Why can't I always download an entire dataset?

Created: 31 January 2020 Updated: 18 August 2021

Some datasets are too large to be efficiently provided by the download service.

In some cases (such as LIDAR), the data is split into tiles and you can only download one tile at a time. If you wish to access a large area and the tile download is not appropriate, you can make an offline order via our Large Data Download Request form - see this FAQ on Downloading Large Datasets.

For some other datasets, large orders made by registered users may be batch processed. This means that the order is not processed immediately. When the data has been processed, you will receive an email containing a download link. The size threshold for batch processing varies between datasets.

If a data order is too large for batch processing, you will be contacted by the technical support team to arrange an offline supply. You may be required to provide a hard drive or memory stick onto which the data will be loaded and sent back to you.