FAQ > Product Information > Ordnance Survey Products > Ordnance Survey Superplan Plots

Superplan Frequently Asked Questions

General:

Q: What do I need to provide for you to identify my location? back to top

A: Primarily, as much of the address as available. Also helpful if available is a National Grid Reference (as found on most OS maps) and a brief site description (e.g. location/neighbouring properties/site size and boundaries/field numbers).

Where the site does not have an address (e.g. an area of derelict land), we will endeavour to identify your site through whatever description you have available.

Where clarification is required, we will contact you and discuss the details further.

Q: Must the coverage be in a north-south orientated box? back to top

A: Although the coverage will always be either rectangular or square, for Superplan^® and Landplan^® it can be orientated to follow linear features (such as roads or properties) as required. Siteplan^® can not be orientated.

Q: How recent is the information? back to top

A: Each of the range of site centred, large scale mapping products are produced in store directly from the Ordnance Survey database which contains the latest survey information with nearly 5000 updates every day.

Each kilometre square tile has a record of its latest update and this be viewed together with an overview of the latest information for your site at:

http://tileselect.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/land-line/

Options are available for searches by grid reference, tile or placename.

Q: What is the delivery time? back to top

A: Once the order requirements have been checked, the product can normally be produced within the space of an hour. E-mail products are then available almost immediately whilst items requiring postage can be expected to arrive within two to three days after the order date. If more rapid delivery is required, 1^st class or special delivery can be arranged for a small additional fee.

Q: Can I copy paper prints? back to top

A: For Landplan^® and Superplan^®, reproduction is only permitted where the user has obtained the appropriate copyright license. No license is available permitting the copying of Siteplan^® which is provided on CopyVoid paper. Where required, extra copies can be purchased with original order. For more details and to obtain a license on-line, view the Ordnance Survey pages:

Alternatively, both Siteplan^® and Superplan^® are available as data formats, offering you a one year copyright license.

Q: How big is a hectare? back to top
A: 100 by 100 metres
Approx. 2.4 acres
Or one hundredth of a kilometre square

Product Differences:

Q: What is the difference between Siteplan^® and Superplan^®? back to top

A: Siteplan^® uses the same data as Superplan^® but is designed to offer a practical choice of scales fitted into an A4 format.

Further differences in the product options are:

	Superplan^®	Siteplan^®
Plot	1 copy on coated paper	6 copies on copyvoid paper
Data	DXF^™ compatible with most CAD (Computer Aided Design) packages	TIFF file raster image

Q: What if my site is bigger than the specified Siteplan^® coverage?back to top

A: Larger sites may find themselves to be beyond the coverage available, sometimes due to the scale specified (e.g. for planning permission). In this case, a Superplan^® plot can be provided at the required scale. This will generally be larger than A4 in size and only one copy will be provided unless otherwise specified. Alternatively, Superplan Data^® (DXF^™ data compatible with most modern CAD packages) can be provided which can be printed at your choice of scale.

Official Applications:

Q: Can Siteplan®/Superplan® maps be used for settling boundary disputes? back to top
A: No. Ordnance Survey maps do not portray boundaries, but do record the existence of physical features within the limits of the specification.

Q: Can I use Siteplan^®/Superplan^® as a legal representation of the boundaries of my land to solve a land dispute? back to top

A: In the first case, many people refer to Land Registry mapping (http://www.landreg.gov.uk.) which is generally based on Ordnance Survey mapping and can be used to give an overview or ‘picture’ of the property in question. If no records are held by Land Registry then an appropriate standard of Ordnance Survey mapping can be provided.

These plans alone can not however be relied upon and for legal purposes there is often very little chance of any positive outcome unless legal documents such as deeds carrying recorded measurements or remaining physical evidence is available. For further information on boundary disputes please contact us directly in order for our staff with years of relevant experience to provide more specific and informed assistance.

Q: Can I use Ordnance Survey for detailed planning applications? back to top

A: Often, more detail is required than is available through Ordnance Survey. However, site surveys are available enabling you to ‘add value’ to your data. The range of services available includes land surveys, building surveys (including elevations) and underground services surveys, all of which can be added to the existing Ordnance Survey Superplan Data^®.

Scale and Accuracy:

Q: What scale do I require? back to top

A: The scale required depends on the site size and the requirements of any official bodies to whom you may wish to submit the document. Although all of the scales are designed to be acceptable, some bodies may specify a particular scale that should be used and you are therefore recommended to confirm this before ordering.

Councils often refer to 1:500 scale as a ‘block plan’ and 1:1250 as a ‘site location plan’.

