Published on 31 August 2026

Digital aerial images

Digital aerial images are photographs of the landscape captured by aerial imaging sensors.

Aerial imagery

Digital aerial images include all aerial surveys carried out by swisstopo since 2026. Each image consists of 4 channels (red, green, blue, and near infrared) at 8 bits. It is described by the coordinates of the image center, the covered area (footprint), and metadata. These data are used to update national surveying products (orthophotos, topographic landscape models, national maps, etc.). Currently, one third of the territory is covered each year. Switzerland is divided into three regions along cantonal boundaries. Aerial images are also regularly produced for national environmental monitoring programs.

Applications

• Basis for studies in landscape and urban development
• Research in nature and environmental sciences
• Planning support 3D landscape visualization
• ...

Data access

Data not yet freely downloadable can be ordered. Please send requests to [e-mail]; a quotation will be provided.

To facilitate ordering, please indicate image numbers as shown in the map viewer or in the metadata. Or provide an area of interest.

Term of use

Additional information

• Technical details

  Aerial image

  • Coordinate system: planimetry: CH1903+/LV95 (EPSG:2056), altimetry: LHN95 (EPSG:5729)
  • Resolution: 31'520 × 13'440 pixels
  • Format: TIFF
  • Spectral bands RGBN (8 bits per channel):
    • Red (580–660 nm)
    • Green (480–590 nm)
    • Blue (420–510 nm)
    • Near infrared (720–850 nm)
  • Compression: Deflate
  • Data volume: ~1 GB per image; ~65 TB per full dataset per year

  Example: Download

  Orientation elements

  In order to use the images geometrically (for stereoscopic restitution, the generation of orthophotos or surface models), their orientation must be known, that is, the position and tilt of the camera at the moment of capture. We therefore provide the necessary orientation elements for each image: The x, y, and z coordinates (in CH1903+/LV95 for planimetry and LHN95 for altimetry) correspond to the projection center of the camera. Omega, phi, and kappa are the tilt angles of the camera.

  The orientation data for each image, as well as the calibration data for the aerial imaging sensor, are available in a ‘.gori’ file, which can be read as plain text or directly by specialist software.

  Sensor datasheet: Leica DMC-4S

  Example: Download

• Collection metadata

  The metadata for all aerial images is updated and made available for download in the following formats:

  • geopackage (geometries)
  • csv (text)

• Camera calibration certificates

  • 2026 - DMC-4S 41216
  • 2026 - DMC-4S 41219

• Links

  • Flight service
  • Switzerland in high resolution
  • Scanned aerial images
  • Aerial image strips
  • SWISSIMAGE