Historical Aerial Photography Flight Lines and Photo Centres

[View Map in ArcGIS] ##### ##### Abstract This dataset shows where historical aerial photographs were taken, including the location of photo centres and the flight paths of the aircraft. A photo centre is the point on the ground directly beneath the camera when the photo was taken. A flight line is the path the aircraft flew when taking a series of photos. How positions were captured Positions were obtained in different ways, depending on available information: * flight line diagrams: maps or drawings showing aircraft flight paths (also called ‘runs’) and photo centres locations (‘centroids’) in relation to ground features * georeferenced photo frames: photo frames aligned with known locations on a map * estimation: where direct information was limited, photo centres were estimated using available data Each photo centre and flight line may include details such as: * capture date * the type of camera and film used * scanning status (for example, whether the photo has been scanned and is available digitally) The dataset does not include the actual photographs. To view the photos, use the [Australian Government Historical Aerial Photo Explorer] app. This app allows people to search, view, and download the historical aerial photos themselves. ##### Lineage statement The information about flight lines and photo centres in this dataset was compiled from historical sources and converted into digital form. Where a georeferenced flight line diagram was available for a set of photographs, the flight lines and photo centre points were digitised. Details written on these diagrams were transcribed (copied) into the dataset if they could be read. Many old diagrams were in poor condition or had blurry scans, which made the text hard to read and capture. Additional sources were used to check and add more details to the information. Data from the flight line diagrams was cross-referenced with records from the National Library of Australia, the National Archives of Australia, State and Territory government databases and other aerial photo records. In some cases, scanned aerial photograph frames were used. Notes attached to film rolls (known as film header files) provided additional details. If no flight line diagram was available, the positions of the flight path and photo centres were determined by georeferencing the scanned photo frames. This means the images were aligned with map coordinates to identify the flight path and photo centre locations. Where sources gave conflicting information, all available sources were compared. Features such as a photo location or date were attributed with the most likely correct information based on the best available evidence. Every effort was made to ensure the flight line paths and photo centre positions in the dataset are as accurate as possible given the historical information available. ##### Currency Date modified: March 2026 Modification frequency: As needed ##### Data extent Spatial extent North: -2° South: -71° East: 180° West: -180° ##### Source information Geoscience Australia catalogue entry: [Historical Aerial Photography Flight Lines and Photo Centres] ##### Data dictionary All layers ───────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Attribute Name │Description ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── OBJECTID │Unique identifier for the feature ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Film number │Film number and their prefixes. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Run │The run number if known. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Date Start │The earliest date for that feature. If the day is not known, the 1st of the month is used. If the month is not known, January is used. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Date End │The latest date for a feature if a range has been provided or if there were conflicting values in the metadata. If the day is not known, the last day of the month is used. If the month is not known, December is used. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── State or Territory │State or Territory the feature is from. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Year Start │The earliest year for that feature. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Year End │The latest year for that feature. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Camera │Brand and model of the camera if known. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Focal Length │The focal length in either mm or inch if known. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Average Height │The flying height in either metres or feet if known. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Average Scale │The scale the images were captured at if known. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Overlap │The overlap value as a percent between frames along a flight line if known. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Film Type │The type of film if known. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Film Form │The type of photography captured if known. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── NLA Bibliography ID│Associated record in the National Library of Australia catalogue. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── NAA Item ID/Barcode│Associated record in the National Archives of Australia catalogue. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Photo Series │A short description of the project, often including the location. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Scanned │The scanning status of the feature. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Scanned Date │Date feature was scanned, if applicable. ───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Global ID │A type of UUID (Universal Unique Identifier). ───────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── HAP Flight Lines AGOL ──────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────── Attribute Name│Description ──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────── Frame Start │First frame of run. ──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────── Frame End │Final frame of run. ──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────── SHAPE__Length │Length of the linear feature in degrees. ──────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────── HAP Photo Centres AGOL ──────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Attribute Name│Description ──────────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Frame │The frame number as recorded on the flight line diagram or scanned frame. ──────────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Scan Microns │Scanning resolution of the frame. ──────────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── File Size │Size of the full resolution TIF file. ──────────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Licence │The licence applicable to the feature. ──────────────┴───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Contact Geoscience Australia, [aerialphotography@ga.gov.au]