More about WHAIFinder

The Wisconsin Historic Aerial Image Finder provides free online access to over 38,000 aerial photographs of Wisconsin from 1937-41. These photographs were originally acquired by the US Department of Agriculture. As part of a three-year project funded by the Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, these photographs were scanned, indexed, and made web-accessible through a map-based interface. These photographs are available for download by any user without fee or use restrictions. Collaborators on the Wisconsin Historic Aerial Image Finder project include the Wisconsin State Cartographer’s Office, The Arthur H. Robinson Map Library, the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center, and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Project Partners

State Cartographer's Office

The Wisconsin State Cartographer's Office (SCO) is a unit within the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. With an outreach mission, the SCO gathers, maintains and disseminates information about mapping and geospatial data in the state.

Robinson Map Library

The Arthur H. Robinson Map Library, a unit within the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, serves a wide range of users from both the University and non-University communities. The library is located in Science Hall and is named after Professor Arthur H. Robinson, the well-known cartographer who taught on campus from 1945 until his retirement in 1980.The primary materials in the Map Library are maps, historic aerial photography and aerial photograph mosaic indexes.

University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center

Since its foundation in early 2000, the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center (UWDCC) has worked collaboratively with UW System faculty, staff, and librarians to create and provide access to digital resources that support the teaching and research needs of the UW community, uniquely document the university and state of Wisconsin, and provide access to rare or fragile items of broad research value. The UWDCC has also partnered with cultural heritage institutions and public libraries throughout Wisconsin to create digital resources.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation

The Wisconsin DOT donated an extensive collection of historic aerial photographs to provide close to complete coverage of the state. These high-quality, unmarked prints represent the majority of the photographs available for download from the Wisconsin Historic Aerial Image Finder.