Free High-Resolution Aerial and Satellite Imagery Atlas
Which countries publish aerial orthophotos and high-resolution imagery you can download and reuse for free? The atlas records the status of every country we have reviewed, with each dataset's ground sample distance, capture years, licence, cost and access method.
Short answer
Of the 237 countries catalogued so far, 33 publish openly licensed national aerial orthophotos (Åland Islands, Austria, Belgium and Croatia and 29 more), 72 have open imagery for some regions or cities only, and 20 hold orthophotos that are not openly licensed. 92 countries publish open imagery at 25 cm or finer. Elsewhere, Copernicus Sentinel-2 MSI (Level-1C and Level-2A) and USGS Landsat Collection 2 Level-2 (Planetary Computer) are the usual free fallback.
- Countries catalogued
- 237
- National open imagery
- 33
- Partial open imagery
- 72
- Restricted
- 20
- None known
- 112
- Open at 25 cm or finer
- 92
- Last reviewed
Map of orthophoto and imagery availability
- National open imagery 33
- Partial open imagery 72
- Restricted 20
- None known 112
- Not yet catalogued
- ≤ 0.1 m 74
- ≤ 0.25 m 18
- ≤ 0.5 m 8
- ≤ 1 m 1
- None ≤ 1 m open 136
- Not yet catalogued
Orthographic globe · Natural Earth 1:50m · graticule 15°
Countries
237 countries catalogued
| Country | Region | Status | Best open GSD | Latest capture | Datasets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Asia | None known | – | 2015 | 1 |
| Åland Islands | Europe | National open imagery | 0.5 m | – | 1 |
| Albania | Europe | Restricted | – | 2026 | 3 |
| Algeria | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| American Samoa | Oceania | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Andorra | Europe | Restricted | – | 2025 | 2 |
| Angola | Africa | None known | – | 2017 | 1 |
| Anguilla | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Antarctica | Antarctica | Restricted | – | 2015 | 3 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Argentina | South America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Armenia | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Aruba | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Australia | Oceania | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2010 | 5 |
| Austria | Europe | National open imagery | 0.15 m | 2024 | 4 |
| Azerbaijan | Asia | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Bahamas | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Bahrain | Asia | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Bangladesh | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.01 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Barbados | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Belarus | Europe | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Belgium | Europe | National open imagery | 0.1 m | 2026 | 3 |
| Belize | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Benin | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Bermuda | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Bhutan | Asia | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Bolivia | South America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Europe | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Botswana | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Brazil | South America | Restricted | – | 2020 | 1 |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | Asia | None known | – | – | 0 |
| British Virgin Islands | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Brunei | Asia | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Bulgaria | Europe | Restricted | – | 2022 | 1 |
| Burkina Faso | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2023 | 1 |
| Burundi | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Cabo Verde | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Cambodia | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.05 m | 2024 | 1 |
| Cameroon | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.05 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Canada | North America | Partial open imagery | 0.1 m | 2024 | 4 |
| Cayman Islands | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Central African Republic | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Chad | Africa | None known | – | 2020 | 1 |
| Chile | South America | Restricted | – | – | 1 |
| China | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Colombia | South America | Partial open imagery | – | – | 1 |
| Comoros | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.07 m | 2019 | 1 |
| Cook Islands | Oceania | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Costa Rica | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2024 | 1 |
| Croatia | Europe | National open imagery | 0.25 m | 2023 | 1 |
| Cuba | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Curaçao | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Cyprus | Asia | Restricted | – | – | 1 |
| Czechia | Europe | National open imagery | 0.125 m | – | 1 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.03 m | 2023 | 1 |
| Denmark | Europe | National open imagery | 0.125 m | – | 1 |
| Djibouti | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Dominica | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Dominican Republic | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Ecuador | South America | National open imagery | 0.3 m | 2012 | 1 |
| Egypt | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| El Salvador | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Equatorial Guinea | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Eritrea | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Estonia | Europe | National open imagery | 0.1 m | – | 1 |
| Eswatini | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Ethiopia | Africa | None known | – | 2024 | 1 |
| Falkland Islands | South America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Faroe Islands | Europe | National open imagery | 0.05 m | 2016 | 2 |
| Fiji | Oceania | Partial open imagery | 0.03 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Finland | Europe | National open imagery | 0.5 m | – | 1 |
