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How to Access the Latest High-Resolution Satellite Imagery for Comparison

Anna-Liina HakanenAnna-Liina Hakanen
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How to Access the Latest High-Resolution Satellite Imagery for Comparison

Whether you’re tracking urban development, monitoring environmental changes, or simply curious about how your area is transforming, high-resolution satellite imagery is an invaluable tool. But finding the most recent and accurate images can be a challenge.

Here’s a guide to accessing the latest satellite imagery and using it for comparisons.


Why Satellite Imagery Matters

Satellite imagery offers a bird’s-eye view of changes happening over time. It’s crucial for tasks like:

  • Monitoring deforestation or vegetation loss.
  • Tracking construction projects, such as highways or urban developments.
  • Assessing the impact of natural disasters, like floods or wildfires.

However, not all satellite imagery is created equal. Factors like resolution, update frequency, and accessibility vary depending on the provider.


Free Sources for Satellite Imagery

If you’re looking to explore beyond Atlas, here are some additional free resources:

1. Sentinel Hub

  • What It Offers: Free access to Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, updated every 5 days.
  • Why It’s Useful: Ideal for tracking vegetation, water bodies, and urban growth.
  • How to Access: Use the EO Browser to view and download imagery.

2. NASA Worldview

  • What It Offers: Daily global imagery from MODIS and VIIRS sensors.
  • Why It’s Useful: Excellent for monitoring large-scale environmental changes like wildfires.
  • How to Access: Navigate to NASA Worldview for free, near-real-time imagery.

3. Google Earth Engine

  • What It Offers: Access to Landsat and Sentinel datasets through a cloud-based platform.
  • Why It’s Useful: Advanced capabilities for analyzing trends over time.
  • How to Access: Requires coding skills to interact with its powerful API.

4. USGS Earth Explorer

  • What It Offers: Historical and current satellite data, including Landsat collections.
  • How to Access: Visit the Earth Explorer website and browse their catalog.

Paid Options for Higher Quality and Frequency

For even more precise and frequent satellite updates, paid services are worth considering:

1. Maxar Technologies

  • What It Offers: Ultra-high-resolution imagery (up to 30 cm per pixel).
  • Best For: Detailed monitoring of infrastructure or urban changes.

2. Planet Labs

  • What It Offers: Daily imagery at 3–5 m resolution.
  • Best For: Tracking small-scale changes like agriculture or localized construction.

3. SkyWatch

  • What It Offers: On-demand access to aggregated satellite imagery from various providers.
  • Best For: Flexible pricing and broad coverage for businesses and researchers.

Access Satellite Imagery Directly on Atlas for Free

Atlas revolutionizes how you work with satellite imagery by providing free, easy access to high-quality data directly within its platform.

Key Features of Atlas’s Satellite Images Panel

  1. Free Querying of Trusted Sources:
    Access imagery from collections like:

    • Copernicus DEM (GLO-30, GLO-90): Global surface models at 30m and 90m resolutions.
    • Landsat Collection 2 Level-2: Global, atmospherically corrected Landsat imagery.
    • Sentinel-2 (Level-1C, Level-2A): High-resolution multispectral imagery for environmental and land-use monitoring.
    • NAIP: High-resolution agricultural imagery.
  2. Easy Historical Comparisons:
    Query imagery from different time periods to visualize changes over time.

  3. No Complex Setups:
    Import imagery directly into your project with a few clicks—no external downloads or manual processing required.

Why Choose Atlas?

  • Free Access: Unlike many other tools, Atlas offers satellite imagery at no cost.
  • User-Friendly Interface: Query, compare, and analyze imagery directly in your browser.
  • Integrated Analysis Tools: Use NDVI, buffer analysis, or other features to extract meaningful insights.

Practical Applications for Satellite Imagery

  1. Environmental Monitoring:
    Use Sentinel-2 data to track vegetation loss, deforestation, or water resource changes.

  2. Urban Development:
    Compare historical and current imagery to assess construction progress or city growth.

  3. Disaster Response:
    Analyze before-and-after imagery to evaluate the impact of natural disasters like floods or wildfires.

  4. Agriculture:
    Leverage tools like NDVI to monitor crop health and manage resources effectively.


Tips for Getting the Most Out of Satellite Imagery

  1. Match Resolution to Your Needs: For detailed analysis, choose high-resolution datasets like Landsat or NAIP.
  2. Focus on Cloud-Free Images: Ensure clarity by selecting imagery taken during favorable weather conditions.
  3. Leverage Seasonal Data: Compare imagery from the same season to minimize inconsistencies.
  4. Use GIS Tools: Platforms like Atlas simplify the process of overlaying, analyzing, and sharing satellite imagery.

Start Exploring Satellite Imagery Today

With free tools like Sentinel Hub and NASA Worldview, paid options like Maxar, and Atlas’s intuitive Satellite Images panel, accessing and analyzing satellite imagery has never been easier.

Atlas stands out by combining free, easy querying with powerful analysis tools, making it accessible to everyone—from GIS professionals to beginners.

Sign up for Atlas for free and explore the world of satellite imagery today.