The newly re-released elevation models replace the Environment Agency's legacy interface, which previously restricted downloads to rigid 5-by-5-kilometer grid squares. Users can now stream, mosaic, or download lower-resolution overviews of LiDAR-derived terrain using tools like GDAL and Python without fetching unnecessary data. The repository also features an in-browser map capable of rendering hillshading and dynamic rescaling on the fly. In an unrelated archival project, Wilson also migrated historic John Snow cholera mapping files into modern spatial formats like GeoPackage.
Key points
Cloud-native packaging eliminates restrictive legacy download interfaces to streamline ac…: Cloud-native packaging eliminates restrictive legacy download interfaces to streamline access to national elevation datasets.
Interactive browser maps can now execute real-time hillshading and rescaling directly on…: Interactive browser maps can now execute real-time hillshading and rescaling directly on raw geospatial data.
Modernizing archival spatial datasets into current standards like GeoPackage prevents his…: Modernizing archival spatial datasets into current standards like GeoPackage prevents historic open-access resources from deteriorating.
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At the FOSS4G UK 2026 conference in October, I gave a talk announcing that I’d re-released the Environment Agency DEM data for England in cloud-native formats. This was covering some work I did for my client Rebalance Earth and that we’ve decided to release openly.
If you already know what I’m talking about then you can find the data on Source Cooperative as COGs with STAC indexes. The README on that page will explain how to access the data, and you can access an interactive webmap of the data too. If that didn’t make full sense to you, then read on…
I’m not going to go into full details here, as sometime soon the video recording of my talk at the conference should be released, and I can link to that here. In the meantime, my slides are available and may help with understanding some of what I explain below.
So, basically, the Environment Agency (EA) collect LiDAR data across England and process it to produce Digital Elevation Model (DEMs). DEMs are rasters where every pixel contains a height value,…
Developed for Rebalance Earth and licensed under the Open Government License, this initiative modernizes open LiDAR access across England to bypass restricted official download sizes and complex bulk-request protocols. Hosted on Source Cooperative, the release enables researchers and developers to stream precise geospatial data seamlessly into web maps, Python environments, and command-line workflows. This approach drastically simplifies regional environmental analysis while reducing bandwidth demands for technica…
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