// SURVEYING & ENGINEERING
A topographic survey still starts with control, not with a downloaded map. What survey and civil firms license from us is the OS context around that survey: MasterMap for adjacent detail, Terrain 1m or 5 for design surfaces, and a British National Grid basemap that lands cleanly in CAD and GIS.
// WHO THIS IS FOR
We do not sell a replacement for a topographic survey. We license the OS layers that sit under design, adjacent-land context and client GIS.
Use MasterMap and imagery to plan control, brief the team, and show adjacent OS detail the survey did not pick up. Legal boundaries and setting-out still come from your observations.
Terrain 1m or 5 plus MasterMap for highways, drainage, flood conversation and early alignment. This is design context. Construction levels still come from survey and the engineer of record.
// USE CASES
If you would otherwise trace a raster or guess adjacent detail, license the vector and the terrain instead.
See buildings, access, water and vegetation on MasterMap and imagery before the first control station goes in.
Show neighbouring buildings and roads that sit outside the survey brief but still appear on the client drawing.
Terrain 1m for site-level drainage and earthworks conversation; Terrain 5 for corridor and catchment scale.
Water Network plus terrain as the skeleton around a drainage strategy — not a substitute for a flood-risk assessment.
BNG-georeferenced files so the survey, the OS basemap and the proposed model share one coordinate frame.
A regional MasterMap and terrain licence for firms that already know next month’s jobs will be in the same counties.
// THE OS DATA UNDERNEATH
MasterMap and terrain are the core. Water Network and Highways come in when the brief touches hydrology or the road.
Large-scale vector context around the survey — buildings, fences, water, structures.
1m DTM/DSM for site-level design surfaces, viewsheds and drainage conversation.
5m DTM for corridors, catchments and early alignment where 1m is more than the brief needs.
Connected hydrology with flow direction for drainage and flood context.
Road geometry and classification when the scheme ties into the public highway.
Aerial reconnaissance for vegetation, roofs, access and compound planning.
// HOW IT'S DELIVERED
MasterMap, terrain and imagery for the AOI on the appointment. The usual first order from a firm that does not want a national file.
Best for: one job, one drawing issue.
Counties you already work in, sitting in GIS/CAD for every new appointment. Cheaper than a clip per job once volume is there.
Best for: established survey and civils studios.
When the client needs a council-ready location or block plan, use the PlanningMapsUK CAD/PDF product rather than plotting a GIS extract.
Best for: planning submissions that sit alongside the survey.
// LICENSING, EXPLAINED
The points, breaklines and drawings you measure are your work product. The OS basemap underneath them is licensed for the term and the named client use. Do not treat MasterMap lines as surveyed legal boundaries.
If the client GIS must hold the OS layer, we scope that. A PDF plot with the correct acknowledgement is a different (and simpler) route than handing over the GeoPackage.
// FAQ
No. MasterMap is the national topographic dataset, not a site survey. Use it for context, adjacent detail and design conversation. Measured survey remains the source for levels, features and setting-out.
EPSG:27700 British National Grid as standard. If a BIM coordinator needs a project grid, that transform stays on your side of the fence.
Yes. CAD-friendly delivery is normal for this sector. For a single planning drawing, the self-serve CAD planning-map product may be faster than a B2B clip.
Terrain 1m is a national product with known vintage. A UAV survey is yours, current, and site-specific. Many firms use both: OS for the wider model, UAV for the platform.
No. This catalogue is topographic, addressing, terrain and imagery. Control and GNSS services stay with your usual provider.
Only if the licence says so. Otherwise issue a plot or send them to a planning-map order so their use is licensed in their own name.
// REQUEST A QUOTE
Share typical job size, whether you need DTM, DSM or both, and the formats Civil 3D, GIS or CAD must open. Indicative pricing comes back under NDA within one UK working day.
Prefer email? Write to data@planningmapsuk.co.uk.
