Most of the data on Google Earth was taken in the last 3-4 years. If you are curious to see images of our changing world, Google Timelapse is also a great free tool. Google Earth offers free access to some of the highest resolution satellite imagery, although the highest resolution images are actually taken from airplanes. Google Earth - Free access to high resolution imagery (satellite and aerial)

If you are not familiar with Earth observation data, here is an example of the contrast between high resolution (commercial data, on the left) and low resolution (open data, on the right). Near real-time, high resolution satellite data that falls within open data programs is usually only available for humanitarian reasons (Maxar Open Data program offers free high resolution data to natural disaster recovery teams). Most of the satellite data available for free is either dated (from a couple of months to a couple of years, see Google Earth), or low resolution (you can detect rough building shapes but not cars or people).

More explanations on live satellite imagery in this blog post: What does real-time satellite data look like. Some focus on open (free) satellite imagery, some focus on the highest resolution satellite imagery available for purchase.If you are wondering which providers has the most up-to-date satellite imagery, the highest resolution, or the largest library for open data, we have answers.īefore we start, if you were looking for real-time satellite images of your house, these most likely do not exist - Blame Hollywood for creating false expectations. Some platforms will let you view the data in your browser, some offer download options so you can process it and extract meaningful insights.

There are many sources of satellite data you can use depending on your needs.

Google satellite street view