How to Download Free LiDAR Data from Ireland (data.gov.ie)

How to Download Free LiDAR Data from Ireland

Access free DTM and DSM elevation data from the GSI Open Topographic Data Viewer

The GSI Open Topographic Data Viewer is Ireland’s gateway to free, high-quality LiDAR data. This comprehensive guide walks you through everything you need to know to find and download elevation data for anywhere in Ireland with LiDAR coverage.

What is the GSI Open Topographic Data Viewer?

The Open Topographic Data Viewer is an interactive map portal built and hosted by Geological Survey Ireland (GSI), a division of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. It provides free access to processed LiDAR elevation data collected across Ireland by multiple government organizations.

Data Providers

The portal aggregates LiDAR data from seven organizations:

Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) – 1m resolution
Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht – 0.13m–1m resolution
Discovery Programme – High-resolution archaeological surveys
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) – 2m resolution
New York University (NYU) – 1m resolution Dublin data
Office of Public Works (OPW) – 2m resolution coastal areas
Westmeath County Council – 0.25m high-resolution

Key Features

2 km × 2 km tiles for individual download
Multiple resolutions from 0.13m to 2m
DTM and DSM products as GeoTIFF rasters
Irish Transverse Mercator (ITM) coordinate system
Malin Head Vertical Datum for elevation reference
Free for all uses under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

The LiDAR data was primarily collected between 2006 and 2021.

Step-by-Step Download Instructions

Access the Viewer

Visit the Open Topographic Data Viewer and accept the terms of use when prompted. The viewer opens showing all of Ireland with LiDAR coverage areas displayed.

Tip: The welcome screen shows logos from all data providers. Click “I agree” to proceed to the map interface.

Navigate to Your Area

Use the map controls to find your area of interest:

Search box – Enter an Eircode, address, or place name
Zoom controls – Use the +/- buttons or scroll wheel
Pan – Click and drag the map

The map shows color-coded tile boundaries indicating which organization provided the data. Use the Legend button in the top toolbar to see all layer color codes.

Select a Tile

Click directly on a tile to view its attributes in a popup window. The popup displays:

Data provider and owner
Capture date and published date
Resolution (pixel size in meters)
RMS error (vertical accuracy)
License information
Download links for DTM and DSM files

Important: You can only download one tile at a time.

Download Your Data

In the popup window or Attribute Table, click the download link for either:

DTM (Digital Terrain Model) – Bare earth elevation with buildings and vegetation removed
DSM (Digital Surface Model) – First-return elevation including buildings, trees, and other features

The file will download as a GeoTIFF raster. File sizes are typically 5–20 MB per tile depending on resolution.

Pro Tip: Use the Attribute Table at the bottom of the map to see all available tiles in a spreadsheet view, including direct download URLs.

Available File Formats

All data on the Open Topographic Data Viewer is provided as GeoTIFF rasters. This is a widely-supported format that works with virtually all GIS and remote sensing software.

Products Available

DTM – Hydrological analysis, archaeology
DSM – Urban planning, forestry
Hillshade – Quick visual inspection

Resolution by Provider

GSI: 1m
DCHG/Discovery: 0.13m – 1m
NYU: 1m
TII / OPW: 2m
Westmeath CC: 0.25m

Note: Point cloud (LAS/LAZ) data is not currently available through this portal. The data has been processed into raster products only.

Tips for Large Downloads

Since the portal only allows one tile download at a time, downloading large areas requires planning.

Plan Your Coverage

Use the Layer List button to toggle providers
Check for overlapping coverage
Higher resolution data is limited

Use the Attribute Table

Sort by provider, date, or resolution
Filter to specific attributes
Export the tile index

Storage Requirements

1m DTM tiles: ~8–15 MB each
0.25m DTM tiles: ~30–50 MB
~500 MB–1 GB per 10 km×10 km

Processing Irish LiDAR in Lidarvisor

Once you’ve downloaded your GeoTIFF files, Lidarvisor makes it easy to visualize and analyze your data.

Upload GeoTIFF

Instant visualization

Generate Hillshades

Custom sun angles

Create Contours

At your interval

Lidarvisor fully supports the Irish Transverse Mercator (ITM / EPSG:2157) coordinate system, so your data will load with correct georeferencing.

Frequently Asked Questions

[us_accordion toggle=”1″] [us_accordion_item title=”Is the Irish LiDAR data free to use?” icon=”fas|question-circle”] Yes. All data on the Open Topographic Data Viewer is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). You can use it for any purpose—commercial or non-commercial—as long as you credit the data provider.
[/us_accordion_item] [us_accordion_item title=”Does the data cover all of Ireland?” icon=”fas|question-circle”] No, coverage is not nationwide. The data focuses on specific areas surveyed by each organization, primarily along:

Coastal zones (OPW flood mapping)
Transport corridors (TII)
Archaeological and heritage sites (DCHG, Discovery Programme)
Urban areas (NYU Dublin, GSI)
Specific counties (Westmeath)

Use the map viewer to check coverage for your specific area of interest.
[/us_accordion_item] [us_accordion_item title=”Why can I only download one tile at a time?” icon=”fas|question-circle”] The portal was designed for individual tile downloads to manage server load. For bulk data access, consider contacting the data providers directly or checking if your organization qualifies for data sharing agreements.
[/us_accordion_item] [us_accordion_item title=”What is the Malin Head Vertical Datum?” icon=”fas|question-circle”] All elevation values in the Irish LiDAR data reference the Malin Head Ordnance Datum, which is based on mean sea level recorded at the tide gauge in Malin Head, County Donegal, between 1960 and 1969. It was adopted as Ireland’s national vertical datum in 1970.
[/us_accordion_item] [us_accordion_item title=”Can I get point cloud data instead of rasters?” icon=”fas|question-circle”] The Open Topographic Data Viewer only provides processed raster products (DTM/DSM). For raw point cloud data (LAS/LAZ format), you may need to contact the original data providers directly:

[/us_accordion_item] [/us_accordion]

Additional Resources

data.gov.ie Dataset Page – Official metadata and documentation

Geological Survey Ireland – Primary portal host

Video Tutorial – How to download and create hillshade models

CC BY 4.0 License – Full license terms

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