News & Articles

Find out about the latest news from NCAP and discover in-depth stories about NCAP collections, activities and projects.

A historic black and white aerial photo of a dam. The dam runs horizontally across the image, with the water appearing very black along the lower edge of the image. Rocky land is visible in the upper half of the image, with water outflows visible as white splashes.

Rediscovering the Nile: How Aerial Surveys Reveal Vanished Landscapes

The National Collection of Aerial Photography preserves images captured for the Geographical Section, General Staff decades before the construction of the Aswan High Dam transformed the River Nile and its surrounding lands. Together, they offer a rare opportunity to rediscover the Nile as it once was.

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A historic black and white vertical aerial photo of a large city straddling a river. 3 bridges cross the river, which runs into a lake at the bottom edge of the image. The city's streets and buildings are clearly visible.

Image Release Note 0035: NARA Upload

This release highlights Second World War imagery from NARA, with considerable coverage of Germany, as well as France, central Europe and the Middle East.

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A historic black and white vertical aerial photo of a coastline. The sea runs along the right-hand and bottom edges of the image, with a town visible on the land to the left. In the centre is a large castle, with 2 curtain walls, 2 grand gatehouses and numerous large towers.

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales Collaboration

The National Collection of Aerial Photography has been working with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales to digitise tens of thousands of aerial photographic images...

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A historic black and white vertical aerial photo of Caernarfon Castle with 7 large towers in its curtain wall and a large gatehouse. To the left of the castle is a walled town. The town borders the sea. Along the bottom of the image is a river on which are lots of small boats.

Image Release Note 0034: RCAHMW Upload

This release contains aerial reconnaissance imagery produced by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales from the 1940s to the 2000s, digitised and published in collaboration...

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A monochrome map of the city of Edinburgh. Lines and numbers in alternating black and red pen show where an aircraft has taken aerial photos.

Map Festival

On Friday 6 February 2026, NCAP participated in the first ever National Library of Scotland Map Festival – a celebration of all things cartographic.

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A historic black and white vertical aerial photo of a roughly oval-shaped island. A circular tower is visible to the left of centre, with a rectangular building complex at the bottom tip of the island.

Image Release Note 0033: Irish Military Archives Upload

This release contains aerial reconnaissance imagery produced by the Irish Defence Forces from the 1920s to the 1990s, digitised and published in collaboration with the Irish Military Archives.

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A historic black and white vertical aerial photo of a golf course along a shoreline. The water is to the left of the image, with the course running from top to bottom. Several grand buildings - including the Royal Troon clubhouse - are visible in the centre of the image.

Aerial Photography, Golf and Royal Troon

Aerial photographic surveys were undertaken for a range of technical purposes; today these photographs can be used to understand land-use change over time, including the development of golf courses. This...

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A historic black and white vertical aerial photo of a port. Numerous docks stretch into the surrounding city. Clouds obscure part of the image at the bottom right.

Image Release Note 0032: NARA Upload

This release highlights Second World War imagery from NARA, with considerable coverage of France, alongside Germany and the Low Countries.

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A historic black and white oblique aerial photo of Inverness. A river runs through the middle of the photo, with buildings on both banks. Two bridges cross the river. Inverness Castle is visible to the right of centre.

Operation REVUE

In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, the Air Ministry directed the Royal Air Force to undertake Operation REVUE, a comprehensive aerial photographic survey of the United Kingdom...

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A historic black and white vertical aerial photo of the city of Luxembourg, showing the city radiating out from its centre, with a winding river running from bottom left to top right of the image.

Image Release Note 0031: NARA Upload

This release highlights Second World War imagery from NARA, with considerable coverage of France, alongside Germany and the Low Countries.

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