Online aerial photography

Find answers to your most common enquiries about online aerial imagery.

What is aerial imagery?

Aerial imagery is 'photographs' taken from an aircraft at a predetermined altitude and commonly along a predetermined flight grid. All aerial imagery available online is taken vertically, that is, perpendicular to the earth's surface.

What is an aerial image mosaic?

Landgate joins hundreds of individual aerial 'photographs' to form one seamless image called a mosaic. It allows you to pan, zoom and select imagery over an area of your choice.

Is your aerial imagery live?

No, the aerial imagery you see online is a mosaic of ortho-rectified photographic images captured at a point in time. We capture imagery of the Perth metropolitan area twice a year, regional centres annually, the outer metropolitan area every two years and other areas every five to ten years. Imagery is available from 1948, but the majority of our online archive starts from 1999. We are continually updating our online aerial image library.

Can I purchase aerial imagery taken prior to 1999?

Yes, our aerial imagery dates from 1948 onwards. You can purchase a print, enlargement or a digital scan of any of our historical photography.

What do I get when I buy aerial imagery online?

You will receive:

1. Aerial imagery for the area you have selected.
2. A licence which advises you on the permitted usage of the imagery after purchase.
3. Supporting information (metadata). For example, the date of capture and ground resolution.
4. For ECW, J-PEG 2000 & GeoTIFF only, geo-referencing (coordinate and zone) information to advise of the image's spatial position.

How can I pay online?

You can pay for your imagery online in two ways:

1. Credit card (MasterCard and Visa are accepted)
2. Landgate Customer Account. To enable payment via your Landgate Customer Account you must access the services via MyLandgate. To do this, log in to MyLandgate and select aerial photography under Online Shop from your MyLandgate channel homepage. This will take you to the aerial photography service and will pre-populate your account details within the shopping trolley.

For further details about opening a Landgate Customer Account please call + 61 (0)8 9273 7373 or email customerservice@landgate.wa.gov.au.

Will the imagery I buy online show property boundaries?

No, your imagery will not show the property boundary lines that you can see on our web site. Please call (08) 9273 7373 or email geodata@landgate.wa.gov.au for more information on purchasing customised aerial imagery.

Will the file size of the image that I buy affect how it is delivered?

Yes, it will. Refer to the table below for a guide on modes of delivery:

Note: Image delivery on a CD or DVD will incur additional delivery charges.

Is there a limit to the file size of the imagery that I can buy online?

Yes, the imagery you order online cannot exceed 4.5GB (compressed file size). If you wish to order imagery greater than 4.5GB, you will need to supply Landgate with a removable hard disk drive. Please call +61 (0)8 9273 7373 or email geodata@landgate.wa.gov.au for further details.

How do I choose the best format?

As a general rule if you are buying small images for general purpose use it is best to select a JPEG format. Images in this format can be used within standard graphical/desktop publishing and word processing software, and for that reason, they are not geo-referenced.

If you are buying larger images for professional use it is best to select ECW or JPEG2000 format. Please refer to the detailed information below on the various formats we offer.

JPEG(or JPG) is the best format for general use of smaller sized aerial images, but contains no spatial attribution or location information.Note: Please be aware that large-size JPEG images (e.g. over 100MB) may be difficult to load into your software package. If you require a large size image, it is suggested that you consider ordering an ECW or JPEG2000 format image.

ECW format is best for imagery of particularly large areas. ECWs are geo-referenced and maintain the quality of an image as you zoom in. It does this by automatically reconstructing the image as you zoom in, maintaining the best possible resolution for that scale.

JPEG2000 is a similar format to ECW, and suited for imagery over particularly large areas. JPEG2000 (or *.JP2) will provide much better image quality at smaller file sizes than the standard JPEG format. This format is also geo-referenced and best to use when high visual quality at a reduced file size is required.

GeoTIFF (as the name suggests) has geo-referencing information embedded with a TIFF file. It is an uncompressed format and is best for general use of smaller sized aerial images. Note: Please be aware that large size GeoTIFF images (e.g. over 500MB) may be difficult to load into your software package. If you require a large size image, it is suggested that you consider ordering an ECW or JPEG2000 format image.

What image resolution do I choose?

Image resolution is linked to "Ground Measurement". Landgate recommends that images are ordered at their default ground measurement (resolution) where possible.

If you wish to change the resolution of an image you will need to alter the ground measurement (in pixels) of the image. You can do this by going to the 'Image Output Properties'. Then select the appropriate 'Ground Measurement' value. Please refer to samples of imagery to view various resolutions so as to determine which is best for your purpose.

Note: The ground measurement shown on the screen (defaulted) will be as it was when the imagery was initially captured. Changing the ground measurement value of an image will affect the price and quality of your aerial imagery product.

If you require your image to be changed to another ground measurement that is different to that made available online, please call +61 (0)8 9273 7373 or email geodata@landgate.wa.gov.au for further details. Please note that charges will apply.

Why do I need to change the 'Quality' (compression ratio)?

You will need to change the "Quality" (compression ratio) for your image if you wish to reduce the size of the image file. Refer to samples of imagery to view examples of images compressed at various ratios. This will allow you to see the effect on image quality at various compressions.

Note: Changing the compression ratio of an image will not affect the price of your aerial imagery order.

If you require your image to be compressed at a different ratio to that made available online, please call +61 (0)8 9273 7373 or email geodata@landgate.wa.gov.au for further details.

Can I order the image in another projection?

Yes. To do this, go to the "Image Output Properties" screen and then select "Advanced Output Properties". Then continue by choosing the appropriate "Projection" and "Datum" for your image.

Note: The projection/Datum shown (defaulted) will be that of the aerial image at the time of capture. Changing the projection of your image will not affect the price of your aerial imagery order.

Can I remove the white or black spaces around the image?

A "black space" on a portion of the imagery is an area that was historically restricted for public viewing for security reasons, e.g. Prisons and ADF installations. They cannot be removed. Recent imagery is not affected by "black space".

A "white/black space" that exists on the edge of an aerial image displays the boundary of the mosaic. To view imagery outside of these boundary lines, you need to refer to the adjacent mosaic.

When will my imagery be delivered to me?

The online shop will deliver your imagery via email or download within approximately 30 minutes. Imagery delivered via CD or DVD will be within seven working days.

What internet browser software do I need?

This service has been developed to work with the major internet browsers. Refer to our system capability information for details.

Are there any terms and conditions about how I use the imagery I buy?

Yes, the aerial imagery you purchase must be used in a manner specified by a Landgate licence which you will be asked to accept at the time of purchase.