- About the Defra Data Services Platform (DSP)
- Registering: Who can register on the Defra Data Services Platform (DSP)
- Registering: How to create an account on Defra Data Services Platform (DSP)
- Searching for Data on the Defra Data Services Platform (DSP)
- Searching: Why is my search taking a long time to return results?
- Metadata: Understanding information provided with each Defra Data Services Platform (DSP) dataset
- Metadata: Understanding the metadata dates displayed for datasets on the Defra Data Services Platform (DSP) and Data.Gov.Uk
- Downloading Data by Area of Interest
- Downloading Survey Data
- Downloading Data as a Contractor
- Downloading Large Datasets
- Web Services: Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards
- Web Services: How do I use Web Feature Service (WFS) layers?
- Web Services: Why is my existing Web Feature Service (WFS) request no longer returning any features?
- Web Services: Why can’t I see any layers listed underneath the WMS I have added in QGIS?
- Web Services: I am using a BBOX request when adding my Web Feature Service (WFS) to a map but it's still drawing all the features
- Web Services: Why do I get an error message when loading WMS or WFS data?
- Web Services: I have confirmed I am using the correct typeName, but I’m still not seeing any features in my map?
- Why clearing cache in a browser is important and how to do it
Downloading Data by Area of Interest
Created: 31 October 2023 Updated: 25 June 2025
The Defra Data Services Platform provides a preview and download of spatial data. This is accessed via the ‘Data and Supporting Information’ section of a dataset page. Clicking on the option to ‘Download data by area of interest’ will take you to the download page.
Previewing the data
To preview the data first, click the layers icon
on the green bar above the map To view the data, toggle the layer(s) on and off. NB. You may need to zoom in, if the data does not initially display
Navigating around the map
You can search for a location by postcode, town or latitude and longitude. Latitude and longitude can be entered in: decimal degrees (e.g. 51.507858, -0.087702), or degrees minutes seconds (e.g. 51° 30′ 28.40″ N, 0° 5′ 16.21″ W)
You can use
to re-set the map viewTo zoom in and out, use the
and 
icons
Downloading the data – all public users
To download the data, click the download icon
on the green bar above the map This will display the Download box:
You can select your area of interest in one of 3 ways:
By default, you can draw your area of interest (AOI) using the draw polygon tools:
Alternatively, you can upload a shp file for your area of interest (AOI). Your shapefile must be uploaded in a zip file. Click ‘Choose File’ and navigate to where your zip file is saved. NB. Your shp file must have less than 1,000 vertices and have a co-ordinate reference system
An option is also available to download the full dataset, although for larger datasets you may be prompted to make a large data request
Next, select which layers you want to download
Select your download file format - data is available in GeoJSON, GML3, KML, ESRI Geodatabase, ESRI Shapefile, MapInfo MID/MIF and MapInfo TAB formats
Then click the green download file button to download your data. NB. for larger datasets this may take a few minutes to complete, or you may be prompted to submit a large data request
Downloading the data – registered partner users
If you are a registered user of the DSP and are downloading a restricted dataset, your registered area of interest (AOI) will be displayed by default when you see the Download box. All drawn and uploaded AOIs for data will be clipped to your registered AOI.