High Resolution Orthoimagery FAQ

• What is High Resolution Orthoimagery?
• What are the specifications of the High Resolution Orthoimagery ?
• What formats are available?
• What is the coverage area?
• When will more High Resolution Orthoimagery data become available?
• Why are some areas "View Only"?
• Can I get the images compressed?
• What is the resolution of the High Resolution Orthoimagery?

Q. What is the High Resolution Orthoimagery ?

A. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), along with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), are acquiring high resolution orthoimagery for the major metropolitan areas, and state capitals of the United States. As an essential element of The National Map, http://nationalmap.gov, the need for up-to-date imagery is critical for Homeland Security and Emergency Response. The Orthoimagery category is one of the framework layers for The National Map. The imagery can be used as a base layer for updating or deriving additional geographic information, such as transportation networks, hydrographic features, elevation, and land cover.

Back To Top

Q.What are the specifications of the High Resolution Orthoimagery ?

A.

Product	Resolution	Projection	Horizontal Datum
High Resolution Orthoimagery	1/3 meter or 1 foot, unless otherwise specified	UTM, unless otherwise specified	NAD83, unless otherwise specified

Back To Top

Q. What formats are available?

A. TIFF is a GeoTiff (.tif and .tfw files included)

Back To Top

Q. What is the coverage area?

A. To see what areas are covered by High Resolution Orthoimagery:

Go to The National Map Seamless Server on the right side of the map interface, under the Display tab, click the arrow next to the category Layer Extent. A list of layers will appear, find Urban Area Index and click the box next to it. This will automatically update the map with the index showing areas of coverage. The turquoise polygons show where data is available to view and download. The yellow polygons show where data is "View Only".

Back To Top

Q. When will more High Resolution Orthoimagery data become available?

A. We won't know which cities are being processed until they are delivered to EDC. Once the data arrives it is then loaded and placed on the seamless website. The best thing would be to check the "List of High Resolution Orthoimagery" within the "Products" drop down or the announcement section on the front page of http://seamless.usgs.gov about every month.

Back To Top

Q. Why are some areas "View Only"?

A. The areas listed as "VIEW ONLY" are under license restrictions agreements through the contractor or source of the data.

Back To Top

Q. Can I get the images compressed?

A. The images are only available as full resolution and not available as compressed files.

Back To Top

Q. What is the resolution of the High Resolution Orthoimagery?

A. The resolution for most of the areas is 0.3 meters. Some areas may have a different resolution. To find the resolution, check the "List of High Resolution Orthoimagery" within the "Products" drop down on the front page of http://seamless.usgs.gov about every month.

Back To Top