UK groundwater and geology data sources compared
Groundwater observations come from monitoring boreholes: check whether readings are levels in metres above Ordnance Datum (mAOD) or depths below ground, and confirm the datum. Frequency varies from continuous loggers to monthly dips. Abstraction registers record licensed volumes, not measured groundwater levels. BGS borehole records, including the Single Onshore Borehole Index, index logs of varying age and quality; some records are confidential or restricted. Geological maps distinguish bedrock, superficial deposits and artificial ground, with national 1:625,000 and detailed 1:50,000 products; map scale limits site-level interpretation. Aquifer designations, hydrogeological maps and groundwater flood susceptibility layers support screening. Mapped geology does not prove infiltration capacity: site investigation and infiltration testing, such as BRE Digest 365 soakage tests, are still required. Confirm the responsible body: EA in England, NRW in Wales, SEPA in Scotland and NIEA (part of DAERA) in Northern Ireland for groundwater; BGS is the national geological survey for Great Britain, and GSNI covers Northern Ireland. Check licence and commercial-use terms: many BGS products use the Open Government Licence; some detailed products require a separate licence or payment.
Showing 22 of 22 matching sources from the build-time catalogue snapshot, capped at 40. Half the places are reserved for each publisher group; unused places go to the other group. Each section is ordered by the existing evidence score and catalogue tie-breaks. Sponsored listings and placeholders are excluded. Bulk imports are excluded. Scores describe catalogue evidence, not fitness for a particular site.
Selection requires recorded UK coverage or coverage of a UK nation; global coverage alone is not treated as confirmation. Check each listing’s evidence and upstream terms: enrichment may be inferred, and Unknown means the catalogue has no clear value. Wrappers provide access to upstream data, not an independent survey or monitoring network.
Connect to TerraMCP to use sources marked live via the router. Availability here records an implemented adapter, not a live service-health check.
Lesser-known sources
Independent and other sources not classified as government or regulator publishers. “Lesser-known” is a discovery grouping, not a measure of popularity.
| Source | What it gives | Coverage & cadence | Access / API / format | Licence / commercial use | Live via TerraMCP router | Evidence score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landmark Envirocheck dataset | Contaminated land desk study (Envirocheck Report): sources, pathways and receptors; Historical maps (1840s to present); Historical Data Report: contaminative industrial uses, infilled land, historical tanks and energy facilities; UXO threat assessment (40+ datasets); Site location plans (Ordnance Survey mapping); Flood screening; Flood data; Geology maps; Mining and ground stability (BGS-produced data); Coal mining: seam depth, mine gas, mine water, subsidence; Utilities (PAS 128 Survey Category Type D); Digital Surface Model and Digital Terrain Model; Current and historical aerial photography; Environmental constraints; Administrative boundaries; Height data contours; Green Belt constraints; Land use constraints; Local development plans; Planning applications; Points of interest; Code-Point with Polygons Resolution: site | Coverage: England, Wales and Scotland (historical maps); Great Britain (height contours); England, Scotland and Wales (coal reports); Northern Ireland not stated Record period: 1840s to present (historical maps) Cadence: Unknown | Access: Subscription or per-report purchase; commercial licence; login or registration required Authentication: subscription / per-report purchase Formats: SHP; KML; DWG; DXF; layered PDF; GIS format (ECGIS) | Licence: Commercial Commercial use: Unknown | No | 37.9/100 |
| BGS Geology MCP bundle (MCPBundles) mcp | BGS Geology MCP bundle (MCPBundles) Resolution: Unknown | Coverage: United Kingdom Record period: Unknown Cadence: Unknown | Access: Unknown Authentication: Unknown Formats: Unknown | Licence: Unknown Commercial use: Unknown | No | 26/100 |
Known sources: Government and regulators
