Our Work Cataloguing and Access

7 think cardboard boxes stacked together on their sides. Each box has a series of numbers written along its edge in black ink. — **Vital reference information from print boxes is catalogued in the NCAP database**
NCAP records as much data as possible about when and where images were taken

Vital reference information from print boxes is catalogued in the NCAP database
NCAP records as much data as possible about when and where images were taken

Cataloguing and Access

Name: National Collection of Aerial Photography
Price range: $

Digitising physical prints and rolls of film is just one stage in making the images held by the National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP) accessible. NCAP records detailed information about collections, their related sorties and each image frame captured.

access goals

By providing access to these essential resources, NCAP assists users in locating the images they require. Various pathways into the collection exist based on individual research needs. However, before these resources can be made publicly available, the team must fully catalogue all information to enhance records access and facilitate future retrieval.

Cataloguing and ‘Footprinting’

After images undergo digitisation for NCAP’s Air Photo Finder, the cataloguers create a geographic footprint for individual frames, enabling users to locate the images on the map-based platform. Our team compare the original sortie plots – which show aircraft flight paths during reconnaissance or survey missions – alongside a digital map of the same area. A digital outline of the area covered by the photograph is captured within the digital map, which is then stored as the image ‘footprint’ in the collection database.

While most of NCAP’s images are vertical aerial photographs taken looking straight down, the collection also includes many oblique aerial photographs captured at an angle towards the horizon. This information is recorded alongside each digital image, ensuring the footprints reflect the relevant vertical or oblique perspective. For the best viewing experience, each vertical image is rotated with the northern edge aligned to the top of the frame, as this reflects the traditional way maps are positioned.

A colour aerial photo of the Forth bridges. Small areas of land are visible in the bottom left and top right corners, separated by a large area of greenish-looking sea. The areas of land are joined by a light grey road bridge and a red rail bridge. — To help users identify the images they need, our expert cataloguers need to plot their geographical location.

A screenshot of a satellite image of the Lothians and Fife. A historic map marked with coloured lines indicating flight paths has been laid over the image. A row of numbered, red digital boxes lines up with a coloured line covering the Forth bridges. — By using sortie plots - maps which show where photographs were taken - our cataloguers are able to identify the area covered by a particular sortie.

A screenshot of a satellite image of the Lothians and Fife, with green and brown fields, the city of Edinburgh in the middle and blue sea in the top right quarter. The same row of numbered, red digital boxes from the previous image is still visible. — The cataloguers can then match individual photographs with geographical reference points to create footprints - the area shown in the image - in our cataloguing tool.

A digital map of the Lothians and Fife, showing 921 photos available. There are numerous blue pins and numbered dots showing where each photo is located and how many are in each location. There is a pop-up of the earlier photo of the Forth bridges. — The resulting footprints allow users to see which images cover an exact area in NCAP's Air Photo Finder.

Additionally, we catalogue other details about the photographs in the NCAP Collection. This includes reference numbers for each sortie and frame numbers of each image, allowing users to identify specific photographs correctly and consistently. Our team also records the exact capture date for photographs, when it is available, allowing users to observe changes in landscape, buildings or the natural environment over time. Information about individual squadrons and pilots, where known, and a collections' history before it came to us, is likewise associated with each sortie and held in the ArchviesSpace information management application.

A screenshot of a webpage headed ‘ArchivesSpace Public Interface’. It contains text relating to the Allied Central Interpretation Unit Collection of aerial photos at NCAP. Headings include ‘Abstract’, ‘Dates’ and ‘Biographical/Historical notes’. — Screen grab of ArchivesSpace catalogued data; which provides additional collections information to both researchers and NCAP staff.

Access

Depending on your research questions, there are different pathways into the NCAP collections. These can range from wanting to view historic photographs of your family's ancestral home, to viewing land use change over decades in regions around the globe. Or your questions may relate to certain collections as a whole, from records around particular military reconnaissance operations, to gaining a better understating of the the political rationale which led to the photographic documentation of territories around the globe.

We aim to facilitate access to the collections to support research and public interest, no matter what your question might be.

Air Photo Finder

Once images have been digitised, catalogued and processed, they will become accessible, and can be viewed on Air Photo Finder. By allowing you to navigate our map-based platform, filtering by photography date, our goal is to give you the tools to view as much imagery as we can provide from the ease of your home or office.

Purchasing high-resolution copies is now easier and quicker than before with an end-to-end payment and delivery process. The income generated through image sales, licensing and subscriptions is crucial in supporting our preservation efforts.

A screenshot of a digital map of the Lothians, showing 1194 photos available. There are numerous blue pins and numbered dots showing where each photo is located and how many are in each location. On the left are 3 colour aerial photos of Edinburgh. — Air Photo Finder holds geographically located digital images for viewing and purchasing.

Plotting data and subscriptions

For not-yet-digitised photographs, users can order images through the Scan on Demand service. The same finding aids used by the Cataloguing Team are also available to the public through the subscription service. Almost 45,000 of these finding aids are digitised and accessible.

Using plotting data, our users will have access to millions more images from the collections.

A colourful map of Amsterdam and Haarlem, with blue representing water and brown representing dense city centres. A straggling line of black boxes marked with odd numbers from 47 to 61 indicates where a reconnaissance plane took photos. — Finding aid of sortie flown over Amsterdam; Collection: ACIU, Sortie: HAA/049 (18 June 1940)

Collections level information

Researchers looking for information beyond the content of visual imagery, archive level descriptions are available through ArchivesSpace. Following archive sector standard cataloguing (ISAD-G) practices, we aim to facilitate access to academic research wherever possible.

Bespoke research access

Additionally, a Paid Image Search service is available for undigitised imagery. If you are still looking for some assistance, our team is able to help you with a bespoke research request.

Visitors are also able to access post-1945 Scottish aerial photography and 1939-1945 Western European imagery in print or microfilm format in the Search Room. Please note that hard-copy prints are not provided for digitally available images.