Many users are interested in online satellite maps, which provide an opportunity to enjoy a bird's eye view of your favorite places on our planet. There are a sufficient number of such services on the network, while all their diversity should not be misleading - most of these sites use the classic API from Google Maps. However, there are also a number of resources that use their own tools to create high quality satellite maps. In this article, I will talk about the best high-resolution satellite maps available online in 2017-2018, and also explain how to use them.
When creating satellite maps of the earth's surface, both images from space satellites and photos from special aircraft are usually used, which allow photographing at a bird's-eye height (250-500 meters).
The highest quality resolution satellite maps created in this way are regularly updated, and usually the images from them are no more than 2-3 years old.
Most network services do not have the ability to create their own satellite maps. Usually they use maps from other, more powerful services (usually Google Maps). At the same time, at the bottom (or top) of the screen, you can find a mention of the copyright of a company for the demonstration of these maps.
Viewing real-time satellite maps is currently not available to the average user, since such tools are used primarily for military purposes. Users have access to maps, photos for which were taken over the past months (or even years). It should be understood that any military facilities can be deliberately retouched in order to hide them from interested parties.
Let's move on to the description of services that allow us to enjoy the capabilities of satellite maps.
Google Maps - high resolution view from space
Bing Maps - online satellite map service
Among online mapping services of decent quality, one cannot pass by the Bing Maps service, which is the brainchild of Microsoft. Like other resources I have described, this site provides fairly high-quality photos of the surface, created using satellite and aerial photography.
Bing Maps is one of the most popular mapping services in the US. The functionality of the service is similar to the analogues already described above:
At the same time, using the search button, you can determine the online location of a particular satellite, and by clicking on any satellite on the map, you will get brief information about it (country, size, launch date, and so on).
Conclusion
To display high-resolution satellite maps online, you should use one of the network solutions I have listed. The most popular on a global scale is the Google Maps service, so I recommend using this resource to work with satellite maps online. If you are interested in viewing geolocations on the territory of the Russian Federation, then it is better to use the Yandex.Maps toolkit. The frequency of their updates in the relations of our country exceeds the same frequency from Google Maps.
Many users would like to enjoy satellite photos of their native places, see their house from above, a nearby river or forest, in a word, everything that is commonly called the “small Motherland”. A tool for realizing this desire can be satellite mapping services that provide a unique opportunity to view all the required geolocations in a detailed graphical mode. After my attempts to look at my home from a satellite online, I found really high-quality services and I will share my best practices in the article.
There is a huge variety of mapping services on the web that provide the user with access to high-resolution satellite maps. At the same time, the vast majority of these services use the Google Maps API, and only a few services (including the domestic Yandex.Maps) can boast of their own cartographic developments that are different from the dominant Google maps in this segment.
At the same time, working with such cards is quite standard. You go to one of them, turn on the satellite display if necessary, and then enter your address (town, street, house number) into the search bar. After that, the service finds the required location, and you can use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease the existing display. If for some reason the service does not find your house, I recommend entering the name of the city (town, village) and the street, and then find the desired house yourself using the mouse.
At the same time, some services allow not only to see your house from above, but also to walk along the streets of your native city, and enjoy the view of the buildings we need up close.
Let's move on to the list of services that will help us see our home from a satellite.
Google Maps - look at your house from a satellite in real time
The world's most popular mapping resource is undoubtedly Google Maps. In addition to maps presented in a schematic and satellite form, the service also includes the possibility of 360 ° viewing of the streets of many cities of the world (Street View). Information about street traffic and traffic jams (Google Traffic), route planner from point A to point B, 3D display of many geographic points, and other useful features.
There are two main options for viewing your home:
Yandex.Maps - allows you to see the necessary object in Russia
Another mapping service with which you can enjoy the view of your home is Yandex.Maps. This service is the most popular in Russia, since the level of displaying the territory of Russia and the frequency of updating data for the Russian Federation exceeds all existing analogues, including the generally recognized maps from Google.
Like the Google Maps service, Yandex.Maps can boast of both standard and satellite map display (as well as the Hybrid mode, which involves applying various text and schematic markings on a satellite map). In addition, users have access to the street display mode (“Yandex.Panoramas”), the traffic congestion indicator (“Yandex.Traffic”), as well as the crowdsourcing system “People’s Map”, which can be edited by any user.
To view your home using Yandex.Maps, go to the resource, type your address in the search bar above, and press enter. To switch to street view mode, click on the button with binoculars at the bottom of the screen (street panoramas and photos). And then select one of the streets marked in blue (you will switch to the street view at this point, and you can enjoy the flavor of these places).
Bing.Maps - satellite map from Microsoft
Bing.Maps is a web-based mapping service from Microsoft, formerly known as Windows Live Maps and MSN Virtual Earth. Its capabilities include satellite display of maps, street view, 3D display for 60 cities of the world, laying the best route and other features that are typical for services of this type.
