services at cost. By contrast, some very useful datasets are available free of charge. Users in central and local government often have access to data through collective purchases or public sector licensing arrangements. Whatever your organization, you may need to make local enquiries - often from the computing or information system services department - to ascertain your exact entitlements.

Access Routes

The following tables summarises the principal access routes for UK public sector users to key georeferencing datasets and also gives some advice as to geographical coverage. We do not make any endorsement of the products and services identified here, nor have we attempted to list the many commercial organizations who provide services ranging from data supply to comprehensive spatial analysis.