Search Room

It is free to visit our Search Room to consult aerial imagery. An appointment is required and guarantees a workstation and availability of expert staff. To request an appointment, please complete the Search Room Booking Form. You will be contacted within two working days to confirm your requested date(s) / time(s) or be provided with alternatives.

Opening Times

• Monday - 9.30am to 4.30pm
• Tuesday - 9.30am to 4.30pm
• Wednesday - 9.30am to 4.30pm
• Thursday - 9.30am to 4.30pm
• Friday - 9.30am to 4.30pm

We are closed at weekends and on public / local holidays. Find out more about public holidays in Scotland.

Please note that from Monday April 12 2010 we will have new opening times.  

Imagery Retrieval Times

Requests to consult aerial imagery must be submitted using the request form. This may be completed from any Search Room workstation. At any one time, a maximum of 20 microfilm or 18 boxes of prints may be consulted at a workstation.

Imagery is retrieved daily, within 60 minutes, at the following times:

• 10:30
• 12:00
• 13:30
• 15:00

Finding Aids

The finding aids used to find catalogued imagery of Scotland, and places throughout the world, are accessed through a Geographical Information System (GIS). The finding aids were developed to address the unique challenge of cataloguing millions of historic aerial images. Find out more about what has been catalogued on the Collection Descriptions page.

Scotland GIS - It is now possible to search the GIS and view digitised sortie plots covering everywhere in Scotland.

Worldwide GIS - This currently provides access to ACIU Archive catalogue information about sorties covering geographical regions throughout western Europe. At the regional level it allows users to view all digitised sortie plots relating to that area. From those plots it is possible to identify exact footprint information for each aerial image.

Research Quality Imagery

In the search room 'research quality' copies of imagery may be created using the microfilm reader scanner or Visualiser. Imagery can be supplied as a low-resolution jpeg or A4 monochrome print outs for: £1.00 (+VAT) each. Find out more about all the copying services available.