Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Northern Ireland

OpenDataNI provides geospatial data on Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) in Northern Ireland. The dataset, last updated on 2026-07-08, is designated under the Amenity Lands Act (Northern Ireland) 1965 and the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. It covers large areas of landscape with distinctive character and special scenic value.

Use Cases

• Map scenic landscape boundaries based on the AONB designations.
• Analyze spatial distribution of protected natural areas based on the described landscape character.
• Support environmental policy and planning decisions based on the legal designation framework.

Strengths

• Data is provided in the SHP format, a standard for geospatial vector data.
• The dataset has a specific legal basis, being designated under two Northern Ireland orders.
• Last updated date of 2026-07-08 is provided.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

OpenDataNI

Collection Method

Designated by legal order under the Amenity Lands Act (Northern Ireland) 1965 and the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (Northern Ireland) Order 1985.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-08 13:31:59.301806; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern Ireland