What is the National Air Photo Library?
PDF version (2,587 kb)
The National Air Photo Library (NAPL) of Natural Resources Canada is a comprehensive historical archive for federal aerial photography. Air photo imagery from various years can be found in NAPL's collection of over six million photographs covering all of Canada. In many regions, the collection includes multi-year photo coverage, with some images dating back to the 1920s.
Aerial photography records the ever-changing cultural and natural features on the Earth's surface from overhead. Air photos capture residential and industrial areas, road and rail networks, and such geographical features as mountains, canyons, flatlands, rivers, lakes, forests and cropland. With careful interpretation, air photos are an excellent source of spatial information for studying Canada's geography and environment.
What are the uses of aerial photography?
Aerial photography in NAPL's collection provides a precise geographic “snapshot”– literally – of any and every part of Canada. Historically, air photos were collected for the compilation of detailed topographic maps created through the visual interpretation of landforms and features captured in the images.
More recently, industry, consultantsand researchers have recognized the extensive archive of photography at NAPL as essential primary data for resource exploration and management, environmental assessments and climate change studies. Other practical applications of aerial photography include land use planning and change detection, forestry management, environmental impact studies, civil law cases and the measurement of glacial retreat.
Over 90 percent of the photographs in NAPL's collection are monochrome (black and white), but some are available in colour or infrared. Each air photo is cross-referenced to an index map or flight report that indicates the exact flight path and flight altitude; identifies film type, film number and photo centres; and specifies date, time of exposure, camera and weather conditions.
Air photos can be scanned at a high resolution (300–1200 dots per inch [dpi]) with excellent results. They can also be easily geo-referenced and integrated with other location-based (or “geospatial”) data for use in Geographic Information System (GIS) applications.
Air photos on-line
You can access the aerial photography in the NAPL collection through various means, including the Web through the NAPL On-Line search tool. NAPL On-Line allows you to search and retrieve data for more than three million aerial photographs of Canada. Moreover, it visually depicts the “footprint” of photos on a topographic map background.
You may search for air photos using several criteria, including an official place name, geographical coordinates, a National Topographic System map number or a specific roll and photo number. Once the search is completed, you can order the air photos on-line from NAPL.
Air photo products
Contact/laser prints: Monochrome contact prints are made from the photo negative exposed on matte, 10 in. × 10 in., photographic paper. Copies can be produced on a high-quality grey-scale/ colour photocopier and printed on high-gloss paper.
Digital imagery: Scanned aerial photographs, black and white or coloured, are available in TIF or JPEG formats at resolutions between 300 and 1200 dpi. Scanned images from original negatives are also available upon request.
Other products available from NAPL include air photo enlargements, custom mosaics, transparencies, scenic images, aerial survey database information, flight index maps, flight line reports, calibration reports and other miscellaneous photography.
Contact NAPL
National Air Photo Library
Natural Resources Canada
615 Booth Street, Room 180
Ottawa ON K1A 0E9
Toll Free: 1-800-230-6275
Phone: 613-995-4560
Fax: 613-995-4568
Email: napl@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
Web Site: National Air Photo Library