| France | Europe | National open imagery | 0.2 m | 1995 | 2 |
| French Polynesia | Oceania | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2023 | 1 |
| French Southern and Antarctic Lands | Antarctica | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Gabon | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Georgia | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Germany | Europe | National open imagery | 0.1 m | 2025 | 14 |
| Ghana | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Greece | Europe | Restricted | – | – | 2 |
| Greenland | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Grenada | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Guam | Oceania | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Guatemala | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Guernsey | Europe | Restricted | – | 1996 | 1 |
| Guinea | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Guinea-Bissau | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Guyana | South America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Haiti | North America | Restricted | – | 2016 | 1 |
| Heard Island and McDonald Islands | Antarctica | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Honduras | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Hong Kong | Asia | National open imagery | 0.2 m | – | 1 |
| Hungary | Europe | Restricted | – | 2025 | 1 |
| Iceland | Europe | Partial open imagery | 0.5 m | 2000 | 3 |
| India | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Indonesia | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.01 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Iran | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.87 m | 2017 | 1 |
| Iraq | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.01 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Ireland | Europe | Restricted | – | 2023 | 1 |
| Isle of Man | Europe | Restricted | – | – | 1 |
| Israel | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Italy | Europe | Partial open imagery | 0.15 m | 2023 | 3 |
| Jamaica | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Japan | Asia | Partial open imagery | – | 1928 | 3 |
| Jersey | Europe | Restricted | – | 2006 | 1 |
| Jordan | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.07 m | 2024 | 1 |
| Kazakhstan | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.01 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Kenya | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.04 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Kiribati | Oceania | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Kosovo | Europe | Restricted | – | – | 1 |
| Kuwait | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.05 m | 2018 | 1 |
| Kyrgyzstan | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2020 | 1 |
| Laos | Asia | None known | – | 2023 | 1 |
| Latvia | Europe | National open imagery | 0.25 m | 2021 | 2 |
| Lebanon | Asia | None known | – | 2020 | 1 |
| Lesotho | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Liberia | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.04 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Libya | Africa | None known | – | 2023 | 1 |
| Liechtenstein | Europe | National open imagery | 0.1 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Lithuania | Europe | Restricted | – | 2025 | 2 |
| Luxembourg | Europe | National open imagery | 0.1 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Macao | Asia | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Madagascar | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.03 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Malawi | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Malaysia | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Maldives | Asia | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Mali | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2021 | 1 |
| Malta | Europe | National open imagery | 0.15 m | 2018 | 2 |
| Marshall Islands | Oceania | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Mauritania | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.01 m | 2019 | 1 |
| Mauritius | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Mexico | North America | Partial open imagery | – | – | 1 |
| Micronesia | Oceania | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Moldova | Europe | Restricted | – | 2026 | 1 |
| Monaco | Europe | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Mongolia | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2021 | 1 |
| Montenegro | Europe | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Montserrat | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Morocco | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.1 m | 2024 | 1 |
| Mozambique | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Myanmar | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2018 | 1 |
| Namibia | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.05 m | 2024 | 1 |
| Nauru | Oceania | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Nepal | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.01 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Netherlands | Europe | National open imagery | 0.075 m | 2026 | 2 |
| New Caledonia | Oceania | National open imagery | 0.5 m | 1976 | 2 |
| New Zealand | Oceania | National open imagery | 0.05 m | – | 2 |
| Nicaragua | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Niger | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2024 | 1 |
| Nigeria | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.01 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Niue | Oceania | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Norfolk Island | Oceania | Partial open imagery | 0.5 m | 2024 | 1 |
| North Korea | Asia | None known | – | – | 0 |
| North Macedonia | Europe | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Oceania | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Norway | Europe | Restricted | – | – | 1 |
| Oman | Asia | None known | – | 2021 | 1 |
