The Open River Network (ORN) - a topologically correct and attributed open-source river network for Great Britain

Hornby, Duncan (2030) The Open River Network (ORN) - a topologically correct and attributed open-source river network for Great Britain. RRC Annual Conference 2026, Newport, Wales, Newport, United Kingdom. 29 - 30 Apr 2026.

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Other)

Abstract

This talk presents a topologically correct, attributed, analysis-ready river network for Great Britain. It is built from the OS Open River (TM), an Open Data released under an Open Government License (OGL). The original release of OS Open Rivers was not a fully connected dataset limiting its use in analysis and research. The OS Open Rivers data underwent extensive editing to correct and enforce a full network geospatial dataset to become the Open River Network (ORN). As a fully connected network, it was possible to run tools to attribute the network, generate a sampling point layer of over 1.4 million points and build a catchment layer linking over 1.2 million quality-controlled catchment areas to their sampling point. The true power of ORN, a richly attributed dataset, is its ability to be exploited through automation. The next release of ORN will include floodplain width transects for the whole of GB.

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