Our Work Digital Imaging
A robotic machine arm holds an aerial photographic print. The robotic arm is red and black. In the background is a room filled with screens, machinery, and green lights. To the left someone with their back to us works with a screen.

Specially adapted robotic arms move prints to and from scanning beds
Our print digitisation suite operates 7 robots and 14 scanners

Digital Imaging

Digitisation is essential for the long term preservation of the records held by the National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), and to provide online access to our imagery and that of our partners. 

A new purpose-designed facility 

NCAP’s digital imaging facility operates 24 hours a day to create high-resolution copies of original aerial photographs held in print and on film as well as associated finding aids and plotting information. The workflow includes steps such as retrieval, preservation, cataloguing and quality assurance to ensure that each image is accurately recorded and made available online. 

We employ both manual and automated methods for digitisation. Skilled technicians oversee manual areas of digitisation to ensure collections are processed with meticulous attention to detail. In contrast, robotic systems efficiently handle large volumes of photographs, using advanced technology to automate the digitisation process while supervised by our Collections Care team to ensure photographic material is safely managed. This combination of manual expertise and robotic efficiency ensures the accurate and efficient digitisation of NCAP's extensive collections.

Seven white and grey image scanners spaced across lines of desks. The machines are closed. On either side of each scanner are rollers for film. The films are held on one of the rollers, fed through the scanner, then wound onto the second roller.
Historic, pre-1970s photographic film is digitised on professional grade flatbed scanners within specially designed workstations that ensure safe handling of film and high quality outputs.

Scanning

Professional grade scanners are used to convert analogue aerial images into high-resolution digital images. These scanners have been customised to allow the scanning of both aerial prints and roll film at optical resolutions up to 2000 ppi. This versatile method can accommodate different photograph sizes and formats, ensuring that the resulting digital images are suitable for a wide range of applications.

Two figures each hold open an image scanner on a white desk. They wear blue lab coats and black gloves. Each looks down and adjusts a roll of film that is being spooled across the scanner. Rolls of film and film canisters surround the scanners.
Our skilled team operate multiple workstations at simultaneously ensuring peak efficacy is achieved safely and consistently.

Photogrammetric Imaging

We operate one of the world’s largest suites of photogrammetric imaging systems. These automated systems can digitise up to 20 of images an hour, capturing the geometry of analogue aerial images with micron-levels of accuracy. The ultra-high resolution digital images produced by this technology allows our customers to work with extremely accurate datasets for use in their projects and geo-products.

A roll of film spools across a machine, connected to rollers on each side. The central section runs over a brightly lit, glass scanning bed. On the roll the film looks dark, but the light from the scanning bed gives the film a lavender purple glow.
We host one of the largest photogrammetric scanning suites in the world, comprising of industry leading Leica DSW700 and Vexcel Ultrascans operating 24 hours a day.

Robotic Digitisation

To efficiently handle large volumes of historic aerial photographic prints, we have developed a custom-designed automated robotic system. These systems optomise the digitisation process, making it suitable for large-volume collections of similar formats and sizes. Robotic digitisation ensures consistency and accuracy across vast numbers of images.

The glass surface of an image scanner is illuminated by bars of white light from below. A photographic print rests face down on the glass. A black cube with 4 white nozzles hovers over print, about to pick it up.
Robotic arm using suction to gently lift print from automated scanning workstation.

Other Material

Digitisation efforts go beyond photographic prints and film to encompass various materials like bound volumes, large maps, glass plate negatives, microfilm and three-dimensional objects such as print boxes or film canisters. 

At peak capacity, we can digitise up to 1.3 million images a year. This work is funded by website subscriptions and partnerships, and is a crucial part of our responsibility to preserve fragile photographic material and make it publicly accessible. 

Related reading

IN THIS SECTION

A purple gloved hand reaches in from the left. They are using a brush with a white handle to brush the surface of a black and white photographic print towards the nozzle of a black vacuum cleaner. There are other images and boxes on the table.

Collections Care

Making sure photographic collections are cleaned and stable before any scanning has started underpins all work at NCAP.

Two hands wearing grey gloves hold a slim cardboard box. They appear to be moving the box, and the bundle of boxes piled beneath it, on to the white shelving behind.

Cataloguing and Access

All collections held by NCAP are open public record, once catalogued they are made available to the public.

A white gloved hand reaches in from the right of the frame. The hand is holding a barcode scanner, which is shining a thin strip of red light on to a barcode. The barcode is stuck to the top of a black cylindrical tube.

Data Management

At peak efficiency, NCAP can create nearly 2TB of data a day which needs to be managed, transferred and secured for long-term preservation.