Many users are interested in online satellite maps, which give them the opportunity to enjoy a bird's-eye view of their favorite places on our planet. There are quite a number of such services on the Internet, but 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 satellite maps High Quality. In this article I will talk about the best satellite maps high resolution available online in 2017-2018, and I will also explain how to use them.

When creating satellite maps earth's surface usually used as snapshots from space satellites, and photos from special aircraft, allowing for photography at bird's eye height (250-500 meters).

Satellite maps of the highest resolution quality created in this way are regularly updated, and usually the images from them are no more than 2-3 years old.

Most online services do not have the ability to create their own satellite maps. They usually 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 displaying 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, photographs for which were taken during last months(or even years). It is worth understanding that any military objects may be deliberately retouched in order to hide them from interested parties.

Let's move on to a description of the services that allow us to enjoy the capabilities of satellite maps.

Google Maps - view from space in high resolution

Bing Maps – online satellite map service

Among the cartographic online services of decent quality, you cannot ignore 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 United States.

The functionality of the service is similar to the analogues already described above:

In this case, using the search button you can determine online location specific satellite, and by clicking on any satellite on the map you will get brief information about it (country, size, launch date, etc.).


Conclusion

To display high-resolution satellite maps online, you should use one of the network solutions I listed. The Google Maps service is the most popular worldwide, 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 on our country’s relations exceeds the similar frequency from Google Maps.

To observe the Earth's surface for free and view satellite images online, you can use several applications. In Russia, two of them are most popular: Google Maps and Yandex Maps. Both services boast good quality high-resolution satellite images of most countries.

Yandex maps is an online application from Russian developers, so Russian cities are more accurately detailed in it. It has built-in functionality for viewing traffic load data (large settlements), demographic and geodata. In Google Maps no less high quality pictures from a satellite of the territory of the Russian Federation, but data on land plots and traffic are available only for the USA.

View a map of Planet Earth from satellite online

Below you can see the Google map built into the site. For more stable operation of the plugin, we recommend using the Google Chrome browser. If you see an error message, please update the specified plugin and then reload the page.

Watch Google Earth from satellite, in real time online:

Another advantage of Google Maps is the presence of a client application for working with satellite images. This means that the service can be accessed not only through a browser, but also through a pre-downloaded program. It has many more opportunities for viewing and studying satellite images and working with a three-dimensional virtual globe.

A 3D satellite map from Google (a downloadable application, not an online version) allows you to:

  • use a quick search for the desired objects by name or coordinates;
  • take screenshots and record high quality videos;
  • work offline (preliminary synchronization via the Internet is required);
  • use a flight simulator for more convenient movement between objects;
  • save “favorite places” to quickly move between them;
  • view not only the Earth's surface, but also images of other celestial bodies(Mars, Moon, etc.).

You can work with Google satellite maps through a client application or browser. A plugin is available on the official page of the program that allows you to use an interactive map on any web resource. It is enough to embed its address in the site’s program code. For display, you can select either the entire surface or a specific area (you will have to enter the coordinates). Control - using a computer mouse and keyboard (ctrl+mouse wheel for zooming, cursor for moving) or using the icons indicated on the map (“plus” - zoom in, “minus” - zoom out, move with the cursor).

The Google Earth service in real time allows you to work with several types of maps, each of which reflects certain data on satellite images. It’s convenient to switch between them “without losing progress” (the program remembers where you “were”). Available viewing modes:

  • landscape map from satellite (geographical objects, features of the Earth's surface);
  • physical map(detailed satellite images of the surface, cities, streets, their names);
  • schematic geographic map for a more accurate study of surface images.

The satellite image is automatically loaded at the point of approach, so a stable Internet connection is required for operation. For Google work Planet Earth in offline mode you need to download the application for Windows or another operating system. Its operation also requires the Internet, but only for the first launch, after which the program synchronizes all the necessary data (satellite images of the surface, 3D models of buildings, names of geographical and other objects) after which it will be possible to work with the received data without direct access to the Internet.

The surface of the Earth can now be constantly monitored. In addition, access to viewing satellite images is available. Among the many applications for such actions, Google Earth online in real time is the most popular in Russia.

Yandex maps can be named as the main competitor. Their developers are Russians, due to which Russian cities are designed with the greatest precision. Due to the available functions, for large settlements You can view the level of Internet congestion, as well as numerous geodata and demographic data. Google provides access to traffic, as well as all information on plots of land only in the United States.

Online view of the Earth from satellite

Google Earth online from a satellite in real time is displayed on the manufacturer’s website. For the plugin to work fully and display all the main elements, it is recommended to use the Google Chrome Internet browser. In some situations, it will be enough to refresh the page so that everything opens correctly.

The main advantage of Google Maps is the presence of a developed application for users, through which they can view satellite images in any direction. This provides an opportunity to move away from the classic browser and simply download the application in advance and use all its features. In addition, it will have much more functions and properties. If desired, you can open the 3D globe in virtual mode.

Main advantages

If you first download Google Earth online, rather than viewing maps in an Internet browser, clients receive a full range of positive aspects, which include:

  • Taking screenshots of a specific location, as well as recording high-resolution videos.
  • To search for a piece of terrain or a building, simply enter the name or specific coordinates in the search bar.
  • Move between “favorite places”, having previously saved them in the settings.
  • In order to be able to work in the program offline in the future, you should perform preliminary synchronization via the Internet.
  • You can move from object to object using a flight simulator. This option provides more and more convenience for every user.
  • In addition to the earth's surface, you can open access to other bodies in the heavens, such as the Moon or Mars.

This is only a minimal list of advantages purchased by clients online maps from satellite.

Viewing Modes

As mentioned earlier, Google Maps is accessible not only through the Internet browser, but also through the application. Using the plugin you can use interactive maps in any web browser. The specified address is embedded in the resource program code. In this case, the entire planet, as well as a specific selected region, can be displayed. In the latter case, you will have to enter the appropriate coordinates.

Control is carried out via keyboard and mouse. In combination with each other, they allow you to zoom in or out, and adjust the cursor while moving. In addition, there are additional icons (“+”, “-”) on the map.

Among the map viewing modes, the following stand out:

  • Landscape from satellite. Here the features of the planet's surface are more interesting.
  • Geographic - in the form of a diagram that allows you to study incoming images in more detail.
  • Physical – display of streets with names, cities.

The main requirement for stable operation and instant loading of maps is a high-speed Internet connection. You can also use offline mode, but even here you will initially have to use the Internet to download.