Scottish Government Spatial Data API Documentation

Overview

The Scottish Government provides spatial data services through spatialdata.gov.scot (hosted at maps.gov.scot). These services provide access to geographic and administrative boundary data for Scotland, including postcodes, council areas, and statistical geographies.

Base URL: https://maps.gov.scot/server/services/

Purpose in Drone Operations Application

We use this API to automatically classify flight locations as Rural or Urban based on geographic coordinates, replacing the manual Rural/Urban selection during project creation.

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1. WFS Postcode Lookup Service

Service Overview

Service Type: Web Feature Service (WFS) 2.0.0 Service Name: NRS/SPD (National Records of Scotland / Scottish Postcode Directory) Endpoint: https://maps.gov.scot/server/services/NRS/SPD/MapServer/WFSServer

What is WFS?

WFS (Web Feature Service) is an OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) standard for querying geographic features. It returns actual feature data (shapes, attributes) rather than just images.

Use Case: Find Postcode from Coordinates

Given a latitude/longitude coordinate, find the postcode area and its associated geographic data.

Request Structure

Full Example Request

https://maps.gov.scot/server/services/NRS/SPD/MapServer/WFSServer?
  SERVICE=WFS&
  VERSION=2.0.0&
  REQUEST=GetFeature&
  TYPENAMES=NRS_SPD:PostcodeUnit&
  SRSNAME=EPSG:4326&
  BBOX=56.26240011503864,-5.5617506222610125,56.26240011503864,-5.5617506222610125,EPSG:4326

URL Parameters Explained

Parameter	Value	Description
SERVICE	WFS	Specifies this is a Web Feature Service request
VERSION	2.0.0	WFS version (2.0.0 is current standard)
REQUEST	GetFeature	Request type - retrieves actual feature data
TYPENAMES	NRS_SPD:PostcodeUnit	Layer name - postcode units from NRS Scottish Postcode Directory
SRSNAME	EPSG:4326	Spatial Reference System - WGS84 (standard lat/long)
BBOX	lat,lon,lat,lon,EPSG:4326	Bounding box - defines search area

BBOX (Bounding Box) Parameter

Format: minLat,minLon,maxLat,maxLon,EPSG:4326

For point lookup: Use the same coordinates for min and max:

BBOX=56.26240,-5.56175,56.26240,-5.56175,EPSG:4326

For area lookup: Use different min/max coordinates:

BBOX=56.25,-5.57,56.27,-5.55,EPSG:4326

Response Format

The API returns XML in GML (Geography Markup Language) format.

Response Structure

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<wfs:FeatureCollection xmlns:wfs="http://www.opengis.net/wfs/2.0"
                       xmlns:gml="http://www.opengis.net/gml/3.2"
                       xmlns:SPD="maps.gov.scot"
                       numberMatched="1"
                       numberReturned="1">
  <wfs:member>
    <SPD:PostcodeUnit gml:id="PostcodeUnit.142595">
      <SPD:objectid>142595</SPD:objectid>
      <SPD:postcode>PA34 4XD</SPD:postcode>
      <SPD:district>PA34</SPD:district>
      <SPD:sector>PA34 4</SPD:sector>
      <SPD:doi>01/08/1973</SPD:doi>
      <SPD:council>S12000035</SPD:council>
      <SPD:oa22>S00140557</SPD:oa22>
      <SPD:dz22>S01014331</SPD:dz22>
      <SPD:ew22>S13002520</SPD:ew22>
      <SPD:shape_leng>35386.93547170</SPD:shape_leng>
      <SPD:shape>
        <gml:MultiSurface>
          <gml:surfaceMember>
            <gml:Polygon>
              <gml:exterior>
                <gml:LinearRing>
                  <gml:posList>
                    56.29083940 -5.52476249
                    56.28951273 -5.52303961
                    ... [polygon coordinates]
                  </gml:posList>
                </gml:LinearRing>
              </gml:exterior>
            </gml:Polygon>
          </gml:surfaceMember>
        </gml:MultiSurface>
      </SPD:shape>
    </SPD:PostcodeUnit>
  </wfs:member>
</wfs:FeatureCollection>

Key Response Fields

Field	Example	Description
SPD:postcode	PA34 4XD	Full postcode (unit level)
SPD:district	PA34	Postcode district
SPD:sector	PA34 4	Postcode sector
SPD:council	S12000035	Local authority code (Argyll and Bute)
SPD:oa22	S00140557	Output Area code (2022 census)
SPD:dz22	S01014331	Data Zone code (2022)
SPD:ew22	S13002520	Electoral Ward code (2022)
SPD:shape	GML Polygon	Geographic boundary shape

Council Area Codes

The SPD:council field contains GSS (Government Statistical Service) codes for Scottish local authorities:

Code	Council Area
S12000033	Aberdeen City
S12000034	Aberdeenshire
S12000041	Angus
S12000035	Argyll and Bute
S12000036	City of Edinburgh
S12000005	Clackmannanshire
S12000006	Dumfries and Galloway
S12000042	Dundee City
S12000008	East Ayrshire
S12000045	East Dunbartonshire
S12000010	East Lothian
S12000011	East Renfrewshire
S12000014	Falkirk
S12000047	Fife
S12000049	Glasgow City
S12000017	Highland
S12000018	Inverclyde
S12000019	Midlothian
S12000020	Moray
S12000013	Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles)
S12000021	North Ayrshire
S12000050	North Lanarkshire
S12000023	Orkney Islands
S12000048	Perth and Kinross
S12000038	Renfrewshire
S12000026	Scottish Borders
S12000027	Shetland Islands
S12000028	South Ayrshire
S12000029	South Lanarkshire
S12000030	Stirling
S12000039	West Dunbartonshire
S12000040	West Lothian

