canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/getthedata.com/getthedata

# Getthedata bng2latlong

The bng2latlong API converts an OSGB36 easting and northing coordinate pair from the British National Grid into a WGS84 latitude and longitude. The single GET endpoint accepts the easting and northing as path parameters and returns the converted coordinates plus the original input echoed back. It is unauthenticated and aimed at UK GIS, surveying, and property workflows that need to bridge British National Grid data into modern web map layers.

## For AI agents

Convert British National Grid (OSGB36) easting/northing coordinates to WGS84 latitude and longitude with a single unauthenticated GET request.

## Scope

Does not handle address geocoding, routing, or reverse WGS84-to-OSGB conversion - use for OSGB36 easting/northing to WGS84 latitude/longitude conversion only.

## Capabilities

- Convert OSGB36 easting and northing values to WGS84 latitude and longitude
- Return the converted coordinates with the original easting and northing echoed for traceability
- Operate without API keys, OAuth, or any credential setup
- Handle UK-specific coordinate transforms used by Ordnance Survey datasets
- Provide a stable single-endpoint surface suitable for batch geocoding scripts

## Use cases

### Plot UK Ordnance Survey Data on Web Maps

Many UK datasets - land registry, planning, environmental surveys - use British National Grid (OSGB36) easting and northing coordinates that web maps like Google Maps, Mapbox, and Leaflet do not understand. The bng2latlong API converts each grid reference into WGS84 latitude and longitude in a single GET call so points can be plotted on a standard tile layer without bundling a coordinate-transform library.

Example prompt: Call GET /bng2latlong/651409/313177 and return the WGS84 latitude and longitude in the response body.

### Property and Surveying Lookups

Surveyors, conveyancers, and PropTech tools regularly receive coordinates in OSGB36 format from Ordnance Survey or Land Registry exports and need to display them on a consumer-facing map. The bng2latlong API removes the need for proj4 or custom transform code - a single GET request returns the converted coordinates with the input echoed for audit purposes.

Example prompt: Convert easting 530000 northing 180000 and verify the result falls within Greater London (latitude ~51.5, longitude ~-0.1).

### AI Agent Geographic Reasoning

When an agent receives a UK address dataset that uses British National Grid references, it can call bng2latlong to normalise every record to WGS84 before reasoning over distances or rendering on a map. Through Jentic the operation is discoverable by the natural-language intent 'convert OSGB to lat lon' and returns a typed response, so the agent does not need to read the docs first.

Example prompt: For each row in the dataset, convert its easting/northing to WGS84 and append the latitude and longitude to the row.

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GET | /bng2latlong/{easting}/{northing} | Convert OSGB36 easting/northing to WGS84 latitude/longitude |

## Key resources

- **bng2latlong** — Convert an OSGB36 easting and northing to WGS84 latitude and longitude

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring bng2latlong by hand means reading the getthedata.com docs, formatting the easting and northing into the URL path, and parsing the conversion response yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import bng2latlong from the API Directory, and your agent calls it, with no credential to store because this API needs none.
- **Permission scoping:** bng2latlong exposes a single read-only conversion operation, GET /bng2latlong/{easting}/{northing}, with the coordinates carried in the URL path, so scope the agent to that one operation. There are no write or destructive actions to expose.
- **Credential handling:** bng2latlong needs no credential, so there is nothing to store, and Jentic invokes the endpoint directly at execution time. No secret enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context because none exists.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'convert an OSGB grid reference to latitude and longitude', and Jentic returns the GET /bng2latlong/{easting}/{northing} operation with its parameter schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.

## Related APIs

- **OpenStreetMap** — OpenStreetMap consumes WGS84 coordinates returned by bng2latlong for tile-based rendering
- **Positionstack** — Positionstack offers global forward and reverse geocoding for postal addresses; bng2latlong is UK-grid specific

## FAQ

### What authentication does bng2latlong use?

bng2latlong is unauthenticated - no API key, OAuth token, or credential is required. Through Jentic it is callable directly with no vault setup, which is unusual; most APIs in the catalogue require Jentic's encrypted credential handling.

### Can I convert a single OSGB36 coordinate with bng2latlong?

Yes. GET /bng2latlong/{easting}/{northing} accepts the easting and northing as path parameters and returns the WGS84 latitude and longitude alongside the original input echoed back. There is no batch endpoint - for a list of points, call the endpoint once per coordinate.

### What are the rate limits for bng2latlong?

The spec does not declare explicit rate limits. The service is community-run, so production workloads should throttle requests sensibly and cache results for repeated grid references.

### How do I convert a British National Grid coordinate through Jentic?

Search Jentic for 'convert OSGB easting northing to lat long'. Jentic returns the GET /bng2latlong/{easting}/{northing} operation with its schema; load it, pass the easting and northing, and execute to get back WGS84 coordinates.

### Does bng2latlong support reverse conversion from WGS84 back to OSGB36?

No. The single available endpoint converts from OSGB36 easting/northing to WGS84 only. For the reverse direction use a complementary tool such as the Ordnance Survey OS Maps API or a local proj4 transform.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the bng2latlong API?

Yes. Because you run Jentic One self-hosted, your own rules decide which operations and credentials the agent may use, so you can scope it to only the single read-only conversion operation, GET /bng2latlong/{easting}/{northing}. This API exposes no write or destructive actions and needs no credential, so the agent can convert OSGB36 easting/northing to WGS84 latitude/longitude and do nothing else. If you prefer, you can withhold even that one operation until you explicitly allow it.