Welcome to the UK SORA Population Calculator

Work out the population figures your SORA application needs, in about a minute, from your flight plan.

1. Load your flight area – a KML or KMZ file of your flight geography.
2. Add your buffers – contingency volume, ground risk buffer and flying height. The areas appear on the map straight away.
3. Sign in and calculate – we email you a one-time sign-in link; no password needed.
4. Download your report – a branded PDF with the results, maps, method and data sources.

You get two figures, each with its SORA population band:

• Operational area – the maximum density across the flight geography, contingency volume and ground risk buffer, for your intrinsic Ground Risk Class.
• Adjacent area – the average density out to 5 km beyond the contingency volume.

Your flight files are processed in your own browser and never uploaded. Figures are estimates of residents and road users; gatherings and events still need a local check. Privacy notice