Example Test Locations

Edinburgh City Centre (Urban)

Latitude: 55.953251
Longitude: -3.188267
Expected Postcode: EH1 area
Expected Council: S12000036 (City of Edinburgh)

Request:

https://maps.gov.scot/server/services/NRS/SPD/MapServer/WFSServer?
SERVICE=WFS&VERSION=2.0.0&REQUEST=GetFeature&
TYPENAMES=NRS_SPD:PostcodeUnit&SRSNAME=EPSG:4326&
BBOX=55.953251,-3.188267,55.953251,-3.188267,EPSG:4326

Highland Rural Area

Latitude: 56.262400
Longitude: -5.561750
Expected Postcode: PA34 4XD
Expected Council: S12000035 (Argyll and Bute)

Request:

https://maps.gov.scot/server/services/NRS/SPD/MapServer/WFSServer?
SERVICE=WFS&VERSION=2.0.0&REQUEST=GetFeature&
TYPENAMES=NRS_SPD:PostcodeUnit&SRSNAME=EPSG:4326&
BBOX=56.262400,-5.561750,56.262400,-5.561750,EPSG:4326

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Implementation Notes

Python Example

import requests
import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET

def lookup_postcode(latitude, longitude):
    """
    Lookup postcode and council area from coordinates.

    Args:
        latitude (float): Latitude in WGS84 (EPSG:4326)
        longitude (float): Longitude in WGS84 (EPSG:4326)

    Returns:
        dict: {
            'postcode': str,
            'council_code': str,
            'district': str,
            'data_zone': str
        }
    """
    base_url = "https://maps.gov.scot/server/services/NRS/SPD/MapServer/WFSServer"

    params = {
        'SERVICE': 'WFS',
        'VERSION': '2.0.0',
        'REQUEST': 'GetFeature',
        'TYPENAMES': 'NRS_SPD:PostcodeUnit',
        'SRSNAME': 'EPSG:4326',
        'BBOX': f'{latitude},{longitude},{latitude},{longitude},EPSG:4326'
    }

    response = requests.get(base_url, params=params)
    response.raise_for_status()

    # Parse XML response
    root = ET.fromstring(response.content)

    # Define namespaces
    ns = {
        'wfs': 'http://www.opengis.net/wfs/2.0',
        'SPD': 'maps.gov.scot'
    }

    # Extract data
    member = root.find('.//wfs:member', ns)
    if member is None:
        return None

    return {
        'postcode': member.find('.//SPD:postcode', ns).text,
        'council_code': member.find('.//SPD:council', ns).text,
        'district': member.find('.//SPD:district', ns).text,
        'data_zone': member.find('.//SPD:dz22', ns).text
    }

# Usage
result = lookup_postcode(55.953251, -3.188267)
print(result)
# {'postcode': 'EH1 1YZ', 'council_code': 'S12000036', ...}

Error Handling

• No results (numberReturned="0"): Coordinates outside Scotland or in unpopulated area
• Multiple results: Coordinates on boundary between postcodes (rare)
• HTTP errors: Network issues, service downtime
• Invalid coordinates: Lat/lon outside valid ranges

Performance Considerations

• Response time: Typically 200-500ms
• Rate limiting: Not officially documented, use reasonable request rates
• Caching: Cache results by rounded coordinates to reduce API calls
• Timeout: Set 5-10 second timeout on requests

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Next Steps for Rural/Urban Classification

Approach 1: Data Zone Classification (Recommended)

Use the SPD:dz22 (Data Zone) code to look up urban/rural classification from Scottish Government's Urban Rural Classification dataset.

Pros: - Official government classification - Already categorised into 8-fold or 6-fold classifications - Matches operational definitions

Cons: - Requires additional API call or reference data - More complex implementation

Approach 2: Council-Based Classification

Classify entire council areas as predominantly urban or rural.

Pros: - Simple lookup table - Single API call

Cons: - Overly simplistic (e.g., Highland has both urban and rural areas) - May not match operational requirements

Approach 3: Population Density Analysis

Use Scottish Government population density data for the Data Zone.

Pros: - Flexible threshold setting - Matches CAA population density requirements

Cons: - Requires additional data sources - Needs threshold calibration

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References

• Scottish Government Spatial Data: https://spatialdata.gov.scot
• Maps.gov.scot Portal: https://maps.gov.scot
• Scottish Postcode Directory: Part of National Records of Scotland (NRS)
• WFS Standard: https://www.ogc.org/standards/wfs
• EPSG:4326: WGS84 geographic coordinate system (standard GPS coordinates)

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Version History

Date	Version	Changes
2025-12-28	1.0	Initial documentation - WFS Postcode Lookup

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TODO: Additional Services to Document

• [ ] Urban Rural Classification API
• [ ] Scottish Government Statistics API for population density
• [ ] Council boundary lookups
• [ ] Integration with CAA airspace data