Do I need a licence to use Ordnance Survey maps? 

If OS mapping shows up in your work, the key questions are who can see it and what are you doing with it?

Most organisations don’t get caught out because they used ‘an OS map’. They struggle, because the map was shared, published, embedded, printed, cached, or handed over to a supplier in a way the terms didn’t allow. A licence is the permission set that matches your intended use – and in the OS world, ‘intended use’ is important.

When you need an OS licence 

In broad terms, you’ll usually need an OS licence when OS mapping supports business operations, public services, client delivery, or anything that goes beyond private, personal use. Typically, that could mean putting OS mapping into a report, adding its basemaps to a web page, or building an app that serves mapping. But sharing OS data with third parties is covered too – it’s not simple, which is why a partner like Emapsite is good to have as a critical friend.

Free options - where OS OpenData fits

OS OpenData can be a great fit for some use cases. Especially if you can work within the product’s coverage, update cycle, and attribution rules – that OpenData includes datasets like OS OpenMap - Local, OS VectorMap District, and OS Terrain 50. These can be a great route for prototypes, lightweight public information, or projects where ‘open’ quality is enough. The question is, will OpenData meet the accuracy, currency, and feature detail you need? We can advise on that.

Internal vs external use. What counts as ‘publication’?

‘Publication’ isn’t just selling a printed map. It can include putting mapping into a PDF, a website, a customer portal, a presentation deck, an app, or anything else that distributes mapping to people who aren’t covered by your internal terms.

A simple way to think about it is whether the mapping stays behind a firewall, or crosses it. Internal dashboards, planning analysis, and administration workflows are all likely to be internal; public web maps, client reports, and apps are likely to be classed as external.

Commercial vs non-commercial use

Likewise, ‘commercial’ doesn’t only mean charging for maps. If mapping supports revenue-generating activity, client delivery, or a service you provide as part of your business, then it may be treated as commercial use. Public sector and non-profit settings can still have ‘external publication’ issues. 

Five common mistakes businesses make in OS licensing

• • Assuming a screenshot is ‘safe’ because it’s an image
• • Treating a supplier or a contractor as ‘internal’ – sharing data without the right licensing route
• • Publishing maps online without checking caching, audience, and attribution requirements
• • Mixing datasets with different terms and assuming the most permissive licence applies
• • Letting a project expand from internal analysis into external reporting without revisiting licensing

How Emapsite can help

If mapping stays internal, then a business licence may suffice. If it crosses your firewall, involves clients, contractors, or public use, or uses high-accuracy datasets, you almost always need an OS licence. OpenData is free but has limitations on coverage, currency, and feature detail. We can help you to work out whether or not you need an OS licence

If something’s going on a website, into a client pack, a portal, or being used by a contractor, then its better to treat it as publication – and needing a licence – until proven otherwise.  

For more information, reach out to our Customer Support team.