Arcadia
Thanks to generous funding from Arcadia, a charitable foundation that works to record cultural heritage and promote access to knowledge, the National Collection of Aerial Photography will digitise over 100,000 aerial photographs of the Middle East and North Africa.
The National Collection of Aerial Photography holds hundreds of thousands of aerial images covering the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Created for intelligence and mapping purposes by the British from the 1930s onwards, the Americans from the 1940s onwards, and by commercial air survey companies, these images provide decades of repeat coverage of the MENA region.
In June 2026 an agreement was reached with Arcadia that will progressively transform access to this historical aerial imagery. Over 100,000 aerial photographs covering the MENA region will be digitised and made accessible via our online platform. These images will also be used to generate a collection of orthorectified mosaics of locations in the MENA region for the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) Project.
The primary aim of the EAMENA Project is to record and evaluate the status of the archaeological landscape of the MENA region, to create an accessible body of data that national and international heritage professionals can use to target sites most in danger and better plan the preservation of this heritage.
By making unique imagery of the MENA region accessible through our online platform and the availability of rectified mosaics, the scope for applied research across a range of disciplines will be transformed.
Among many possible applications, beyond archaeological prospection, researchers will have the scope to use this historical data to track the long-term effects of climate change, such as coastal erosion, extreme heat patterns, and shifting water resources.
Arcadia helps people to record cultural heritage, to conserve and restore nature, and to promote open access to knowledge. Since 2002 Arcadia has awarded more than $1.3 billion to organisations around the world.
IN THIS SECTION
Directorate of Overseas Surveys Partnership
Working with Stockholm University and the University of California (Berkeley), this partnership delivered a pioneering digitisation programme.
Edinburgh International Data Facility
Our research collaboration with the EIDF facilitates access to high-performance computing infrastructure, enabling the development of advanced algorithms and creation of analytics-ready datasets.
Irish Defence Forces
NCAP has been working with the Irish Defence Forces to digitise tens of thousands of aerial photographic images and associated records held by the Irish Military Archives.
The Medmenham Collection
With significant elements of the NCAP collection originating from RAF Medmenham, our relationship with the Medmenham Collection remains a valuable one.
National Archives and Records Administration
In 2016, NCAP began a partnership with NARA to copy its extensive holdings of aerial photography, with a particular focus on images from the Second World War.
National Library and Archives of the United Arab Emirates
NCAP has been working with the National Library and Archives of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to digitise tens of thousands of aerial photographic images of the UAE.
Qatar National Library
We have been working with the Qatar National Library to digitise tens of thousands of aerial photographic images covering Qatar held by NCAP.
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
NCAP has been working with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales to digitise tens of thousands of aerial photographic images held in The National Monuments Record of Wales.