News Image Release Note 011: NCAP Upload

Image Release Note 011: NCAP Upload

A historic colour vertical aerial photo of a shoreline. Along the bottom of the image is a blue sea. A wide beach interspersed with groynes runs along the sea, with the houses of a town inland from the beach.

Summary

This release comprises predominantly late 20th-century aerial imagery from private survey firms and United Kingdom government agencies such as the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Environment Agency (EA). It represents a strategic expansion of the Air Photo Finder imagery, offering extensive UK coverage, much of which is in colour, reflecting the era’s growing reliance on aerial surveys for infrastructure planning, environmental monitoring, and research. 

The imagery spans England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with detailed views of coastal zones (e.g. Hayling Island, Dunwich to Great Yarmouth, Southern Water sites) and urban centres like Bradford, Cambridge, and West Ruislip. Inland regions such as Staffordshire, Lincolnshire, and Bedfordshire are also well represented. European coverage includes France, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, and the Faroe Islands, adding continental context. 

The inclusion of beach monitoring and tidal surveys highlights the environmental focus of this release, while traffic and infrastructure studies (e.g. Bedford Traffic Survey, Liverpool St to Colchester) underscore its planning utility.

Image caption: East Wittering Beach, West Sussex, England, UK; Collection: BKS Surveys, Sortie: BKS/UK/00/0031, Frame: 0041 (01 July 2000).

Release Extent
New Sortie 272
New Frames 41,492
Date Range 1970s – 2000s

Geographical Coverage

United Kingdom

  • England: Bournemouth, Bradford, Lincoln, Cambridge, Reading, Stoke-on-Trent, Liverpool, Bedfordshire, Hayling Island, Humber Estuary, New Forest
  • Scotland: Invergordon, Shandwick
  • Wales: Mold Bypass

Europe

  • Ireland: Dublin, County Dublin
  • France
  • The Netherlands
  • Spain
  • Italy
  • Cyprus
  • Faroe Islands

Special Themes

  • Environmental Focus: Beach monitoring, tidal surveys, coal stocks, water infrastructure (Southern Water)

 

Collection Detail
NERC 171 sorties 27,294 frames
SIMMONS 81 sorties 10,351 frames
BKS SURVEYS 11 sorties 2,312 frames
AIRBUS 4 sorties 846 frames
UK PERSPECTIVES 2 sorties 425 frames
ENVIRONMENT AGENCY 2 sorties 264 frames

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