In an aerial orthophoto (a digital map generated from an aerial photograph) objects are shown in their true orthographic positions. Unlike with conventional images, one can use an orthophoto as a map from which one can make direct measurements of distances, angles, positions, and areas.

Our latest set of orthophotos for Malta is derived from aerial photographs taken in May 2001, and covers the entire area of the Maltese Islands . All aerial photos were taken on the same day, the quality of the land cover is continuous for the entire orthophoto set and is of a high radiometric quality. The orthophotos are cloud-free and scanned to a high resolution of 25 µm.

The maps are available at a scale of 1:2500 with a ground resolution of 25 cm and a RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) of ± 50cm. Each orthophoto represents 1km by 1km of terrain, and can be delivered in a number of formats including TIFF, Grid and MapInfo TAB formats.

Orthophotos can be used in a wide variety of geographic information systems and are an excellent cartographic base on which to overlay and add-on any number of layers for displaying, generating, and modifying planimetric data or associated data files.

Typical applications employing orthophotos include land management, routing and habitat analysis, environmental impact assessment, evacuation planning, flood analysis, soil erosion assessment, facility management, and groundwater/watershed analysis. The precise and extraordinary detail of orthophotos allows users to evaluate their data for accuracy and thoroughness, to modify data promptly, or to generate new files.