| Pakistan | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.04 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Palau | Oceania | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Palestine | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.04 m | 2018 | 1 |
| Panama | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Papua New Guinea | Oceania | None known | – | 2024 | 1 |
| Paraguay | South America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Peru | South America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Philippines | Asia | Restricted | – | – | 1 |
| Pitcairn Islands | Oceania | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Poland | Europe | National open imagery | 0.05 m | – | 1 |
| Portugal | Europe | National open imagery | 0.1 m | 2025 | 4 |
| Puerto Rico | North America | Partial open imagery | – | 2017 | 1 |
| Qatar | Asia | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Republic of the Congo | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.2 m | 2019 | 1 |
| Romania | Europe | Restricted | 1.5 m | 2020 | 2 |
| Russia | Europe | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Rwanda | Africa | None known | – | 2021 | 1 |
| Saint Barthélemy | North America | National open imagery | 0.2 m | 2024 | 1 |
| Saint Helena | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Saint Lucia | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Saint Martin | North America | National open imagery | 0.2 m | 2024 | 1 |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | North America | National open imagery | 0.2 m | 2022 | 1 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Samoa | Oceania | None known | – | – | 0 |
| San Marino | Europe | None known | – | – | 0 |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.05 m | 2017 | 1 |
| Saudi Arabia | Asia | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Senegal | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Serbia | Europe | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Seychelles | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.06 m | 2018 | 1 |
| Sierra Leone | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.04 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Singapore | Asia | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Sint Maarten | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Slovakia | Europe | National open imagery | 0.15 m | 2025 | 2 |
| Slovenia | Europe | National open imagery | 0.16 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Solomon Islands | Oceania | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Somalia | Africa | None known | – | 2019 | 1 |
| South Africa | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.01 m | 2025 | 2 |
| South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | South America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| South Korea | Asia | National open imagery | 0.12 m | 2010 | 1 |
| South Sudan | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Spain | Europe | National open imagery | 0.15 m | 2025 | 4 |
| Sri Lanka | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.04 m | 2024 | 1 |
| Sudan | Africa | None known | – | 2018 | 1 |
| Suriname | South America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Sweden | Europe | National open imagery | 0.16 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Switzerland | Europe | National open imagery | 0.1 m | 2017 | 2 |
| Syria | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.03 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Taiwan | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.01 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Tajikistan | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.07 m | 2024 | 1 |
| Tanzania | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.01 m | 2024 | 1 |
| Thailand | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.01 m | 2026 | 1 |
| The Gambia | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.05 m | 2024 | 1 |
| Timor-Leste | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.01 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Togo | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Tonga | Oceania | Partial open imagery | 0.01 m | 2018 | 1 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Tunisia | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Türkiye | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Turkmenistan | Asia | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Tuvalu | Oceania | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Uganda | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.03 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Ukraine | Europe | None known | – | – | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2021 | 1 |
| United Kingdom | Europe | Partial open imagery | 0.1 m | 2006 | 1 |
| United States | North America | National open imagery | 0.3 m | 2023 | 4 |
| United States Virgin Islands | North America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Uruguay | South America | National open imagery | 0.32 m | 2025 | 2 |
| Uzbekistan | Asia | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Vanuatu | Oceania | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2019 | 1 |
| Vatican City | Europe | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Venezuela | South America | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Vietnam | Asia | Partial open imagery | 0.01 m | 2025 | 1 |
| Wallis and Futuna Islands | Oceania | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Western Sahara | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Yemen | Asia | None known | – | – | 0 |
| Zambia | Africa | Partial open imagery | 0.02 m | 2026 | 1 |
| Zimbabwe | Africa | None known | – | – | 0 |
| No countries match those filters. | |||||
Global satellite imagery and imagery programmes
Free satellite imagery and open-data programmes that cover every country or many countries: the fallback wherever national orthophotos are missing, restricted or out of date. To make a Sentinel-2 or Landsat time-lapse of any area without downloading imagery, use the climate time-series tools.
