Public Sector Contracts
Key information on Aerial Photography Great Britain (APGB), Postcode Address File (PAF) and Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA).
The role of the Geospatial Commission in providing access to geospatial data
The Geospatial Commission is an expert committee that sets the UK’s geospatial strategy and promotes the best use of location data. The Geospatial Commission holds the budget for the public sector’s investment in geospatial data.
The UK Geospatial Strategy 2030 published in June 2023, sets out an ambitious programme of activity across 3 key missions. The second of these missions is “Drive greater use of geospatial applications and insights across the economy”. As part of fulfilling this mission, the Geospatial Commission manages a series of public sector contracts.
Geospatial Commission Public Sector Contracts Annual Conference 2022
Aerial Photography Great Britain (APGB)
Through the APGB arrangements procured on behalf of government by the Geospatial Commission, public sector members have access to free at the point of use aerial imagery, the provision of which is split between Bluesky and Getmapping across three lots.
Via lot 1, Bluesky International Ltd provides access to a download service via its map shop, providing imagery to users across various heights, the most commonly used being 25cm and 12.5cm. Getmapping Ltd provides users access to height data web services via an application programming interface (API) through its Web Mapping Service (WMS), Web Map Tile Service (WMTS) and Web Feature Service (WFS), available at different heights as requested; provided to members under the APGB lot 2 arrangements.
For the first time, a new lot 3 delivers members with access to historical aerial imagery data and services, delivered through a consortium of Bluesky International Ltd and Getmapping Ltd.
For more information, including how to access the products, please visit the APGB website and APGB Member Support website.
Postcode Address File (PAF)
The PAF is the Royal Mail Postcode Address File which is the single authoritative dataset of up-to-date address information across the UK. The PAF is procured centrally by the government so that usage is free for public sector bodies at the point of use.
For more information, including how to access the PAF, please visit the PAF website.
Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA)
The PSGA is a 10 year contract between the government and Ordnance Survey (OS) for the provision of geospatial data across multiple themes, including buildings, transport, structures, addressing and land. The contract delivers key data to public sector members for use in everyday settings to support provision of critical services to the public.
The PSGA provides access to new and existing data via a new OS Data Hub, including delivery of data via API and downloads. Over its term the PSGA will deliver approximately 70 new data sets and ensure the public sector has access to core foundational geospatial data that is needed to deliver effective and efficient public services.
For more information, including how to access OS data, please visit the PSGA website.
PSGA case studies
If you have any questions please get in touch via gccontractsteam@dsit.gov.uk.
Updates to this page
Published 3 March 2023Last updated 11 October 2024 + show all updates
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APGB section updated to include details of lot 3
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Geospatial Commission Public Sector & PSGA conference 2023 dates removed
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Geospatial Commission Public Sector & PSGA conference 2023 details added
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Updated to include UK Geospatial Strategy 2030
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First published.