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What is satellite imagery?
Satellite imagery is highly accurate high-resolution photography taken by satellites orbiting Earth. It offers advantages over traditional aerial imagery including:
- Efficiencies capturing large areas of interest at once within short timeframes.
- Near real-time delivery once captured successfully.
- Ease of repeat capture, enabling comparison of satellite imagery over time.
- Access to Synthetic-Aperture Radar (SAR) technology, which allows for acquisition of imagery during periods of high-cloud cover and observation at night-time.
How is it used?
Satellite imagery is currently used by state and local government agencies and emergency services for a range of purposes. These purposes include assisting with planning, monitoring major infrastructure projects, supporting forestry management, planned burns and environmental monitoring. It also supports rapid response to extreme weather events, including floods and bushfires.
Satellite imagery is also being used for machine-learning feature extraction and for analysis supported by artificial intelligence because it can deliver high-accuracy, high-quality imagery that creates consistent and seamless imagery mosaics.
Available products and services
Satellite Tasking Service
Satellite imagery is available on-demand to state and local government agencies, with access to 54 satellites in orbit at various resolutions. This service is facilitated by the Vicmap Coordinated Imagery Program.
The Satellite Tasking Service offers near real-time delivery of high-quality imagery once captured, with turnaround times often between 2-12 hours post-capture. Previously captured satellite imagery can also be acquired at various resolutions.
How to access satellite imagery
Satellite imagery is only available to state and local government agencies. To access satellite imagery, please send an email to the Coordinated Imagery Program
Read more about Vicmap imagery and the Coordinated Imagery Program:
Page last updated: 17/01/24