OS Aerial Products at Various Scales

OS MasterMap Imagery Layer is Ordnance Survey’s official aerial photography product — high-resolution, up-to-date coverage of Great Britain, true-orthorectified and aligned precisely to MasterMap for accurate spatial referencing. Product: OS MasterMap Imagery Layer (GIS/AOI)

We’ve supplied official OS aerial products for 20+ years as an Ordnance Survey Premium Partner.

Fast digital turnaround via download link — typically within ~20–30 minutes, 7 days a week.

It’s officially licensed, true-orthorectified and precisely aligned to OS coordinates (OSGB36/BNG), ensuring accuracy for professional measurement, overlay, and analysis in CAD/GIS.

1:1250 — more detailed, zoomed-in coverage for site analysis (most popular for planning). 1:2500 — wider area with slightly less detail when you need broader context. Products: Aerial 1:1250 • Aerial 1:2500

1:1250 is the most popular for planning — it clearly shows site features, boundaries and context alongside your standard OS 1:1250 extract. Products: Aerial 1:1250 • OS 1:1250 Planning Extract

Aerial Extracts (1:1250 / 1:2500) — ready-to-use image files (JPG/PDF) for reports and planning documents. Imagery Layer Tiles/Sections — GIS-ready GeoTIFF for professional workflows. Products: Imagery Tiles (1 km) • Imagery AOI (Sections)

Choose Tiles (1 km × 1 km) for standardised coverage or large areas. Choose Sections (AOI) to buy only the exact area you need. (See our guidance on Tiles vs Sections/AOI.) Products: Tiles • AOI/Sections

Aerial Extracts — JPG/PDF (report/portal friendly). Imagery Layer Tiles & Sections — GeoTIFF (georeferenced raster) for GIS software.

The imagery is geometrically corrected to remove camera tilt, terrain effects and building lean, yielding a consistent top-down view for accurate distance/area measurement.

It removes the apparent outward tilt of tall buildings common in raw aerial photos, ensuring a true vertical footprint that aligns perfectly with OS vector data.

Yes — because it’s orthorectified and aligned to OS coordinates, enabling reliable distance and area measurements (especially in GIS platforms).

The imagery is precisely georeferenced to match OS MasterMap vectors, so you can overlay photography with mapping features for verification and analysis.

Planning applications, site surveys, environmental assessments, land-use analysis, boundary verification, engineering and landscape design, asset management, and reducing repeat site visits.

Up-to-date imagery lets you assess access, boundaries and surrounding context remotely — making site visits more efficient and targeted.

Yes — it provides authoritative visual evidence of existing site conditions and context to support your planning submission.

Yes — combined with OS MasterMap, it helps confirm fences, hedgerows and physical features along boundaries.

Engineers, surveyors, planners, architects, environmental consultants, property professionals and local authorities across the UK.

GeoTIFF works with all major GIS platforms — ArcGIS, QGIS, MapInfo — and any software that reads georeferenced rasters.

Yes — it’s designed to align with OS MasterMap and other OS vector layers for seamless overlay and analysis.

If you need editable vectors for design, choose OS MasterMap (DWG/DXF). Many projects use both — aerials for visual context and MasterMap vectors for detailed design.

OS regularly refreshes coverage. Contact UK Map Centre and we’ll confirm the latest imagery for your area.

Yes — products include appropriate licensing. Get in touch with your intended use and we’ll advise on the best licence.