To view your home using Bing.Maps, go to the specified service, click on "Road" on the right, and select "Hybrid View". Then enter the address you need in the search bar, and view the view that opens.
MapQuest is a popular American mapping service.
Map Quest (translated as "Card Search") is a free American mapping service, the second most popular in the US after Google Maps. The resource can boast of a high degree of detail on the streets of many countries of the world, it will help you plot a convenient route, inform you about the available traffic, and much more.
To work with it, you need to go to this resource, click on the button with the image of the globe on the right (Satelite), which will allow you to switch to the satellite display mode. After that, in the search bar on the left, enter the address you need (preferably in Latin), and enjoy displaying the desired location using the MapQuest service.
MapQuest is the second most popular service in the US Conclusion
You can look at your home from a satellite using the services listed by me in this material. For the territory of Russia, I would recommend the Yandex.Maps service - its level of detail and the frequency of updated data inspire us to consider Yandex maps the best cartographic service in the Russian Federation. On a global scale, the Google Maps service is the undisputed leader, therefore it will be optimal to use the tools of this service to display maps of many countries of the world.
In contact with
A new experiment, High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV), has been launched at the International Space Station. 4 HD cameras were installed on the ISS, the satellite broadcasts the picture online in real time. Everyone can feel like an astronaut and look at our planet from space!
The HD cameras are enclosed in a sealed, temperature-controlled enclosure. While the experiment is running, views tend to be consistent, albeit from different cameras. Between switching cameras, a gray color appears, or a black background appears. When the ISS is in shadow, the video may be interrupted, keep an eye on the map to be aware. An analysis of this experiment will be carried out to evaluate the impact of the space environment on equipment and video quality for future missions.
A dark screen means that the International Space Station is on the night side of planet Earth. If you see a gray background on the video, then you are currently switching between cameras, or communication with the ISS is not available.
Happy viewing!
Planet earth from satellite in real time
Earth map online
On the map below, you can see online at what point in the orbit the ISS is currently located and, accordingly, what the cameras on it are broadcasting.
You will learn a lot of interesting and developing things at the legendary training of Yitzhak Pintosevich "™"! Discover the planet of your dreams!
Google Maps is one of the most popular services today. It provides users with the opportunity to observe our planet (and not only) from a satellite online at high quality and in real time (the sights of the planet in). At some point, after all, the championship of the schematic map view was intercepted by the Open Street Maps application. Where everyone in the know can edit a Wikipedia-style map, but this does not change anything, and today Google Maps is the most popular online map service. The popularity of the cards of this company has been in the first place for many years due to the good quality of satellite images in any corner of the planet, even Yandex could not provide such quality in its homeland.
Google Maps Online
Google continues to improve its brainchild in the form of visualization of our planet, improving the quality and detail of surfaces. More recently, the company has improved its services using the new Landsat 8 satellite, which can photograph the surface of the planet Earth with a resolution of 15/30/100 meters per elementary point. The real-time satellite imagery database was only updated in 2013 before. At that time, the application used images taken by the Landsat 7 satellite, which is also known for introducing some bugs and crashes into the maps. To compare the quality of images taken by different satellites, pay attention to the screen below.
Images taken by different satellites
In the examples on the screen, you can see that the image of the new satellite shows not only improved detail of terrestrial objects, but also more natural colors. Google representatives announced that about 700 trillion pixels of graphic data have been spent on collecting a new generation of mosaics of the earth's surface. Almost 43 thousand of the most powerful computers in the Google cloud worked for a week on gluing pictures.
How to use Google Maps online
You can use Google Maps online in high quality anywhere in the world using your tablet, mobile phone or computer. Just follow the link https://google.com/maps/ or use the built-in map below and you can find the country, city and even the way to the museum by specifying the desired search parameters. And for mobile devices, you can download a special application that is more convenient to use.
To find your way to a laundromat or cafe that you often visit - just enter the addresses in the program line and you will no longer need to enter this data every time. At the same time, you can not only view the paved road to the institution, but also get acquainted with the information that relates to this institution, for example, opening hours, contact details, etc.
Let's use an example to use a map from Google from satellite 2018.
- Go to the website or open the app on your mobile device.
- You just need to point with the cursor or touch on the touch screen, and you can view the details of this site.
- In order to find out the distance between cities, right-click on one of them and select "Measure distance" from the drop-down menu. Now the second point can be specified with the left mouse button. If necessary, the point can be dragged with the mouse to another location, the distance information will be updated.
- To select the mode "Relief", "Bike paths", "Traffic jams" - select the menu sign (three bars) and press the desired option. If you are using Apple devices, click on the diamond icon with the layer and also on the desired option.
- To take advantage of high quality 3D images, click on the square in the lower left corner. It will say "Satellite", if you need to return to map mode, press it again.
- To select the Street View mode, drag the yellow man to the desired area of the map, or simply enter the exact location in the query bar, preferably with a home address.
