Turkey completes aerial survey and 3D modelling of the TRNC

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said that aerial photography, the production of orthophoto maps and the creation of a 3D digital twin of the territory have been completed as part of the national geospatial data infrastructure project launched in the TRNC in 2024. The prepared materials are being readied for handover to the authorities of Northern Cyprus.

He made the announcement at a meeting of Turkey’s Council for Geographic Information Systems, held at the Presidential Complex in Ankara. Yılmaz said Turkey was drawing on its experience in this field in cooperation with friendly countries, and that the TRNC held a special place among them.

An orthophoto map is an aerial photograph corrected to a uniform scale and georeferenced, allowing distances and areas to be measured just as they are on a map. A digital twin is a 3D model of the terrain and buildings onto which data from government agencies can then be overlaid.

Yılmaz stressed that the aim of the work was to turn geographic data into a resource for the country’s development. Such data, he said, are needed to support more informed decisions in public administration, plan investments more effectively, use resources rationally, and create new products and services.