Complete Step-by-Step Tutorial
What is the Scottish Remote Sensing Portal?
The Scottish Remote Sensing Portal provides free access to airborne LiDAR data collected across Scotland by various public sector organizations. The portal offers 47+ datasets with point clouds and derived products covering over 45,000 km² of Scotland.
📡
Point Clouds
LAZ format, classified data
🎯
High Density
4-10 points/m²
🏴
47+ Datasets
Phases I–VI + NLP 2025
🔓
Free Access
No registration required
Coverage Overview
Data Collection Phases
The portal contains data from multiple collection phases, each targeting different regions and use cases.
📅 Phase I–II (2011–2014)
✦ 11,845 km² (Phase I)
✦ 3,516 km² (Phase II)
✦ Flood risk & power corridors
📅 Phase III–IV (2015–2019)
✦ 11,772 km² (Phase III)
✦ 17,945 km² (Phase IV)
✦ 4 points/m² density
📅 NLP 2025–2027
✦ National coverage planned
✦ 10 points/m² density
✦ Complete Scotland by 2027
Step-by-Step Download Guide
Navigate the Scottish Remote Sensing Portal
Follow these steps to access and download LiDAR point cloud data from Scotland’s national portal. The interface is user-friendly and no registration is required.
Scottish Remote Sensing Portal homepage
01
Access the Portal
Navigate to remotesensingdata.gov.scot and choose how to explore the data:
Getting started:
- Browse Datasets: View all 47+ datasets in a list format
- Explore the Map: Interactive tile selector for geographic navigation
- No account needed: Downloads are completely free
02
Select Your Dataset
Use the left panel to choose which dataset(s) you want to download:
Available datasets:
- Phase datasets (I–VI) for general coverage
- HES datasets for Historic Environment Scotland sites (higher resolution: 0.25–0.5m)
- NLP 2025 for the newest national programme data
- Outer Hebrides 2019 for island coverage
Product types:
- DSM – Digital Surface Model (includes buildings/vegetation)
- DTM – Digital Terrain Model (bare earth)
- LAZ – Compressed point cloud data
Interactive map showing LiDAR coverage across Scotland
10 km tile grid aligned to British National Grid
03
Select Tiles on the Map
The data is organized into 10 km × 10 km tiles aligned to the British National Grid:
Selection process:
- Navigate to your area of interest using zoom and pan controls
- The right panel shows available tiles for your selected dataset
- Click the basket icon next to each tile to add it to your download basket
- The basket counter at the bottom right shows your selection count
04
Download Your Data
Click the “Download” button in the bottom right corner to access your basket:
Download process:
- Review your basket contents showing tile names, filenames, and file sizes
- Click the Download button next to each file to get your data
- Files download immediately — no registration required!
Alternative access: Data is also available via AWS Open Data for bulk downloads.
Download basket showing selected LiDAR tiles
Available File Formats
📦
LAZ Point Cloud
Compressed LAS format with full point data
80-90% smaller than uncompressed
File sizes: 50–200 MB per tile
🗺️
DTM (GeoTIFF)
Digital Terrain Model showing bare earth
Ideal for hydrology & terrain analysis
File sizes: 5–20 MB per tile
🏔️
DSM (GeoTIFF)
Digital Surface Model with buildings & vegetation
Perfect for urban planning & forestry
File sizes: 5–20 MB per tile
Technical Specifications
📡 Data Specifications
File Format: LAZ (compressed LAS), GeoTIFF
Point Density: 4 pts/m² (Phase III-VI), 10 pts/m² (NLP)
Vertical Accuracy: ±5–15 cm RMSE
Horizontal Accuracy: ±20–50 cm
🗺️ Coordinate Systems
Horizontal CRS: EPSG:27700 (British National Grid)
Tile Size: 10 km × 10 km
Coverage: ~45,000 km² (phases I–VI)
License: Open Government Licence v3
Tips for Scottish LiDAR Data
Processing Your Downloaded Data
Once you have downloaded your Scottish LAZ files, you’ll need to process them to extract useful products. Lidarvisor offers a streamlined workflow for processing point clouds.
Frequently Asked Questions
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[us_accordion_item title=”Is the Scottish LiDAR data really free?”]
Yes. Most datasets are licensed under the Open Government Licence v3, which allows free use for commercial and non-commercial purposes with attribution. Some Historic Environment Scotland datasets use the Non-Commercial Government Licence, which restricts commercial use—check the licence icon on each dataset.
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[us_accordion_item title=”Does the data cover all of Scotland?”]
Not yet. Earlier phases (I–VI) cover specific areas totaling approximately 45,000 km², primarily focused on flood risk zones, power network corridors, and heritage sites. However, the Scottish Land LiDAR Programme (NLP) that began in 2025 aims to provide complete national coverage by 2027 at 10 points per square metre.
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[us_accordion_item title=”What is the accuracy of the data?”]
Accuracy varies by dataset and phase. Generally, you can expect:
- Vertical accuracy: ±5–15 cm RMSE for most datasets
- Horizontal accuracy: ±20–50 cm
- Point density: 4 points/m² (phases III–VI) to 10 points/m² (NLP 2025)
Check the metadata for each specific dataset for exact specifications.
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[us_accordion_item title=”Do I need to create an account?”]
No. The Scottish Remote Sensing Portal allows immediate downloads without registration. Simply select your tiles on the map and download.
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[us_accordion_item title=”Can I access the data via API or WMS?”]
Yes. Each dataset provides a WMS endpoint for direct integration into GIS applications. Click the “WMS” button next to any dataset in the list view to get the service URL. Data is also available via AWS Open Data for programmatic access.
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More Free LiDAR Data Tutorials
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