How To Obtain Aerial Photographs

Fact Sheet 081-99 (April 1999)

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintains an informational data base of aerial photographic coverage of the United States and its territories that dates back to the 1940's.

This information describes photographic projects from the USGS, other Federal, State, and local government agencies, and commercial firms.

The pictures on this page show a part of a standard 9- by 9-inch photograph and the results obtained by enlarging the original photograph two and four times. Compare the size of the Qualcomm Stadium, Jack Murphy Field, in San Diego, Calif, and the adjacent parking lot and freeways shown at the different scales.

A 1:10K black and white Aerial Photograph.

In this 4X (36 x 36 inch) enlargement of the same photograph, at a scale of 1:10,000, 1 inch on the photograph represents 833 feet on the ground.

A 1:20K black and white Aerial Photograph.

In this 2X (18 x 18 inch) enlargement of the same photograph, at a scale of 1:20,000, 1 inch on the photograph represents 1,666 feet on the ground.

A 1:40K black and white Aerial Photograph.

In this part of the original 9 x 9 inch photograph, at a scale of 1:40,000, 1 inch on the photograph represents 3,333 feet on the ground. The original photograph is from NAPPW Roll 6860, Frame 59.

USGS Earth Science Information Center (ESIC) representatives will assist you in locating and ordering photographs. Please submit the completed checklist and a marked map showing your area of interest to any ESIC.

Information

For information on these and other USGS products and services, call 1-888-ASK-USGS, or visit the general interest publications Web site on mapping, geography, and related topics at erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/pubslists/.

Please visit the USGS home page at www.usgs.gov.

This document has undergone official review and approval for publications established by the National Mapping Division, U.S. Geological Survey. Some figures, have been modified or added to improve the scientific visualization of information.

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