- High-resolution Google Maps allows you to view streets in historical mode, i.e. how they have changed over time. To do this, throw the little man on the right place on the map. Select the clock icon and move the time slider to select the desired date.
Surprising Facts About Google Maps
Features and benefits of online maps in real time
From the first days of Google Maps have become a discovery for all users. They made it possible to look at the cards in a new way, to pay attention to this instrument in a new way. Everyone who accessed the Internet back in 2005 sought to immediately use online maps and see their city or country from a satellite.
It seems unthinkable, but today it is possible to view other planets of the solar system in the Google Maps application!
Planets in Google Maps
To do this, go to the web version of the program and move the image of the Earth to the maximum with the mouse wheel. Other planets will appear on the left in the block, which you can select to view. There are all the planets of the solar system and a few more of their satellites. For example, Callisto is a moon of Jupiter. True, the pictures do not allow us to view other planets as closely and in detail as it happens with the Earth.
Google maps from satellite in 2018 will allow you to view the surface of the earth and settlements in excellent quality, which cannot be done using a regular map. When compiling paper and other versions of maps, natural colors, clear contours of the banks of rivers, lakes, coloring of land areas and other color schemes are omitted, which is why we have poor orientation. Looking at the desert area on a regular map, one can only guess what kind of vegetation or terrain is there. Turning to Google Maps in real time, you can even see the color and shape of the fence at any address on another continent.
In contact with
Russia or the Russian Federation is a unique country that combines European and Asian features. The map of Russia is striking: the country occupies a vast territory of 17 million km 2 and is located simultaneously on the territory of Northern Asia and Eastern Europe.
143 million people live in Russia. The Russian Federation is a kind of "melting pot of nations": representatives of more than 200 nationalities live here. The country is a federal republic with a presidential form of government. The territory of the country is divided into 46 regions, 9 territories, 21 republics, 4 autonomous districts, one autonomous region and 2 federal cities. It is noteworthy that the Kaliningrad region is located on the territory of the European Union and has no borders with the Russian Federation.
Today Russia is one of the dynamically developing states that make world politics. The Russian Federation is a member of numerous world political organizations such as the UN and the G8. Despite the relative stability and significant development of the country after the fall of the Soviet regime, the Russian economy is largely dependent on energy resources, in particular on oil and gas prices.
The capital of Russia is Moscow - one of the most expensive and beautiful cities in the world.
History reference
The Russian Federation is the successor of several states. The country traces its history back to 862, when Kievan Rus was formed. In the 12th century, numerous Russian principalities were located on the territory of Russia, which in the 15th century merged into the Russian state. In 1721, Tsar Peter I created the Russian Empire. In 1917, the revolutionary movement of socialism overthrew the monarchical regime and formed first the Russian Republic, then the RSFSR, and in 1922 the USSR.
During the Soviet regime, the country was separated from other countries of the world by the "Iron Curtain", some of the consequences of which have not yet been eliminated. In 1991, the USSR collapsed and the Russian Federation appeared.
must visit
Russia is a country on the territory of which there are many cultural, historical and natural monuments. It is recommended to visit the business and cultural centers of the country - Moscow and St. Petersburg, Lake Baikal, the cities of the "Golden" and "Silver" rings, Orthodox monasteries and temples, the Caucasian Reserve, the volcanoes of Kamchatka and much more.
Interactive map of Russia- a modern and convenient way to find the desired map of any region or city. This map allows you to view cities both in satellite mode and in schematic map mode. You can watch from a satellite with the ability to zoom in on any city and switch between different providers and map types. Additional services are available - real-time cloud photos, traffic jams (only for large cities), terrain photos, a weather layer displaying the current weather for each settlement, and a brief forecast for the next 4 days.
For most objects on the map of Russia - Google Maps satellite photos are considered the best in quality
The quality of satellite photography often varies by region, as satellite images need to be constantly updated. Therefore, different providers may have different photo quality for a particular city or region. However, the best quality photos in most cases are from Google Maps. Photos of Yandex maps are often worse in quality, but they can be newer, so for new buildings you can get by with Yandex. OVI maps - surprisingly in some cases it has better photos even than in Google Maps,
Open Street Maps
OSM is a phenomenon of the modern computer society, because the map is made up of ordinary people (volunteers, volunteers), (unlike the 2gis map and others). But despite this, OSM is considered the most accurate and detailed map not only for Russia, but for the whole world. Even such giants as Yandex or Google cannot map as accurately and efficiently as a community of enthusiastic amateur cartographers does. New buildings (namely, it is easy to determine the relevance and “freshness” of the map from them) are almost always present on OSM (and even the foundations of new buildings), while in Google and Yandex they may be present alternately, or not present at all. In addition, Open Street Maps is probably the only map that displays paths in parks and forests and many other additional objects that are usually not available on other services.
Russia - physical map one file, which shows the largest cities, the main ranges and plains. The map is very clear and easy to understand, although not detailed enough.
Physical card - option 2