Satellite imagery
- Optical VHR coverage over Europe 2018 (VHR_IMAGE_2018) (opens in a new tab) European Space Agency / Copernicus · 2 m · Satellite imagery · EEA-39, including islands and French overseas departments; registered general-public users may view only Cost Free with registration Licence Not open ESA User Licence; download restricted to Copernicus services, EU institutions, EU-funded research projects and public authorities · On request
- Optical VHR coverage over Europe 2021 (VHR_IMAGE_2021) (opens in a new tab) European Space Agency / Copernicus · 2 m · Satellite imagery · EEA-39, including islands and French overseas departments; registered general-public users may view only Cost Free with registration Licence Not open ESA User Licence; download restricted to Copernicus services, EU institutions, EU-funded research projects and public authorities · On request
- Copernicus Sentinel-2 MSI (Level-1C and Level-2A) (opens in a new tab) European Space Agency / European Commission (Copernicus) · 10 m · Satellite imagery · Global land and coastal waters; 13 spectral bands (four at 10 m, six at 20 m, three at 60 m); 5-day revisit at the equator Cost Free with registration Licence Open Copernicus Sentinel data terms: free of charge to all users, including commercial users · Direct download
- USGS Landsat Collection 2 Level-2 (Planetary Computer) (opens in a new tab) U.S. Geological Survey / NASA · 30 m · Satellite imagery · Global land; also available from USGS EarthExplorer and as an AWS requester-pays bucket Cost Free Licence Open No restrictions on Landsat data downloaded from the USGS; source attribution requested · API
Imagery programmes and open-data initiatives
- Airbus OneAtlas (Pléiades Neo, Pléiades, SPOT) (opens in a new tab) Airbus Defence and Space · 0.3 m · Satellite imagery · Global archive and tasking (30 cm Pléiades Neo, 50 cm Pléiades, 1.5 m SPOT); commercial example only Cost Paid Licence Not open Commercial licence · Commercial
- NAIP on AWS (opens in a new tab) USDA / Esri via Registry of Open Data on AWS · 0.3 m · Orthophoto · Conterminous United States; typically 30–100 cm GSD; requester-pays S3 buckets Cost Paid Licence Open Public domain with attribution · API
- USDA NAIP imagery on Microsoft Planetary Computer (opens in a new tab) USDA Farm Production and Conservation / Microsoft Planetary Computer · 0.3 m · Orthophoto · Conterminous United States (leaf-on, 0.3–1 m GSD) Cost Free Licence Open Public domain with attribution · API
- CLMS European Image Mosaics (VHR 2 m mosaic) (opens in a new tab) Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (European Environment Agency) · 2 m · Satellite imagery · EEA-38 and the United Kingdom; offered as web map services only and cannot be downloaded (the VHR mosaic from the 2024 reference year onwards is distributed via CDSE to authorised users) Cost Free Licence Not open View-only web map service; no download or reuse licence for the commercial-source mosaics · Portal
- Copernicus Contributing Missions (CCM) data access (opens in a new tab) European Space Agency / Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem · Satellite imagery, DSM · Predefined optical HR and VHR coverages of Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, Urban Atlas and DEM collections; access depends on Copernicus user category Cost Free with registration Licence Not open ESA User Licence; most collections restricted to eligible user categories (Copernicus services, EU institutions, public authorities, EU-funded research) · On request
- ESA Third Party Missions (TPM) (opens in a new tab) European Space Agency · Satellite imagery · Over 50 missions owned by commercial and public operators (e.g. Pléiades Neo, PlanetScope, ICEYE); data supplied to users for research and development purposes Cost Free with registration Licence Not open ESA terms for TPM data; research and development use, subject to project proposal · On request
- Maxar Open Data Program on AWS (opens in a new tab) Maxar / Vantor via Registry of Open Data on AWS · Satellite imagery · Analysis-ready tiles for disaster activations; new data released in response to activations Cost Free Licence Not open CC BY-NC 4.0 · API
- NICFI Satellite Data Program (Planet tropical basemaps) (opens in a new tab) Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) with KSAT, Planet and Airbus · Satellite imagery · Tropical regions. The first phase ended on 23 January 2025; Level 0 and Level 1 access was temporarily extended free of charge, and in September 2025 Norway cancelled the procurement for the next phase. Current availability should be confirmed with NICFI. Cost Free with registration Licence Not open Programme licence terms (non-commercial); not an open licence · Portal
- OpenAerialMap (opens in a new tab) OpenAerialMap (Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team) · Orthophoto, Satellite imagery · Global commons of contributed drone, aerial and satellite imagery; coverage is local and event-driven Cost Free Licence Not open Varies by image (CC BY 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0 or CC BY-NC 4.0) · Direct download
- SkyWatch EarthCache (opens in a new tab) SkyWatch · Satellite imagery · Commercial access to archive and tasking from many data providers; commercial example only Cost Paid Licence Not open Commercial licence (per provider) · Commercial
- UP42 marketplace (opens in a new tab) UP42 · Satellite imagery, Orthophoto · Commercial archive and tasking from multiple satellite and aerial providers; commercial example only Cost Paid Licence Not open Commercial licence (per provider) · Commercial
- USGS EarthExplorer (aerial photography, high-resolution orthoimagery and declassified satellite imagery) (opens in a new tab) U.S. Geological Survey EROS · Orthophoto, Historical aerial, Satellite imagery · Global search and download portal for USGS EROS archives; high-resolution orthoimagery is principally for the United States Cost Free with registration Licence Not open Varies by collection; see the metadata of each data set · Portal
- Vantor (formerly Maxar) Open Data Program (opens in a new tab) Vantor · Satellite imagery · Pre- and post-event imagery for activated sudden-onset disasters only; also published on AWS (Registry of Open Data) Cost Free Licence Not open CC BY-NC 4.0 · Direct download
Methodology and definitions
Status
- National open imagery
- Openly licensed aerial orthophotography at 1 m or finer covers about 70% or more of the land area.