| Source | What it gives | Coverage & cadence | Access / API / format | Licence / commercial use | Live via TerraMCP router | Evidence score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGS OGC API Features data api | boreholes Resolution: Unknown | Coverage: United Kingdom Record period: Unknown Cadence: Unknown | Access: Open access, no authentication (ENTRY auth: none); licence OGL-3.0 per ENTRY, but not all datasets are OGL, so check each dataset's metadata record Authentication: none Formats: JSON; JSON-LD; HTML | Licence: OGL-3.0 Commercial use: Unknown | Yes Tools: bgs_collections; bgs_features | 78.2/100 |
| EA Hydrology API data api | river flow 15-min instantaneous (m3/s); river flow daily mean/min/max (m3/s); river level 15-min instantaneous (m); river level daily min/max (m); rainfall 15-min total (mm); rainfall daily total (mm); groundwater level dipped (mAOD); groundwater level logged, sub-daily (mAOD); water quality 15-min instantaneous: dissolved oxygen (% and mg/L), fDOM (RFU), blue-green algae (RFU), turbidity (NTU), chlorophyll (µg/L), conductivity (µS/cm), temperature (°C), ammonium (mg/L), nitrate (mg/L as N), pH Resolution: typically 15 min (sub-daily) and daily | Coverage: England Record period: Unknown Cadence: Unknown | Access: No authentication (per catalogue); free; Open Government Licence 3.0 Authentication: No authentication Formats: JSON; CSV; GeoJSON; HTML; RDF/XML; Turtle | Licence: Open Government Licence 3.0 Commercial use: Yes (docs-verified) | Yes Tools: ea_hydro_series; ea_groundwater_stations | 77.2/100 |
| BGS web services (WMS/WFS) data api | geology map layers (WMS/WFS); AGS geotechnical data (download service); UK and worldwide earthquake GeoRSS feeds; BGS dataset and service metadata (OGC CSW catalogue); British National Grid to WGS84 coordinate conversion Resolution: Unknown | Coverage: United Kingdom Record period: Unknown Cadence: Unknown | Access: Free/open, no authentication (per entry); licence: OGL / BGS licence Authentication: none Formats: OGC WMS; OGC WFS; OGC CSW; GeoRSS; AGS | Licence: OGL / BGS licence Commercial use: Unknown | No | 75.3/100 |
| BGS Geoindex dataset | borehole records; earthquakes data; 1:50 000 scale bedrock geology (including faults); interactive 3D models (London, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool); rock samples; photography; data products; hazard maps; geochemistry samples; non-coal mining plans Resolution: 1:50 000 scale for the geology layer | Coverage: onshore UK (per ENTRY regions: United Kingdom) Record period: Unknown Cadence: Unknown | Access: Free web map viewer (no API key documented). Data delivered under the Open Government Licence with a BGS acknowledgement; ENTRY licence field says 'BGS terms'. Authentication: none Formats: WMS | Licence: BGS terms Commercial use: Unknown | No | 73/100 |
| BGS GeoIndex - Hazards data theme (OGC WxS INSPIRE) data api | GeoIndex Hazards theme data layers (view only) Resolution: Unknown | Coverage: United Kingdom (extent lat 49.28 to 61.41, lon -9.01 to 3.34) Record period: Unknown Cadence: monthly | Access: Free to view; no authentication listed. Copyright NERC/BGS: no reproduction or transmission without prior permission of the copyright holder. Authentication: Unknown Formats: OGC WMS | Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an Commercial use: Unknown | No | 57.7/100 |
| BGS Single Onshore Borehole Index (SOBI) data api | borehole records; shaft records; well records; site investigation borehole index Resolution: point (site-level records) | Coverage: Great Britain Record period: dating back to at least 1790 Cadence: yearly additions (thousands of new records each year); no fixed release schedule stated | Access: free open access under the Open Government Licence (OGL); acknowledge BGS material Authentication: Unknown Formats: ESRI; MapInfo; OGC WMS; OGC API Features | Licence: free (OGL) Commercial use: Yes (docs-verified) | No | 56.4/100 |
| BGS GeoIndex - Hydrogeology data theme (OGC WxS INSPIRE) data api | aquifer potential (generalised hydrogeological map: intergranular, fissure/discontinuity and less permeable classes; productive vs local vs no significant groundwater) Resolution: 1:625,000 scale (regional/national guide only) | Coverage: UK bounding box: 49.77° to 60.86° N, 8.65° W to 1.78° E Record period: Unknown Cadence: monthly | Access: No authentication listed in catalogue entry. Licence restricted: NERC copyright; reproduction or transmission requires prior permission from BGS IPR Manager. Authentication: Unknown Formats: WMS | Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an Commercial use: Unknown | No | 55.8/100 |
