OS Places API
What OS Places API provides you with
Accurate geocoding
Perform accurate geocoding and reverse geocoding with our secure, scalable, and resilient address look-up web service.
Complete addresses
Search by postcode, UPRN, full or partial address and ensure you get the right address first time. Keep your records accurate to provide effective citizen services.
Instant answers
When an incident happens, control room staff need to know which properties are closest. The OS Places API GeoSearch tool gives instant answers. This helps create the common operating picture that’s vital for emergency services.
Capture and verify data
Improve efficiency – use OS Places API to verify the data you’re capturing against Ordnance Survey’s AddressBase® Premium and AddressBase Premium Islands dataset.
GeoSearch services
Make sure OS Places is driving your applications, and users will have access to some of the most sophisticated online GeoSearch services, such as drawing their own bounding boxes or defining a specific radius search area.
7 Endpoints
OS Places API has 7 endpoints, each giving you a different way to find addresses.
Use cases
With OS Places API you can:
- Find a specific address accurately in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey
- Find all addresses within a defined area
- Obtain the UPRN for addresses
- Geocode addresses (add the location element) and reverse geocode an address from its location
- Search both Royal Mail and Local Authority address datasets.
Additional information
Edit details
Edit out-of-date (or partial) details of residential and commercial properties in your own databases and add unique references to your properties, via the UPRN, for enhanced data management.
With OS Places API you can add intuitive address search (geocoding) capabilities to your applications. Let a user search a full or partial address, a postcode or a UPRN and find the complete address including its location.
General area requirements
OS Places API won’t find general areas (such as ‘forest’). For this requirement we recommend you use OS Names API.