Case Study: Scottish Natural Heritage achieves first national map of Scotland's wild land with Ordnance Survey

Scottish Natural Heritage - Customer Case Study

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) needed to define and map “wild land” — a subjective but widely valued attribute of Scotland’s countryside (91% of residents say wild land is important) — so it could be protected and managed. Working under the One Scotland Mapping Agreement, SNH partnered with national park authorities and relied on data supplied by Ordnance Survey (notably the OS MasterMap Topography Layer and OS MasterMap ITN Layer) to move beyond a small-scale 2002 map toward a precise, national assessment.

Ordnance Survey’s data enabled SNH, the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond & The Trossachs national park authorities and the Wildland Research Institute to develop a GIS-based method mapping four qualities of wildness and combining them into Scotland’s first national wildness map. The Ordnance Survey-backed approach delivered a repeatable, 25‑metre‑resolution methodology and a published national map that informs planning guidance, supports policy decisions, raises awareness, and helps protect and promote Scotland’s wild landscapes with clear conservation and economic benefits.

Scottish Natural Heritage

Simon Brooks

Landscape Manager