Access to satellite images of the Earth is one of the main advantages of using Google Earth. Thanks to this useful feature, users can get directions, reach landmarks and even travel to other planets with Google Maps without leaving home. However, the potential of this type of apps goes beyond that and that is why they are often used in areas such as geology or agriculture.
Services such as Google Maps not only use satellite images, but also photos taken by airplanes.
A single satellite image of the Earth consists of hundreds of thousands of high-resolution photos. Thus, due to the size of our planet, the best images are those with a resolution expressed in centimeters. Fortunately, Maps is not the only one that can offer you this kind of advantages. Therefore, here are some alternatives for viewing good quality photos taken from outer space.
Where to get satellite photos of the Earth
– OpenAerialMapis an open source tool where users can upload area images from anywhere in the world. Most of the material available in OpenAerialMap is courtesy of professionals and experts in the area. In addition, another of its advantages is that new sources are constantly being added to the database.
– Sentinel-2Sentinel-2: according to its website, this service is used by the European Space Agency to track changes in the planet, including climate change. Sentinel-2 is possible thanks to the use of a pair of satellites in polar orbit. It is worth noting that unprocessed data can be downloaded offline and from the cloud from its website.
– NAIPNational Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP): this is the National Agricultural Imagery Program, which is run by the U.S. Farm Service Agency (FSA). On its website you can access images, areas focused on monitoring weather conditions during the agricultural season. Raw data can also be downloaded from its geospatial data portal.
– EagleView: one of the paid options in this list. With EagleView you can access high resolution satellite imagery. It is extremely useful both for building construction purposes and for getting an area view when planning the installation of solar panels, for example.
– Maxar Imagery MosaicsMaxar Imagery Mosaics : in exchange for a subscription you can enjoy the most complete satellite imagery provider of all. Maxar Imagery Mosaics offers images in the highest resolution. Thanks to the accuracy of each photograph, it is often used to monitor borders and track changes around the world.