OS OpenNames - extends GN

[PeterParslow]

Simplified encoding example

Short description

OS OpenNames extends INSPIRE GN, adding a number of attributes for 'outward pointing links' to other datasets. We believe this makes it easier to use in gazetteers & other situations, by providing explicit support to refine results of string matching: is this the 'Kingston' in Humberside, or Surrey?

Example instance

https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/opendatadownload/products.html#OPNAME

Purpose & use

Used in the OS Names API, which in turn is used by websites to provide gazetteer functionality.

Case study: https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/business-and-government/case-studies/iow-ambulance-dispatch.html

Used simplification rules

"simplification by extension" - i.e. extra attributes to support a common use case

Achieved this by importing & extending the UML models, and then using ShapeChange

Additional information

Also available in RDF at http://data.os.uk/datasets/opennames

[michellutz]

Question for the group: Should we consider extensions, i.e. additional ("simple") properties within the scope of this group?

[PeterParslow]

I think it is useful where those extensions are to make the data simpler to use (e.g. moving the names to links). But not the extra attributes we've put in for our own use cases. A quick look suggests that's all of them - we add a range of "outward links".

On reflection, perhaps the only simplification is our constraint that the geometry shall only be a point. But this is just documented, not enforced. We've also constrained localType to a code list - again, just by documentation.

The OS OpenNames specification is at https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/docs/user-guides/os-open-names-user-guide.pdf