Building Footprints Dataset for the Republic of Cyprus

Description

This dataset contains a unified, curated collection of building footprints for the Republic of Cyprus, derived from open-access cadastral data provided by the Department of Lands and Surveys (DLS) through the Cyprus Open Data Portal and the INSPIRE geospatial services.

The data integrates three main sources:

• BU3: Building outlines created through photogrammetric analysis of aerial imagery (mostly from 2014–2016).

• BU2: Buildings of public interest (e.g., schools, hospitals, churches, and government facilities).

• BU1: Registered permanent structures from cadastral digitization or resurveying.

Where available, BU3 data were prioritised, and BU1/BU2 were used to supplement coverage. All geometries were harmonised into a single GeoPackage covering the full territory of the Republic of Cyprus. A copy of the original GML files is also included for reference and traceability.

Accessing the Source Data (Last accessed: 6 March 2024)

• INSPIRE BU Map Service (WFS/WMS):

• • Index for download and metadata: Service XML

     

     

These services contain structured building datasets (BU1, BU2, BU3) organized by municipality or community across 1,400+ GML files.

Data Fields

Each building entry in the curated GeoPackage contains:

• fid: Internal feature ID.

• gml_id, local_id, namespace: Official cadastral identifiers (traceable via Cyprus Cadastral Portal).

• numberofFlo: Number of floors, where available.

• layer: Encodes source layer and location (e.g., LEFKOSIABU3_1000_LEFKOSIA).

Administrative region codes referenced in the layer field corresponds to datasets from the Geographical Data Archive – Nov. 2023.

File Structure

• cyprus_buildings_curated.gpkg: Consolidated GeoPackage of all buildings in Cyprus.

• original_gml_dataset/: Folder with the original GML files as downloaded from the INSPIRE portal.

Coverage

• Geographical extent: Republic of Cyprus

• Coordinate Reference System: CGRS93 (EPSG:6312)

Use Cases

• Urban form and density analysis

• Land-use and zoning studies

• Energy modeling (e.g., solar potential, rooftop area)

• Disaster risk and emergency planning

• Urban regeneration and smart city planning