Q: What is ‘large scale mapping’? back to top

A: This is the most detailed and accurate mapping available from Ordnance Survey. It is mapped to 1:1250, 1:2500 or 1:10 000 scale for ‘urban’, ‘rural’ or ‘moorland’ areas respectively.

Q: What’s the difference between survey scale and print scale? back to top

A: Survey scale denotes the amount and accuracy of detail shown. Print scale is simply the actual size of the final mapping on paper compared to the original features.

Q: What are ‘rural’ and ‘urban’ and what accuracy is provided? back to top

A: The accuracy of the data depends on the scale at which the original survey was performed which will be one of:

‘Urban’ – 1:1250 scale, 50 inches to the mile – major towns and cities

‘Rural’ – 1:2500 scale, 25 inches to the mile - smaller towns, villages and developed rural areas

‘Moorland’ – 1:10 000 scale –mountains, moorland and estuarine areas

The associated accuracies are:

	Absolute accuracy, that is, compared to the National Grid Root-mean-square error	Relative accuracy, that is, distances between points taken from the map Expected standard error
1:1250 (urban)	<± 0.5 metres	<± 0.4 metres
1:2500 resurvey of reformed (urban and rural)	<± 1.1 metres	<± 0.9 metres
1:2500 overhaul (urban and rural)	<± 2.8 metres	<± 1.2 metres
1:10 000 (mountain and moorland)	<± 4.1 metres	<± 3.5 metres

Accuracy depends on survey methods used.

Note: certain features, for example, slopes and vegetation, are surveyed to lower accuracies.

Data types:

Q: What is a TIFF file/Raster Data? back to top

A: Raster data is comparable to most computer images, being made up of a series of pixels which will become blocky when the user ‘zooms’ in. Rather like a photograph, the component parts do not have any attributes and can not be manipulated.

TIFF (Tag Image Format Files) files are just one example of raster data and are compatible with most desktop and image-editing applications.

Q: Why pay more for TIFF data? back to top

A: The data can be delivered quickly by e-mail and can be annotated. Printing is unlimited within the guidelines of the one year copyright license provided.

Q: How can I be sure I will be able to print my TIFF image at the right scale? back to top

A: Although TIFF data is available at three scales, these are only guidelines and the final printed scale will vary depending on the application you use. The extents of the coverage will however remain unchanged. The information is no less valid and scale is indicated through the provision of a scale bar which will always be at the same scale as the mapping.

Q: What is DXF^™/Vector Data? back to top

A: Vector data represents individual map features such as roads, buildings and rivers as links and nodes with each being given a unique `code' and geographic reference. Relevant information about features can be recorded against their individual codes (for example length or surface area). Being a structured list of co-ordinate information, the files are small and easily transmitted/stored and do not deteriorate on close ‘zooming’.

A DXF^™ (Digital Exchange File) is simply a Vector Data file type and is compatible with most modern CAD (Computer Aided Design Packages).

Q: Why pay more for DXF^™ data? back to top

A: Provided you have access to the appropriate software, this data is the most useful available allowing you to make prints at your choice of scale and even to incorporate your designs into the information. Line distances and areas can also be interrogated. As with TIFF data, a one year copyright is included, full details of which are available on request.

Additional services/information:

Q: Can you add information to plots? back to top

A: We are able to add a title and a few lines of information as well as highlighting parts of the mapping. We are also able to make area measurements on Superplan^® plots, for example for IACS applications.

However, if you wish to have levels or other survey information added then you will need to purchase Superplan Data^®.

Q: Can you perform area calculations? back to top

A: We are able to provide official area calculations which must be purchased together with a Superplan® (plot) for the area concerned. In order to identify the exact boundaries, more detail than just an address may be required but this can usually done simply through correspondence if preferred to a visit to our shop. For more details of the product and measurements, refer to the Superplan® plots – Technical information leaflet available as a pdf file for viewing or download.

If you have purchased Superplan Data, we are able to provide a measurement for a small charge although this is not provided as an official Ordnance Survey print-out, but instead on our headed paper.

Q: Can you provide IACS measurements? back to top

A: Yes, when a Superplan^® plot is purchased, the areas of any fields can be measured where there is a boundary/topographic feature marked on the Ordnance Survey information. An official listing of the measured areas is provided with the areas given in hectares, acres, square metres and square feet.

Q: Is Ordnance Survey Control Information Shown? back to top

A: Siteplan® and Superplan® will no longer show control information from late 2006. This is because the traditional control stations are being abandoned in favour of the use of GPS (Global Positioning System). However, the information will now be freely available from the Ordnance Survey web-site and a link will be added here as soon as the pages appear.

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