Aerial imagery: redefining how we see the world
Explore how Nearmap high-resolution aerial imagery empowers more innovative planning with up-to-date, detailed views for every industry and project.
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The real world is complex, layered, and dynamic. With high-resolution aerial imagery, professionals finally have the clarity and context to match. Nearmap is changing the way businesses, governments, and industries see, analyse, and build with aerial intelligence that goes beyond the pixel.
Let’s break it down.
What is aerial imagery?
Aerial imagery is photography captured from an elevated position – usually by aircraft or drone – providing a top-down or angled view of the Earth’s surface. But it’s more than just pictures from above. It’s data. Visual intelligence that reveals patterns, progress, problems, and potential.
How aerial imagery works
It starts with a flight. Aircraft or UAVs with high-precision cameras fly over target areas, snapping thousands of overlapping photos. Next, sophisticated software stitches the images together, correcting for tilt, scale, and motion. The result? Seamless ability to zoom, layer, and analyse, geo-referenced, ultra-sharp aerial imagery maps.
Different sources of aerial imagery
- Fixed-wing aircraft: Cover sizeable areas efficiently, ideal for national or metro-scale surveys
- Drones: Viable for small local or hard-to-reach sites
- Helicopters: Used for specialized, low-altitude detail
Nearmap uses proprietary camera systems on fixed-wing aircraft for image capture. The result? More consistent, wider coverage than drones, and unparalleled clarity.
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How frequently should aerial imagery be updated?
It depends on the use case. Construction and urban development need frequent updates, while some government agencies might require seasonal imagery. Nearmap updates major urban areas up to three times yearly, so users can access the latest aerial imagery without coordinating custom flights themselves.
Importance of aerial imagery
Precision demands the use of high resolution aerial imagery. It provides the ability to:
- Track change over time
- Plan with accuracy
- Reduce risk and rework
- Eliminate site visits
- Enhance communication with stakeholders
- Reduce unnecessary site visits
It’s a visual truth – used to verify, validate, and move forward.
Aerial vs. satellite imagery
Let’s clarify: Satellite imagery quickly covers vast areas but lacks detail. Aerial imagery offers far better resolution, timeliness, and flexibility.
Feature | Aerial Imagery | Satellite Imagery |
|---|---|---|
Resolution | High resolution | Medium to low |
Update Frequency | Up to three times per year | Infrequent, schedule-based |
Cloud Coverage | May be impacted | Affects quality |
Detail | Ground-level detail | General land use |
When accuracy is non-negotiable, aerial imagery wins every time.
Advantages of aerial imagery
- Clarity: High-resolution aerial imagery captures fine detail down to streets and rooftops. It can even capture shadows, which may be helpful in some scenarios
- Speed: Access ready-to-use images without waiting for custom captures
- Scale: Cover large cities or entire regions in a single dataset
- Perspective: Use oblique imagery to see buildings and terrain from multiple angles
Limitations of aerial imagery
- Weather-dependent: Cloud cover or poor light affects quality
- Limited by airspace: Restricted zones may block capture
- Processing time: Image stitching and geo-referencing take effort
- Data size: High-quality imagery files are massive and need storage
Nearmap overcomes many of these limitations, as they own and manage the entire processing line and offer scheduled flights, proprietary tech, and a deep aerial imagery database that delivers speed without sacrificing quality.
Uses for aerial imagery
Across industries, aerial imagery services power smart decisions:
- Urban planning: Understand growth, zoning, and infrastructure
- Commercial, pre-construction and asset management
- Real estate: Improve property listings using aerial imagery to give buyers a better sense of location.
- Utilities: Inspect assets, rights-of-way, and vegetation
- Insurance: Assess damage remotely, streamline claims
- Transportation: Plan routes, optimise traffic flow
- Environmental science: Track change, conservation, and flood zone
- Government use: Public works, disaster response and recovery, public safety and compliance enforcement are just a few government uses for aerial imagery
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Types of aerial imagery
- Vertical imagery: Straight-down views used for mapping and GIS
- Oblique imagery: Angled views that show height and depth
- 3D datasets: Immersive, interactive 3D reality models built from photogrammetry. Offerings include DTM/DSM, 3D Mesh and more
- Multispectral imagery: Captures different light bands for agriculture or thermal analysis
Nearmap delivers multiple formats, from orthorectified verticals to cutting-edge obliques and stunning 3D aerial imagery that transforms decision-making.
Applications of aerial imagery
- Local government: Tax assessments, emergency planning, code enforcement
- Telecom: Tower placement, line-of-sight analysis
- Retail and site selection: Choose optimal locations with real context
- Civil engineering: Plan with terrain and elevation data
- Forestry and land management: Track deforestation or fire risk
- Insurance companies: Risk assessment and underwriting
- Asset management: Monitoring power lines for damage, assessing road and bridge conditions, monitoring crop health and more
Some aerial imagery companies offer image services. Nearmap delivers solutions.
Technology behind aerial imagery
The right gear makes all the difference. Nearmap uses custom-designed camera systems with multiple lenses, flown on fixed-wing aircraft. These cameras capture both vertical and oblique imagery in one pass. Then, high-speed servers and proprietary processing pipelines quickly build and publish intelligent, accurate maps that are easy to navigate. On the back end:
- Photogrammetry reconstructs depth from overlapping images
- GIS integration embeds aerial imagery into spatial tools
- Cloud delivery makes data accessible anywhere, instantly
Future trends in aerial imagery
- Near real-time capture: Faster data cycles
- AI-assisted analysis: Automated object detection, change tracking
- Hyper-local detail: Down to curb-level clarity
- Seamless 3D and GIS blending: Unified visual and spatial models
Nearmap is leading the charge – delivering more innovative aerial imagery solutions with broader coverage and better resolution every year.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about aerial imageryHow to find better aerial images?
Choose providers with frequent updates, high resolution, and robust coverage.
Can aerial photos be used for surveying purposes?
Yes, especially when high-resolution and geo-referenced. While not a legal substitute for licensed surveys, aerial imagery is a powerful pre-survey tool.
What industries need aerial imagery?
Aerial intelligence is used in construction, government, real estate, utilities, telecom, transportation, environmental science, and insurance.
What is oblique imagery?
Images captured at an angle, showing the sides of buildings and terrain. Oblique imagery adds dimensional context that straight-down views can’t offer.
How current is Nearmap aerial imagery?
Nearmap updates major urban areas multiple times yearly, offering the latest aerial imagery faster than traditional flyovers.
Is 3D aerial imagery better than 2D?
It depends on the use case. 3D models provide depth and realism, which is ideal for design and planning, while 2D is faster for simple mapping.
Take control of your view with Nearmap
Seeing is believing – but acting with confidence takes more. It takes clarity. Frequency. Depth. That’s what Nearmap delivers.
Access a powerful aerial imagery database that spans metros, scales projects, and precisely solves genuine problems. Whether you need GIS aerial imagery, real estate aerial imagery, or scalable aerial imagery services, Nearmap brings the ground truth to your screen.