Where To Find A USGS Aerial Photo
Since the 90's the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has made its public domain aerial photos available online through a number of partners. A map topo can be very valuable to someone planning a development, doing research, or simply curious what their neighborhood, city, or county looks like from a "bird's eye view." These maps are available both for free and as part of subscription services. It will be up to you to decide which one best fits your needs for USGS Aerial Photo imagery.
Possibly the most famous provider is Microsoft TerraServer. Though it was online as early as December 1997, the site was formally released June 24, 1998 as part of an 18 month agreement between Microsoft, Compaq, and Aerial Images of Raleigh, NC. It was originally created as a demonstration system to advertise the scalability of Microsoft's Windows NT Server and SQL Server operating systems, and used images from the USGS and Sovinformsputnik, the Russian Federal Space Agency.
In January 2000, Microsoft and Aerial Images split their operations, creating two parallel TerraServer sites. Microsoft wanted to stick with their free demonstration system, while Aerial Images wanted to expand into for-profit services and use its marketing rights to Russian satellite imagery. Thus the Microsoft product became known as Microsoft TerraServer (now TerraServer-USA), while the Aerial Images site remained known simply as TerraServer. Microsoft stuck with public domain USGS aerial imagery, and while it lost most of its foreign satellite imagery, it still remains a great free source for a USGS Aerial Photo.
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Microsoft is certainly the not the only source of USGS Aerial Photo data though, the USGS site lists a number of sites and services also offering their aerial photographs. These include: MapMart.com by IntraSearch, Inc, Maptech MapServer by Maptech, Inc, TerraFly by TerraFly.com at Florida International University, Earth as Art, by LookClickPrint, Inc, GlobeXplorer, and HistoricAerials by NETR Online. Some of these services are also free, while other charge subscription or fee. You will have to visit each of these sites to determine which is right for you. The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that may threaten it. The USGS is a fact finding research organization with no direct regulatory responsibility. Their public domain USGS Aerial Photo archives is by far one of their most popular activities with the general public.
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Aerial Photography - A Great PerspectiveBy Rick Calligaris About Spatial Data and Standard GIS FormatsBy Adriana Noton |