Public and commercial services update their imagery database once every few days, but it differs from company to company. The update frequency for these satellite images can vary depending on their original source. Commercial services go beyond that, with many offering 15 cm and up for the highest resolution sensors. Public satellite image services may be limited to a maximum spatial resolution of 26 cm to 30 cm, which is plenty for personal use. We cover a variety of choices a little later on. Many free services offer satellite image quality in meters, while the premium paid services provide higher resolution options in centimeters. To get the best possible satellite image experience, look for a service that uses centimeters for its spatial resolution.

Since meters are much larger than centimeters, you can expect these images to be less detailed, especially regarding buildings or landmarks. These aerial photos are used to create detailed maps and other unique features, such as 3D trees and buildings.ĭepending on the type of satellite image service, some only offer lower-resolution images using meters instead of centimeters. In the case of Google Maps and Google Earth, they also tap into planes that fly over land while taking even higher-quality ground images. It's common for satellites in space to take high-resolution photos, but that's not to say it's the only method to capture these images. Google Maps and Google Earth are the most well-known examples many of us turn to when we want to view satellite images online. Instead, these images are stitched together in a process called photogrammetry to create a seamless user experience. Simply put, a satellite view of a map, for example, does not consist of a single image. So it's necessary to take hundreds of thousands of smaller photos, which can vary by date, time of day, and source material. But, Earth is too large to capture all the details required for a single high-resolution image.

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT How are satellite images created?Ī satellite image is taken from hundreds of miles above our heads and can help track weather conditions or view the world around us.

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