How Ace Fresh sources are collected and reviewed

Candidate water source records are gathered from several origins:

• OpenStreetMap, a community-edited geographic database licensed under the Open Data Commons Open Database Licence (ODbL).
• Public datasets from water utilities such as Scottish Water.
• Community submissions from signed-in Ace users.
• Information published by councils, visitor centres and campsite operators.

Importing a record does not automatically mean it is published or verified. Most imported records begin with a status of "pending review."

Each candidate record includes latitude and longitude. Before publication, coordinates are cross-referenced against satellite imagery and mapping data to confirm the location is plausible. Sources with missing or clearly incorrect coordinates are held for manual review.

When multiple records describe the same physical water outlet, one record is retained as the canonical source page. Duplicates are marked as hidden. The retained record preserves the best available information from all duplicate entries.

A community-mapped source is one whose location was originally contributed by a volunteer mapper on OpenStreetMap or submitted directly by an Ace user. Community mapping provides coverage that official datasets may not include, but it does not constitute a water-quality test or safety endorsement.

Each source is classified by access status: public access, private land, or access requiring Ace permission. Sources on private land are clearly marked. Where a source requires landowner permission, the listing states this and may link to the relevant Ace Access listing.

Every published source receives one of these classifications:

• Verified drinking water — evidence indicates the water is intended or approved for drinking. Evidence source and date are recorded.
• Treated refill point — a managed tap or outlet connected to a treated supply.
• Tested with limitations — the source has been tested but with conditions or limitations noted.
• Untested natural source — no evidence confirms the water is safe to drink.
• Seasonal or unverified — flow may vary or stop, and no safety evidence exists.
• Temporarily unavailable — insufficient recent information to confirm operation.
• Permanently closed — the source has been decommissioned or removed.

Classifications are based on the evidence available at the time of review. They can change when new evidence is submitted.

Accepted evidence includes official water-testing certificates, confirmation from the site operator, council records, Scottish Water station listings, and photographic evidence of managed refill infrastructure. Community flow reports confirm that water is visibly flowing but do not constitute a water-quality test.

Published sources are reviewed when new information is submitted, when verification dates expire, or when community reports indicate a change in status. There is no fixed review schedule, but sources with expired verification are flagged for administrative attention.

Any signed-in user can submit a condition report on a source page. Reports are reviewed by an administrator before the source classification is updated. Users can also suggest new sources, report incorrect locations, or provide updated access information.

A source can be removed or hidden if it is confirmed to be permanently closed, the location is incorrect and cannot be resolved, the landowner requests removal, or the source poses a safety risk that cannot be adequately communicated through status labels.

Ace Fresh does not operate, maintain or test water sources. The dataset relies on community contributions, public records and periodic review. Coverage is uneven across the UK and may be incomplete in many areas. Information can become outdated between reviews. A listing does not constitute a guarantee that water is available, accessible or safe to drink.

Source location data derived from OpenStreetMap is used under the ODbL licence. Where source records originate from OpenStreetMap, the OSM node reference is preserved in the source notes. Ace Access supplements, reviews and classifies this data but does not claim ownership of community-contributed geographic information.

A read-only public data feed of published sources is available. The feed includes source name, type, coordinates, safety classification and last review date. It does not include private user information or unpublished records.

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