| BGS GeoIndex - Map products data theme (OGC WxS INSPIRE) data api | BGS GeoIndex map products theme (viewable as WMS) Resolution: Unknown | Coverage: UK bounding box: lat 49.28 to 61.41, lon -9.01 to 3.34 Record period: Unknown Cadence: monthly | Access: Free to view; no auth listed. Materials derived from BGS work are NERC copyright and may not be reproduced or transmitted without permission Authentication: Unknown Formats: WMS | Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an Commercial use: Unknown | No | 55.8/100 |
| BGS GeoIndex - Boreholes data theme (OGC WxS INSPIRE) data api | borehole data (BGS GeoIndex Boreholes theme, viewable via WMS) Resolution: Unknown | Coverage: UK (bounding box lat 49.28 to 61.41, lon -9.01 to 3.34) Record period: Unknown Cadence: monthly | Access: Free to view (no auth); licence not set on dataset page; NERC/BGS copyright, reproduction or transmission requires prior permission of the copyright holder Authentication: Unknown Formats: WMS | Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an Commercial use: Unknown | No | 55.7/100 |
| BGS detailed bedrock and superficial onshore 1:50k geology (OGC WMS INSPIRE) data api | bedrock geology; superficial deposits; artificial ground; mass movement deposits; geological linear features Resolution: Designed for 1:50,000 map scale; viewable only between 1:100,000 and 1:25,000 | Coverage: United Kingdom Record period: Unknown Cadence: annually | Access: Personal, non-commercial use only; no API key or auth listed; reproduction or transmission requires prior permission of the NERC/BGS copyright holder Authentication: Unknown Formats: OGC WMS | Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an Commercial use: Unknown | No | 53.9/100 |
| BGS OGCAPI Service data api | boreholes; earthquakes; mineral statistics Resolution: Unknown | Coverage: United Kingdom Record period: Unknown Cadence: as needed | Access: Free, no authentication listed. Licensing is mixed: many datasets are under Open Government Licence v3.0, but not all. Check each dataset's metadata record for licence terms. Authentication: Unknown Formats: OGC API | Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an Commercial use: Unknown | No | 51.1/100 |
| BGS OneGeology-Europe bedrock onshore 1:625k geology (OGC WFS) data api | bedrock geology map (DiGMap 1:625k); geology layers by age; geology layers by lithology Resolution: 1:625 000 map scale (no pixel or feature resolution stated) | Coverage: United Kingdom Record period: Unknown Cadence: Not planned (no update schedule) | Access: Personal, non-commercial use only; no auth listed in entry metadata; NERC copyright, no reproduction without BGS permission Authentication: Unknown Formats: OGC WFS | Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an Commercial use: Unknown | No | 50.9/100 |
| BGS OneGeology-Europe surface onshore 1:625k geology (OGC WFS) data api | DiGMap UK geology layers by age; DiGMap UK geology layers by lithology Resolution: Map scale 1:625 000 (no pixel or vector resolution stated) | Coverage: whole of the United Kingdom Record period: Unknown Cadence: Not planned (per dataset metadata) | Access: Personal, non-commercial use only; no API key listed. Copyright vested in NERC; reproduction needs prior permission from the copyright holder. Authentication: Unknown Formats: OGC WFS | Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an Commercial use: Unknown | No | 50.9/100 |
| BGS onshore bedrock 1:625k geology (OGC WFS using GeoSciML with INSPIRE vocabularies) data api | bedrock geology units (GeologicUnits); mapped geological features (MappedFeatures); geological event history (GeologicEvents) Resolution: 1:625 000 scale | Coverage: UK onshore; extent lat 49.7662 to 61.4661, lon -7.5564 to 3.6349 Record period: Unknown Cadence: asNeeded | Access: Copyright vested in NERC; no reproduction or transmission without prior permission of the copyright holder (via BGS Intellectual Property Rights Manager) Authentication: Unknown Formats: OGC WFS | Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an Commercial use: Unknown | No | 49.1/100 |