- Partial open imagery
- Open orthophotos or high-resolution imagery exist, but only for limited areas such as regions or cities.
- Restricted
- National orthophotography exists but is not openly licensed: it is sold, view-only without reuse rights, or limited to government use.
- None known
- No high-resolution aerial imagery was found after a genuine search of national, regional and international sources.
Licence and cost are separate
Open means the licence permits commercial reuse with no more than an attribution requirement. Cost is only what you pay to get the data. Free is not the same as open: a dataset that costs nothing but is licensed for non-commercial use is shown as Free and Not open.
- Free
- No charge and no account needed.
- Free with registration
- No charge, but you need an account, login or API key.
- Paid
- A fee is required.
- Mixed
- Part is free (or there is a free tier) and part is paid.
How coverage is assessed
Each country is reviewed against its national mapping and cadastral agencies, regional governments, open data portals and international programmes. The status is based on aerial orthophotography at 1 m or finer; free satellite imagery such as Sentinel-2 is listed separately in the global section because it covers every country. Best open GSD is the finest ground sample distance of any openly licensed imagery dataset. Latest capture is the most recent year mentioned in a dataset's acquisition years.
Every dataset link is checked and its HTTP status recorded. Entries were last reviewed on . The atlas currently lists 196 national and regional datasets.
Programmes change quickly. If a status, licence, cost or link is wrong, report a correction via the contact form and we will review it.
Questions
Where can I get free high-resolution satellite imagery?
Truly high-resolution satellite imagery (under 1 m) is almost always commercial. The free global baselines are Copernicus Sentinel-2 at 10 m and Landsat at 30 m, both openly licensed. For sub-metre detail the best free source is usually a national aerial orthophoto programme, which this atlas lists country by country. Some commercial providers also release imagery openly for specific events, for example Maxar Open Data after natural disasters, and OpenAerialMap shares openly licensed drone and aerial imagery.
What is the difference between orthophoto and satellite imagery?
An orthophoto is an aerial photograph, usually taken from an aircraft, that has been corrected for terrain relief and camera tilt so that it has a uniform scale and lines up with a map. National programmes typically fly at 10 to 50 cm ground sample distance. Satellite imagery is captured from orbit; it covers much larger areas more often, but free satellite imagery is far coarser, and very high-resolution satellite scenes are usually paid. Satellite images can also be orthorectified.
Can I use Google Earth imagery in my GIS?
Generally not as data. Google's terms allow you to view the imagery and use it in limited ways, such as attributed screenshots, but not to download it, build a basemap from it or trace features from it for your own datasets. Commercial basemaps from other providers have similar terms. For digitising, analysis or publishing, use openly licensed imagery such as a national orthophoto from this atlas.
What does GSD mean?
Ground sample distance (GSD) is the size of one pixel on the ground. A 25 cm GSD orthophoto has pixels covering 25 by 25 centimetres, which is enough to see road markings and small sheds. Sentinel-2 has a 10 m GSD in its visible bands. A smaller GSD means more detail, but sharpness also depends on the sensor, the atmosphere and the processing.
Does free imagery mean I can use it for anything?
No. Cost and licence are separate. Some imagery is free to view or download but licensed for non-commercial use only, or only through a viewer. This atlas marks every dataset with both a cost badge (free, free with registration, paid or mixed) and a licence badge, and counts a dataset as open only when its licence permits commercial reuse with no more than attribution.
Where can I find historical aerial photographs?
Many national mapping agencies scan and publish their archive of historical aerial photography, often going back to the 1940s, and the country pages list these where they exist. In the United States the USGS EarthExplorer hosts aerial photo archives; in Europe several agencies offer historical orthophoto layers through their web map services. Licences for scanned archives vary more than for current orthophotos, so check each one.