Emapsite has collated LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data for Great Britain from Environment Agency (EA), Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).  Data is available for customer-defined areas to simplify data acquisition and minimise the data management burden.

Originally captured to support flood risk assessment, LiDAR elevation data is used in a variety of applications:

• • Environmental monitoring, wildlife habitat management, and analysis of forest health and gauge carbon storage in biomass by measuring the height and volume of forests.
• • Environmental Impact Assessments for major projects to analyse how changes in terrain or vegetation might impact local environment.
• • Assessing land suitability for development, ensuring that new structures are built in safe, appropriate locations.
• • Assisting in infrastructure design and management by providing precise topographical data for road layouts, rail networks, and utilities.
• • Flood risk assessment, helping authorities predict which areas might be vulnerable to flooding.
• • Coastal and river management to identify erosion and drainage patterns
• • Creating 3D models of cities showing building heights and architectural features used by urban planners use this for zoning, transportation planning, and visual impact studies

DSM data is produced from the first (or only) laser pulse returned to the sensor whilst DTM data is produced from the last (or only) pulse.  The data is aligned to EPSG 27700 (British National Grid) with height relative to Ordnance Survey Newlyn Datum and has a vertical accuracy of /-15cm RMSE.  It is a composite of flown years and all years within a customer area of interest will be supplied. It is available in a variety of formats as follows:

• •  Contours in SHP, DWG
• •  Point Cloud in ASC, XYZ, DXF

 Buy Idox LiDAR DSM 1m resolution

 Buy Idox LiDAR DSM 2m resolution

 Buy Idox LiDAR DTM 1m resolution

Buy Idox LiDAR DTM 2m resolution

Technical Details

Supplier

Emapsite

Update Cycle

Quarterly

Coverage

England and Wales (99%); Scotland (c. 50%)

Scale

Formats Available

Contours in SHP, DWG; Point Cloud in ASC, XYZ, DXF

Stated Accuracy

+/-15cm Root Mean Square Error (RMSE)

Stated Accuracy

Stated Accuracy

Licence Options

Annual

Delivery Timescale

Within 24 hours

Related Products

OS MasterMap Topography Layer

OS Terrain 5 

Flooding products from JBA, Twinn (Ambiental)

Download Samples

OS Terrain 5

OS Terrain 5 provides a three-dimensional representation of the earth surface without buildings or vegetation designed for use with OS large scale data (1:1250-1:10 000).  It models significant landscape features including roads, railways, slopes, quarries and lakes for use in desk studies, minimising the need for site visits, particularly in early project stages.

OS Terrain 5 is available as a grid of heighted points with 5-metre spacing and as contour dataset of 5-metre interval contour polylines and spot height features (including mean high water and mean low water boundaries).  The data is aligned to EPSG 27700 (British National Grid) with height relative to Ordnance Survey Newlyn Datum and has an accuracy of 1.5m RMSE in urban areas and major communication routes and 2.5m RMSE in rural and mountain/moorland areas.  

Updated quarterly, OS Terrain-5 is available as vector contours at 2m intervals intervals and as a 5m grid of heighted points, supplied for bespoke area-of-interest:

• • 2m Contours in SHP, DWG
• • 5m Grid Data in ASC, TXT, XYZ, DXF

The product is particularly useful in environmental analysis, flood hazard modelling/assessment and landscape visualisation in planning and development activities (e.g. siting of windfarms) and for asset/site management.

 Buy OS Terrain 5 for customer-defined areas

 Buy OS Terrain 5 Contour Tiles

 Buy OS Terrain 5 Grid Data Tiles

OS Terrain 50

OS Terrain 50 is a lower resolution digital terrain model (DTM) for Great Britain derived from photogrammetry for landscape visualisation and analysis over larger areas.   It models landscape features and is designed to be interoperable with small-scale mapping products (1:50 000) for analytical, modelling, planning and visual purposes.  OS Terrain 50 is available as a grid of heighted points at 50 metre post spacing and contours with 10m intervals and spot height features (including mean high water and mean low water boundaries).  The data is aligned to EPSG 27700 (British National Grid) with height relative to Ordnance Survey Newlyn Datum and has an accuracy of 4-metre RMSE.  Updated quarterly.

