Scottish Postcode Directory - Postcode Boundaries

While Royal Mail (RM) allocate and maintain postcodes for the purposes of delivering mail, National Records of Scotland (NRS) create and maintain digital postcode geographies to support the production of high quality statistics. This dataset provides the boundaries for each live postcode (e.g. KY7 6DG) in Scotland. NRS publish these boundaries twice a year as part of the Scottish Postcode Directory (SPD) which should be considered the definitive source for postcode geographies in Scotland. The SPD also details a range of higher geographies to which each postcode is assigned.

Note the published version of the SPD does not include Royal Mail information on Delivery Point Count (DPC), Delivery Point Count Non-Residential (DPCNR) or Household Count (HC). Those interested in this information should enquire with geographycustomerservices@nrscotland.gov.uk.

 
Citation proposal
. Scottish Postcode Directory - Postcode Boundaries. National Records of Scotland https://services.mspdata.eu:/geonetwork/srv/api/records/6792f3c6-eae4-41b3-8416-acd7f5d3f317

Simple

Alternate title
NRS Postcode Extract
Date ( Creation )
2016-03-01
Date ( Revision )
2020-04-15
Identifier
www.nrscotland.gov.uk / NRS_SPD_PostcodeBdry

  Publisher

Maintenance and update frequency
biannually Biannually
GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0 ( Theme )
  • Statistical units
IPSV - Integrated Public Sector Vocabulary version 2
  • Postcodes
Access constraints
otherRestrictions Other restrictions
Other constraints
No limitations on public access
Use limitation
This dataset is being made available for your personal, non-commercial use under the terms of the INSPIRE (Scotland) End User Licence because it includes Ordnance Survey (OS) Licensed data. By viewing and or downloading this dataset you will have been deemed to have accepted the terms of this licence. You may not sub-license, distribute, sell or otherwise make available any part of this dataset to third parties (including others within your business), except where expressly authorised in writing by us (the Licensor) and OS (for example, by having a valid licence for the data used in the creation of this dataset).
Use limitation
Where re-use is permitted, the following attribution statements from us must be incorporated into the form of any other required acknowledgement needed to be used under that authorisation: © Crown copyright and database rights (insert year) (organisation covered by Crown copyright) – i.e. “© Crown copyright and database rights (insert year) National Records of Scotland”.
Use limitation
For more information, OSMA members should look at the public sector licensing guidance at www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/business-and-government/help-and-support/public-sector/guidance/ or contact osma@os.uk; while other interested parties should contact businessenquiries@os.uk.
Denominator
1250
Metadata language
eng English
Topic category
  • Boundaries
N
S
E
W


Supplemental Information
https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files/geography/Products/postcode-bkgrd-info.pdf
Reference system identifier
EPSG / OSGB 1936 / British National Grid (EPSG:27700) / 7.4
Distribution format
  • WMS (1.3.0 )

  • WFS (2.0.0 )

  • ESRI Shapefile (1.0 )

OnLine resource
Postcode Boundaries  

OGC View Service

OnLine resource
Postcode_Boundaries  

OGC Feature Download Service

OnLine resource
National Records of Scotland website  

Geography – Scottish Postcode Directory

Hierarchy level
dataset Dataset
Statement

National Records of Scotland (NRS) Geography first began plotting postcode boundaries in 1973. The Post Office (as it was at that time) assigned addresses to postcodes and NRS Geography staff manually traced the boundaries around the addresses using Ordnance Survey (OS) 1:10,000 and 1:50,000 maps to reference the boundary lines. Current digital boundaries are created with ESRI’s ArcGIS platform, delineating a notional boundary around address content of a live small user postcode utilising real world features depicted in Ordnance Survey’s MasterMap® product.

NRS Postcode boundaries are based on the Postal Address File (PAF®) received from Royal Mail® . This data is provided to NRS Geography on a quarterly basis and provide details of new and deleted postcodes. This information is augmented by information from local authorities (e.g. new development plans). Using all available data, the Geography Branch digitisers plot the changes to the dataset. Ordnance Survey also provides quarterly updates of its ADDRESS-POINT® product. NRS Geography uses this product to check the postcodes, amending any as required.

Postcode boundaries are subject to continuous change due to new addresses, single addresses acquiring large user postcodes as mail volume increases (e.g. business addresses), and the need to restrict the number of addresses per unit to less than 100. This dataset is formally issued twice a year as part of National Records of Scotland’s Scottish Postcode Directory (SPD). In addition to postcode geographies, the SPD contains a database detailing the higher geographies that each postcode is assigned to.

Note the published version of the SPD does not include Royal Mail information on Delivery Point Count (DPC), Delivery Point Count Non-Residential (DPCNR) or Household Count (HC). Those interested in this information should enquire with NRS Geography Customer Services.

For more information on the postcode geography please see background note at www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files/geography/Products/postcode-bkgrd-info.pdf or contact NRS Geography Customer Services.

Metadata

File identifier
6792f3c6-eae4-41b3-8416-acd7f5d3f317   XML
Metadata language
eng English
Hierarchy level
dataset Dataset
Date stamp
2020-04-14
Metadata standard name
ISO 19115:2003/19139
Metadata standard version
1.0

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