| BGS onshore bedrock 1:625k geology (OGC WFS using GeoSciML with CGI vocabularies) data api | UK onshore bedrock geology; bedrock geological units (GeoSciML) Resolution: 1:625 000 scale | Coverage: UK onshore Record period: Unknown Cadence: asNeeded | Access: No auth listed. BGS/NERC copyright: reproduction or redistribution requires prior permission from the copyright holder (BGS IPR Manager). Free-of-charge status not stated. Authentication: Unknown Formats: GeoSciML; OGC WFS; OGC WMS | Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an Commercial use: Unknown | No | 47.9/100 |
| BGS Geology 625k / 50k (DiGMapGB) dataset | bedrock geology polygons; superficial deposits polygons; faults and other linear features; polygon attributes: lithostratigraphic/chronostratigraphic name and lithology Resolution: 1:625 000 | Coverage: Great Britain and Northern Ireland Record period: Unknown Cadence: Unknown | Access: Open; free for commercial, research and public use under the Open Government Licence (OGL); download plus web services (WMS, WFS, OGC API Features) Authentication: Unknown Formats: Shapefile; GeoPackage; OGC WMS; OGC WFS; OGC API - Features; Linked data triples | Licence: free (OGL) Commercial use: Yes (docs-verified) | No | 47.5/100 |
| BGS bedrock and superficial onshore 1:625k geology and offshore 1:1M sediments (OGC WMS) data api | onshore bedrock geology, 1:625k; onshore superficial geology, 1:625k; UK continental shelf seabed sediments, 1:1M Resolution: Map scale 1:625,000 onshore and 1:1,000,000 offshore (cartographic scale, not positional resolution) | Coverage: UK onshore and UK continental shelf; extent lat 49.86 to 60.86, lon -8.64 to 1.76 Record period: Unknown Cadence: asNeeded (no fixed schedule) | Access: WMS view service; no auth listed in entry metadata. Copyright vested in NERC; reproduction or transmission needs prior permission from the copyright holder. Authentication: Unknown Formats: WMS | Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an Commercial use: Unknown | No | 44.4/100 |
| BGS Sensor Data API data api | groundwater temperature; groundwater level; barometric air pressure; motion sensor data; building energy efficiency sensor data Resolution: Unknown | Coverage: UK and beyond; metadata extent 49.5°N to 61.0°N, 8.0°W to 2.0°E Record period: Unknown Cadence: continual | Access: No authentication listed in metadata; pricing not stated. Access constraints: BGS/NERC copyright, no reproduction or transmission without prior permission of the copyright holder. Authentication: Unknown Formats: Unknown | Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an Commercial use: Unknown | No | 43.3/100 |
| Open-loop Ground Source Heat Pump viability screening map, England and Wales (OGC WxS INSPIRE) data api | The British Geological Survey (BGS) in collaboration with the Environment Agency (EA) has developed a web-based tool that provides an indication of whether suitable conditions exist in a given area for Open-loop Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP). The tool is developed within a GIS and maps the potential for open-loop GSHP installations (heating/cooling output >100kW) in England and Wales at the 1:250,000 scale. Data layers from this tool are available to view in this service. The data in this serv Resolution: Unknown | Coverage: United Kingdom Record period: Unknown Cadence: Unknown | Access: Unknown Authentication: Unknown Formats: Unknown | Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an Commercial use: Unknown | No | 39.5/100 |
| The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units (April 2019) directory | The Lexicon of Named Rock Units provides definitions of lithostratigraphic, lithodemic, and litho-morpho-genetic geological units of the United Kingdom and its associated continental shelf. The Lexicon focuses mainly on units of Member, Formation, Group and higher rank (and equivalents) but it also includes information on some units of lesser rank, notably economically important coal seams and laterally extensive marine bands. It includes superficial and bedrock units. It includes synonyms and o Resolution: Unknown | Coverage: United Kingdom Record period: Unknown Cadence: Unknown | Access: Unknown Authentication: No API key required (repository README, auto-extracted; check upstream requirements) Formats: Unknown | Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an Commercial use: Unknown | No | 35/100 |
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