BGS Single Onshore Borehole Index (SOBI)

BGS Single Onshore Borehole Index (SOBI) (British Geological Survey). Access: WMS / web / download. Formats: CSV, WMS. Resolution: point. Coverage: GB. Pricing/licence: free (OGL).

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What's in it

Data offered docs-verified: borehole records · shaft records · well records · site investigation borehole index
Coverage docs-verified: Great Britain · dating back to at least 1790
Resolution docs-verified: point (site-level records)
Update frequency docs-verified: yearly additions (thousands of new records each year); no fixed release schedule stated
Formats docs-verified: ESRI · MapInfo · OGC WMS · OGC API Features
Access docs-verified: free open access under the Open Government Licence (OGL); acknowledge BGS material

Useful for

Use cases llm-inferred: Desk study: retrieve nearby historic borehole records for a site before ground investigation scoping · Foundation and earthworks risk screening using nearby borehole logs · Geological and groundwater context for flood risk or drainage design baselines · Mapping existing site investigation coverage for a planning or infrastructure application
Audience llm-inferred: geotechnical engineers · civil engineers · hydrogeologists · planners · GIS analysts

Limitations

Constraints llm-inferred: Index holds point records only; borehole scans and logs are a separate resource (borehole scans page) · Great Britain only; Northern Ireland not stated as covered · Onshore and near-shore only · GeoReports and GeoRecords are premium products, outside the open licence · Coverage is historic and uneven; records depend on past BGS drilling and survey work

Licence: free (OGL)
Authentication: Unknown — review source docs
GitHub stars: Unknown
Last commit: Unknown
Last successful page check: 16/10/2026
Page health: page reachable
Package: Not recorded
Verification: Not independently verified

Provenance & evidence

Verified 2026-10-16 (curl HTTP 200).

Metadata observed 14/10/2026 · research sweep: sweep-2026-10-16 (named: UK)

https://www.bgs.ac.uk/datasets/boreholes-index/