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Historical Aerial Photography Archive

Houston Ship Channel

If you have identified the photos you need, you can order them now.  If you need assistance identifying your area of interest, please contact us.

Additional Details

TNRIS maintains the most extensive archive of historical aerial photography covering the entire state of Texas.  The collection of black and white, natural color, and color infrared prints represents approximately one million photographs going back to the 1920’s.

The photographs originate from three main sources: Texas Department of Transportation, Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service (now known as the US Department of Agriculture), and the US Geological Survey.  Scales of the photography range from 1:62,500 to 1:15,840, the most common scale being 1:24,000.

Historical Photographic Searches

TNRIS staff can assist the public with searches for historical aerial photography.  The photographs can be copied at scales as large as 1:6,000 (one inch = 500 feet) on a high-quality laser copier.

Layer Spotlight

Layer Spotlight is a new way to showcase the rich, extensive geographic data housed at TNRIS. It is a chance to view and explore a data layer before downloading.

It is part of the implementation of a new data viewing application incorporating Microsoft Virtual Earth® software. In the future, as TNRIS further develops its data dissemination tools, keep an eye out for even more robust and dynamic applications.

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