The aerial photographs are from the following series:

• 8187 (1927)
• 8226 (1928)
• 8275 (1928)
• 8326 (1929)
• ARE-ARF (1966)
• 36029-176 (1978)

Viewing the Scanned Aerials in this Guide

Individual images are listed by number. Some index maps are included here (click on the series number at top of each section to view the index).

The best way to check if aerial photos for your area of interest have been posted on this guide is to use your browser's SEARCH command (CTRL+F or Command+F) and enter the most specific word for the location you wish to see (e.g., forest lawn).

Researchers are invited to view the originals of any posted images by appointment. 

Note: All aerial images are scanned from photo proofs of the original negatives. Quality is lower than from originals. If you have better copies of these photographs, or if you have other photographs that you would be willing to share, please contact us and consider allowing us to scan these to upgrade our materials. Thank you.

Other Aerial Photographs & Satellite Imagery at UB

Additional aerial photographs and maps of the UB campuses (North and South) are available on the UB in Maps page. 

Aerial Photographs of Western New York for Buffalo (City); 175 plates (including some of the below images) cover the entire city. This is a subset of the 8226 series.

In addition to the online collections, the Map Collection contains a small collection of miscellaneous satellite imagery of United States cities. Many of these images are found in the Libraries Catalog.

About Wetlands and The National Wetlands Inventory

Wetlands provide a multitude of ecological, economic and social benefits. They provide habitat for fish, wildlife and plants - many of which have a commercial or recreational value - recharge groundwater, reduce flooding, provide clean drinking water, offer food and fiber, and support cultural and recreational activities. Unfortunately, over half of America’s wetlands have been lost since 1780, and wetland losses continue today. This highlights the urgent need for geospatial information on wetland extent, type, and change. (Source: U/S/ Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-02/documents/wetlandfunctionsvalues.pdf)

UB Libraries Collection of National Wetlands Inventory Historic Aerial Imagery

UB Libraries recently acquired thousands of aerial images from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) National Wetlands Inventory Historic Aerial Imagery. At this time, the Libraries does not have viewing equipment for the transparencies in the collection. UB researchers may contact the map librarian directly for details about the collection and arrange a loan of transparencies to use with personal slide viewers or scopes. 

Date and geographic range information for this collection is detailed in the below table.