 Buy OS Terrain 50 Tiles

Technical Details

Supplier

Emapsite

Update Cycle

Quarterly

Coverage

GB

Scale

1:1250 - 10 000

Formats Available

2m Contours in SHP, DWG, 5m Grid Data in ASC, TXT, XYZ, DXF

Stated Accuracy

1.5m Root Mean Square Error (RMSE)

Stated Accuracy

2.5m Root Mean Square Error (RMSE)

Stated Accuracy

Licence Options

Annual

Delivery Timescale

Within minutes

Related Products

OS MasterMap Topography Layer

Idox LiDAR products

Flooding products from JBA, Twinn (Ambiental)

Download Samples

OSMM 3D combines OS MasterMap Topography Layer large scale mapping with building heights and the OS 5-metre digital terrain model (OS Terrain 5) to create a simple, three-dimensional view of the landscape (Level of Detail; LOD1).

LOD1 focuses on the overall building volume and shape rather than detailed features. Buildings are represented as rectangular blocks with vertical walls and flat roofs, useful for visualising overall urban landscape and distribution of building in initial planning stages.

OSMM 3D is a fundamental building block for more detailed 3D city models and is suitable for analysis at 1:1,250 to 1:2,500 scales.  The data available in a variety of format and processed on demand for customer-defined areas up to 4km2.

 Buy OSMM 3D

License: PDF

Technical Details

Supplier

Ordnance Survey

Update Cycle

Every 6 weeks

Coverage

Great Britain

Scale

1:1250-1:2500

Formats Available

DWG, SHP, DWG without AutoCAD Standard, AR (fmear), PDF

Stated Accuracy

Stated Accuracy

Stated Accuracy

Licence Options

Annual

Delivery Timescale

Within minutes

Related Products

PDF Plans

Aerial Photography

OS MasterMap Highways Layer

OS Mastermap Imagery Layer

Idox LiDAR Products

AddressBase Plus

Download Samples

Bluesky 3D Building Models is created to order and delivered as required in data formats for major CAD and visualisation software.  It is derived from Bluesky's high resolution, stereo aerial photography for Great Britain. 

Models are available in three levels of detail (LOD 1, 2 and 3).

• • LOD1 focuses on the overall building volume and shape rather than detailed features. Buildings are represented as rectangular blocks with vertical walls and flat roofs, useful for visualising overall urban landscape and distribution of building in initial planning stages.
• • LOD2 represents buildings with roof structure and different parts of the building (e.g., walls, roof) identified as separate elements, allowing for more accurate visualisation and analysis.  it is used for representing 3D city models.
• • LOD3 includes detailed representations of building elements such as roofs, walls, windows, doors, and other features of facades.  It provides a more realistic and detailed representation of a building and are used in architectural design, visualisation and construction documentation.

Bluesky 3D Building Models are created to order.

Bluesky is a specialist in the acquisition and processing of aerial photography and in the creation of high quality digital imagery and terrain products.

By investing in the latest airborne camera technology, Bluesky ensures the quality, accuracy and consistency of its imagery to the highest standard. Bluesky is the sole supplier of aerial photography and digital terrain models to public sector organisations in Great Britain, having been awarded the Aerial Photography for Great Britain contract (APGB) by the Geospatial Commission in 2024.

Get a quote

Technical Details

Supplier

Ordnance Survey

Update Cycle

Every two years

Coverage

Great Britain

Scale

Formats Available

On demand

Stated Accuracy

Stated Accuracy

Stated Accuracy

Licence Options

Perpetual

Delivery Timescale

Subject to Quote

Related Products

Download Samples

Getmapping pioneered the concept of nationwide coverage of aerial photography and is a leading provider of geospatial data.  Getmapping has over 25 years expertise in capturing and delivering high-resolution aerial imagery and deriving digital terrain and digital surface models. Getmapping aerial imagery data is updated on a rolling, three-year cycle and the following products can be ordered in our mapshop:  

Getmapping DTM 5m

Getmapping's digital terrain models (DTM) is derived from stereo aerial photography.  It is a bare earth model, available for the whole of Great Britain as contours and as a grid of heighted points at 5-metre intervals.  It is aligned to EPSG:27700 (British National Grid) and has a vertical accuracy of ± 1m root mean square error (RMSE). The data is useful for terrain analysis and environmental modelling.

