How to Find Free Aerial Images Using Longitude & Latitude

Aerial imagery can be found easily with online search engines.

Aerial photography used to be more difficult to find until Internet search engines began collecting satellite imagery for maps. Now, you can insert almost any coordinates and instantly receive a bird's-eye view of the area. These images are also free, which is a large benefit compared to paying a pilot and photographer to shoot images. Additionally, you can select the amount of zoom you'd like to see, whereas a traditional aerial photo has only a limited range of zoom.

Instructions

1. Visit either the Google or Bing search engine.

2. Navigate to the "Maps" section of the website. This is normally found at the top of the page.

3. Type your coordinates into the search engine and click "Search."

4. Hover over the top right navigational bar of the map to reveal more options. Click "Satellite" for Google or "Bird's Eye" for Bing to view photos of the area.

5. Click the "+" or "-" signs to zoom in or out of the photo to your desired level.

References

• Google: Searching with latitude and longitude coordinates
• Virtual Globetrotting: FAQ