Frequently Asked Questions - Data for GIS

Can I get data of these boundaries to use in a geographical information system (GIS)?
Yes, UK Parliament constituency and Scottish Parliament boundaries are available in Ordnance Survey's Boundary-Line™ product, which is available as part of the OS OpenData™ portfolio of products. OS OpenData™ products have been made available by Ordnance Survey since 1 April 2010 through the OS OpenData website under a licence agreement with the Department for Communities and Local Government. OS OpenData™ products are available:

to all users;
free of charge; and
for free re-use, including commercial re-use.

Full details of the licence terms for OS OpenData™ are available on the OS OpenData website.

Can I get data of boundaries before they come into force?
In some cases. When a major new set of boundaries is going to come into force, Ordnance Survey may produce a supplementary release of its Boundary-Line™ product in advance of the new boundaries coming into force. In these cases, the boundaries will be available as part of the next appropriate Boundary-Line™ product release to the full Ordnance Survey product specification.
For example, the Scottish Parliament boundaries for the elections in May 2011 became available when Ordnance Survey issued a supplementary release to its Boundary-Line™ product in October 2010 which included the constituencies and regions recommended in the First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries. An enhanced version of these Scottish Parliament boundaries, to the full Ordnance Survey product specification, is to be made available as part of the Boundary-Line™ product release in May 2011.