 Buy Getmapping DTM 5M

Getmapping DSM 2m

Getmapping's digital surface model (DSM) is derived product from stereo aerial photography.  It is available for the whole of Great Britain as a grid of heighted points at 2-metre intervals and includes surface features such as buildings and trees. It is aligned to EPSG:27700 (British National Grid) and has a vertical accuracy of ± 0.5m root mean square error (RMSE).  The data is useful for precise surface elevation data and detailed analysis.

 Buy Getmapping DSM 2m

Technical Details

Supplier

Ordnance Survey

Update Cycle

Quarterly

Coverage

GB and NI

Scale

1:10 000

Formats Available

ASC, XYZ, TXT, DXF

Stated Accuracy

DSM ± 0.5m root mean square error (RMSE)

Stated Accuracy

DTM ± 1m root mean square error (RMSE)

Stated Accuracy

Licence Options

Annual

Delivery Timescale

Within minutes

Related Products

OS MasterMap Topography Layer

Flooding products from JBA, Twinn (Ambiental)

Download Samples

Bluesky is a specialist in the acquisition and processing of aerial photography and in the creation of high-quality digital terrain products.  Bluesky is the sole supplier of aerial photography and digital terrain models to public sector organisations in Great Britain, having been awarded the Aerial Photography for Great Britain contract (APGB) by the Geospatial Commission in 2024.

Bluesky data is updated on a rolling, two-year cycle. This increased capture frequency assists with growing concerns about tackling issues like climate change and achieving targets for carbon emission reduction. 

Bluesky DTM 5m

Bluesky's digital terrain models (DTM) is derived product from stereo aerial photography.  It is  a bare earth model, available for the whole of Great Britain as contours and as a grid of heighted points at 5-metre intervals.

Get a quote

Bluesky DSM 2m

Bluesky's digital surface model (DSM) is derived product from stereo aerial photography.  It is available for the whole of Great Britain as a grid of heighted points at 2-metre intervals and includes surface features such as buildings and trees.

Get a quote

Technical Details

Supplier

Ordnance Survey

Update Cycle

Quarterly

Coverage

GB and NI

Scale

Formats Available

CSV, SHP

Stated Accuracy

Stated Accuracy

Stated Accuracy

Licence Options

Annual

Delivery Timescale

Within minutes

Related Products

Download Samples

Intermap Technologies is a geospatial intelligence provider, producing 3D digital representations of Earth’s surface and the features on it.  The NEXTMap Britain dataset from Intermap Technologies was derived from airborne Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IFSAR) captured in 2001-2005 and published in 2007.  The data was specifically designed to provide high-resolution terrain data for the UK and commissioned originally to aid in flood risk evaluation.

NEXTMap Britain datasets are unmaintained.  They represent a snapshot in time from when the data was collected. For current elevation data in Great Britain, more current alternatives are available from Ordnance Survey, Bluesky International and Getmapping Ltd.

The following NEXTMap datasets are listed below, along with suggestions for more current alternatives:

Emapsite 2m Contours

Emapsite 2m Contours product is derived from NextMap Britain 5m DTM.  A more current alternative is OS Terrain 5 from Ordnance Survey.

Buy Emapsite 2m Contours

NextMap Britain 5m DTM

Bare earth model with 5-metre post spacings.  More current alternatives are available from Ordnance Survey, Bluesky or Getmapping.

Buy NextMap Britain 5m DTM

NextMap Britain 5m DSM

Elevation model with human-made surface features. More current alternatives are available from Ordnance Survey, Bluesky or Getmapping.

Buy NextMap Britain 5m DSM

Technical Details

Supplier

Ordnance Survey

Update Cycle

Static dataset survey in 2003 (published in 2007)

Coverage

Great Britain

Scale

Formats Available

DSM: ASC, XYZ, DXF / DTM: XYZ, ASC, TEXT, DXF / Contours: SHP, DXF

Stated Accuracy

DTM/DSM: Vertical +/- 0.6m

Stated Accuracy

Stated Accuracy

Licence Options

Annual

Delivery Timescale

Within minutes

Related Products

Download Samples