The short answer
Ireland has free, openly-licensed national LiDAR data – hosted on the Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) Open Topographic Data Viewer and data.gov.ie, released under a CC BY 4.0 licence. It is excellent for desk studies, feasibility and regional context.
But it was captured between 2006 and 2021, covers mainly urban areas and the eastern and southern coastline, and is gridded at 1 metre at best (much of it 2–5 m). For anything involving design, construction, volumes, legal boundaries or current ground conditions, you need a commissioned drone LiDAR survey – roughly 150–500× denser, accurate to ±2–5 cm, and flown on the day you need it.
What free LiDAR data exists in Ireland – and where to get it
The GSI Open Topographic Data Viewer aggregates elevation data from seven Irish government organisations into one place. A large share was captured by the Office of Public Works (OPW) during national flood-risk mapping programmes. Key facts:
- Where: the GSI Open Topographic Data Viewer (map-based download) and the data.gov.ie dataset listing.
- Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) – free for commercial and non-commercial use if you credit the data provider.
- Format: downloadable in 2 km × 2 km raster tiles, each carrying metadata for provider, capture date, resolution and RMS error.
- Coverage: the main urban areas plus much of the east and south-east coastline – not the whole country. Rural and inland sites are frequently blank.
If your question is “does open data exist for my area?”, the honest answer is: check the viewer – it might, and if so it is free. Our job is to tell you when it will do and when it won’t.
The limits of the free data
Open national data is a starting point, not a survey. The four things that catch people out:
- Resolution. The best GSI grids are 1 m cells – roughly one elevation value per square metre – and a lot of the archive is 2 m or 5 m. A commissioned drone survey captures 150–500+ points per square metre. That is the difference between a smoothed surface and one you can actually design earthworks, drainage or a road on.
- Age. The data dates from 2006–2021. If ground has been stripped, filled, quarried or built on since – which is exactly the situation on most live projects – the open data no longer reflects reality.
- Coverage gaps. Outside the mapped urban and coastal footprints there is often nothing at all, and coverage stops at hard tile edges.
- No accountability. Open data comes with no certification, no chosen accuracy specification, and no one standing behind it for a design decision. A commissioned survey is delivered by an insured, EASA/IAA-certified operator to an agreed accuracy, in your coordinate system.
Free open data vs a commissioned drone survey
| Free open LiDAR | Commissioned drone LiDAR | |
|---|---|---|
| Point density | ~1 value / m² (1–5 m grid) | 150–500+ points / m² |
| Accuracy | Varies by programme; metre-grid | ±2–5 cm, to spec |
| How current | Captured 2006–2021 | Flown on the day you need it |
| Coverage | Urban & coastal, partial | Anywhere, your exact site |
| Vegetation | As-flown, no control | Bare-earth through canopy, classified |
| Coordinate system | ITM, as supplied | ITM (EPSG 2157) with Malin Head heights, CAD-ready |
| Certification | None | Insured, certified deliverable |
| Cost | Free | Typically €1,500–5,000 (sites under 50 acres) |
When the free data is enough
- Early feasibility and site-selection desk studies
- Regional or catchment-scale context (e.g. a first look at drainage or flood exposure)
- Understanding broad topography before committing to a project
- Non-critical visualisation where centimetre accuracy and currency don’t matter
When you need a commissioned survey
- Any design or construction deliverable – earthworks, drainage, roads, platforms
- Current ground conditions on a site that has changed since 2021
- Volumes – cut/fill or stockpile measurement need dense, current data
- Bare-earth under vegetation – open data has no ground-classification control; our L2 sensor sees the floor beneath canopy
- Rural or inland sites the open data doesn’t cover
- Anything that needs a specified accuracy, your CRS, and an accountable, insured deliverable – see the cost guide and which terrain model you need.
In practice we often use the open data ourselves – for planning a flight and sanity-checking context – then deliver a current, survey-grade dataset for the work that actually depends on it.
Frequently asked questions
Is there free LiDAR data for Ireland?
Yes. Geological Survey Ireland hosts an Open Topographic Data Viewer that aggregates LiDAR from seven government bodies, also listed on data.gov.ie, under a CC BY 4.0 licence. It is free for commercial use with attribution – but coverage is partial (mainly urban and coastal) and the data was captured between 2006 and 2021.
What resolution is Ireland’s free LiDAR data?
The best GSI grids are 1 metre cells; much of the archive is 2 m or 5 m. That is roughly one elevation value per square metre. A commissioned drone LiDAR survey captures 150–500+ points per square metre at ±2–5 cm.
Can I use the free government LiDAR for a design or construction project?
For a desk study or feasibility, often yes. For design, construction, volumes or anything needing current ground and a specified accuracy, no – the data is too coarse and too old, and comes with no certification. Commission a survey for those.
How old is the free LiDAR data?
It was captured between 2006 and 2021, much of it during OPW flood-mapping programmes. On any site that has been stripped, filled or built on since, it no longer reflects the ground.
Does Drone Services Ireland use the open data?
We use it for flight planning and context, then deliver a current, survey-grade dataset (±2–5 cm, in ITM/EPSG 2157 with Malin Head heights) for the project itself. Send us your site boundary for a 24-hour quote.