General Aerial Photograph Information

Locate, view, download, or order photographs and other images of the Earth taken from the air and from space showing such features as landforms, vegetation cover, and other natural and man-made features and phenomena.

• View Aerial Photo Images Online
  
  TerraServer contains 3.3 tera-bytes of high resolution USGS aerial imagery and USGS topographic maps. You can locate imagery by clicking on a map, entering a city or town name in the "Search TerraServer" form at the top of the page, or entering a U.S. street address.
  
  
• Business that Provide Aerial Photo Research and Image Printing Services
  
  Photographic reproduction of images from the USGS film archives ceased on September 3, 2004. For those who specifically need paper or film products, USGS Business Partners provide aerial photographic research and image printing services.
  
  
• How to Obtain Aerial Photographs
  
  The USGS archives thousands of rolls of film containing over eight million frames of historical aerial photographs gathered from various Federal agencies and dating back to the 1930's.
  
  
• Aerial Photographs
  
  This page includes brief descriptions of the different aerial products that are available from the EROS Data Center and provides links to additional information about each product type.
  
  
• EarthExplorer: Search and Order Aerial Photographs
  
  A complete search and order tool for aerial photos, elevation data, and satellite products distributed by the USGS. Supports secure online credit card ordering!
  
  
• Aerial Photograph Prices
  
  Current price information for aerial photographs available from USGS can be found here.
  
  
• Aerial Photographs and Satellite Images: Online Edition
  
  An online edition of the popular booklet that discusses some characteristics of aerial photographs and satellite images and the types of images that are available from the USGS.
  
  
• Looking for an Old Aerial Photograph Fact Sheet
  
  Many people want historical aerial photographs for business or personal reasons. They may want to locate the boundaries of an old farm or a piece of family property. Or they may want a photograph as a record of changes in their neighborhood, or as a gift. USGS researchers can help customers find imagery in the collections of Federal agencies and, in some cases, those of private companies that specialize in esoteric products.
  
  
• Selected Image Gallery
  
  A special collection of images that record events of historic significance, beautiful sights or images that stir the imagination.
  
  
• Understanding Color-Infrared Photographs
  
  Satellites and high-altitude aircraft equipped to record scenes of the Earth use both visible and invisible parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Near-infrared light is invisible to the human eye, but adding it to these images allows scientists to "see" the surface of the Earth in other than natural colors.
  
  

• Guide to NAPP
  
  The National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP) provides a standardized set of cloud-free aerial photographs covering the conterminous U.S. over five-to-seven year cycles. The program began in 1987 and continues to be our most recent and consistent source of high-quality aerial photography.
  
  
• Guide to NHAP
  
  The National High Altitude Photography (NHAP) program was in effect from 1980-1989. It was coordinated by the USGS to acquire aerial photography of the 48 conterminous states.
  
  
• PhotoFinder
  
  All NAPP photography can be searched and digital images ordered on PhotoFinder (a "quick and easy" search and order tool devoted solely to NAPP photos). For a more complete search and order interface that supports all USGS aerial products, use Earth Explorer.
  
  
• NAPP and NHAP Examples
  
  Color-infrared and black and white examples from both programs. Click on the images to enlarge.
  
  

• DOQ Fact Sheet
  
  A digital orthophoto quadrangle (DOQ) is a computer-generated image of an aerial photograph in which image displacement caused by terrain relief and camera tilts has been removed. It combines the image characteristics of a photograph with the geometric qualities of a map.
  
  
• View USGS Maps and Aerial Photo Images (DOQ's) Online
  
  The links on this page will take you to selected USGS Business Partner Program (BP) and Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) partner sites where you may view USGS maps and orthophoto images from your Web browser.
  
  
• Famous Places: DOQ's from Terraserver
  
  A list of famous places in the United States. To view a place, click on an image.
  
  
• DOQ Home Page
  
  This site provides a complete overview of USGS Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles.
  
  
• Guide to DOQ Data
  
  An overview of the various DOQ products available from USGS.
  
  
• Frequently Asked Questions
  
  Answers to the common questions we receive about DOQ's
  
  
• Digital Orthophoto Standards
  
  Standards set the criteria and specifications to ensure that all products prepared by the USGS Geography Discipline under the National Mapping Program (NMP) reflect current mapping and data policies and are accurate and consistent in style and content.
  
  
• DOQ Availability: Quarter Quad Status Graphics
  
  This link will lead customers to online status graphics, or map-based images, depicting the current availability of selected USGS Digital Cartographic Data products such as DOQ, DRG, DEM, DLG and NHD.
  
  
• DOQ Availability: County Coverage (JPEG-compressed)
  
  County DOQ's consist of collections of individual DOQ's that have been compiled on a county-by-county basis. There is fairly good coverage for counties in Kansas, Georgia, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Other states may also have limited counties available. County DOQ's are packaged as individual JPEG-compressed 8-bit binary files on CD-ROM.
  
  
• EarthExplorer: Search and Order DOQ's
  
  A complete search and order tool for aerial photos, elevation data, and satellite products distributed by the USGS. Supports secure online credit card ordering!
  
  
• DOQ Order Form
  
  Use this form to order U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) digital orthophoto quadrangle data by mail or fax.
  
  
• Pricing Information for DOQ's
  
  Current price information for DOQ's available from USGS can be found here. Scroll down the page to the DOQ section.
  
  

• Guide to Survey Aerial Photographs
  
  Survey Photography is a large and diverse group of aerial photos from within the USGS EROS Data Center`s historical film archives. The photos date from 1940 to present, and they were originally acquired by a wide variety of sources such as NASA, EPA, BLM, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and others. Survey Photography is not a standardized product, and individual photos will vary in scale, size, quality, and coverage.
  
  
• Guide to Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Photographs
  
  SCAR provides aerial photography and maps of Antarctica for scientists and others to determine geologic features, analyze ice stream flow, and monitor penguin and seal populations. Various mapping cameras and film types have been used to create over 300,000 frames of film since 1946, with annual acquisitions since 1980.
  
  
• Guide to Mapping Aerial Photographs
  
  Index/Mapping Photography was mainly produced during the creation and refinement of the USGS topographic map series. The photos date from the 1940`s - 1980`s, and they were originally acquired by a variety of sources such as USGS, EPA, BLM, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and others. Index/Mapping Photography is not a standardized product, and individual photos will vary in scale, size, quality, and coverage.
  
  
• The USGS Photographic Library
  
  This is a collection of about 300,000 mostly ground-based images taken during geologic studies of the United States and its Territories from 1869 to the present.
  
  

• Declassified Intelligence Satellite Photographs Fact Sheet
  
  Recently declassified photographs from spy satellites are an important addition to the record of the Earth's land surface held by the USGS.
  
  
• Guide to CORONA Data
  
  Declassified Satellite Imagery - 1 consists of approximately 880,000 photographic images that were taken between 1959 and 1972. These images were primarily collected by the CORONA satellite series, but the dataset also includes photos taken from the ARGON and LANYARD satellites. The images have multiple scales and the image quality can be variable. Cloud cover is common.
  
  
• EarthExplorer: Search, Browse, and Order CORONA Imagery
  
  A complete search and order tool for aerial photos, elevation data, and satellite products distributed by the USGS. Supports secure online credit card ordering!
  
  
• Pricing Information
  
  Current price information for Declassified Satellite Imagery available from USGS can be found here.