State Imagery Program Frequently Asked Questions

Aerial orthoimagery is imagery that has been collected via an airplane in order to capture high-resolution photos of the Earth’s surface. The imagery has been “orthorectified,” or geometrically corrected, to create a uniform scale. Distortion, such as from lens and camera tilt, has been removed and the photo is adjusted for topographic relief. The resulting product is an accurate representation of the Earth’s surface that can be used to measure true distances. Also, orthoimagery collected from different dates can be compared against each other for change detection analysis in a given area.

Imagery covers the entire geographic extent of the State, plus an approximate one-mile buffer across borders into our neighboring states, so every square inch of the State is covered.

The imagery was flown at various times of the year, which means some was flown in winter/spring when leaves are off the trees, so you will be able to see more under tree canopies, while other portions of the State were flown in summer/fall when leaves are on the trees and it’s more difficult to see through them to the ground.

It is available to all those who work for a governmental entity in Georgia via a streaming imagery map tiling service. This is the most state-of-the-art way to serve this large amount of data. It is unfeasible to use this data on a hard drive due to the size and number of files. You will need access to internet and software that can consume a WMTS or WMS.

Given the consumer-oriented nature of the Google imagery, seam lines will be noticeable in certain areas in between flights and elevated structures such as bridges and overpasses may appear “warped” as these features are not edited in the orthocorrection process to make them more aesthetically pleasing to the user. This does not directly affect the spatial accuracy of the imagery, however, the appearance of these features as described can be alarming to users accustomed to seeing imagery that has been “cleaned up”.

The short answer is, you’ll have to go arrange for and purchase your own custom flight. The slightly longer answer is, you can check with the GIO to see if Google has more current imagery for the area you are working in and a sample can be provided for your review. If you like it you can buy it just for your area, likely for a cost of between $3-4/kmsq. The imagery made available to you through this Program comes as it is. The GIO does not control when the imagery was captured and currently has no additional funding to buy more current imagery. The GIO purchased the most current vintage of imagery that Google had on the day of contract execution. In other words, you get what is there and the only way to get new imagery is to buy it, either through a custom flight or from our statewide vendor (contact GIO for details), who flies portions of the State annually but not on a prescribed schedule.

Access to the Google Imagery Program allows GIS professionals and other geospatial practitioners the ability to “ingest” the aerial imagery directly into their native GIS environment and perform relevant analysis typically supported by other aerial imagery data sources. While Google Maps and GoogleEarth allow users/consumers to view the imagery, they do not allow these additional analytical functions (i.e. calculations like distance and area, change detection, etc.).

Since the Google acquisition flight blocks are not done all at once (as opposed to the NAIP product, for example), there will certainly be color and positional changes at flight block boundaries. For large area maps, the color-balanced NAIP may be a more aesthetically pleasing cartographic choice.

Google remains committed to providing updated imagery nationwide. There is no established acquisition timetable, but Google is diligent in its commitment to keeping its aerial imagery inventory as fresh and up to date as is practical. If Georgia were to engage in an ongoing statewide contract with the Google Aerial Imagery Program it would increase the priority placed on updating acquisition. With that said, this Pilot Project currently has no long-term funding — so we have no way to acquire updated imagery from Google. If you would like to see this Program continue, we need to hear from you regarding the value this resource brings to your daily work.

The Google imagery will not support large-scale, engineering-focused analysis. An independent, third-party horizontal accuracy assessment was conducted on Google Imagery in Shelby County, AL (similar geography to Georgia) and the results showed the horizontal accuracy meets 1” = 100’ scale mapping requirements. The results of this assessment may be found here.

If you can surf Facebook or Google, you will be able to view the imagery, especially if you are using the WMTS, which is much faster than the WMS.

The Google imagery base is not intended to eliminate custom flights in the slightest. It is simply meant to be a uniform statewide imagery resource. For some, it will be the only access to imagery; for others accustomed to regular flights in their jurisdictions, this imagery will function as a useful addition to their collection of imagery tools. Local and regional governments should learn about this new service and then determine, according to their needs, whether or not they should continue to plan for and budget the necessary funding required to maintain their own custom flights, captured to their own specifications. There is no definitive answer: in some cases, a city or county may decide that this State Imagery Program satisfies its needs, and they can cease their costly custom flights — others will decide their business needs warrant the continuation of custom flights. Both approaches are legitimate and appropriate.

The Georgia Imagery Service is a mapping service that is available on-demand. It is licensed, hosted, and served by the Georgia Geospatial Information Office. It offers 6-inch resolution imagery, which is approximately 16 times greater resolution than the 1-meter National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery. The imagery hosted by the Georgia Imagery Service is not in the public domain and is restricted under license.

Google remains committed to providing updated imagery nationwide. There is no established acquisition timetable, but Google is diligent in its commitment to keeping its aerial imagery inventory as fresh and up to date as is practical. If Georgia were to engage in an ongoing statewide contract with the Google Aerial Imagery Program it would increase the priority placed on updating acquisition. With that said, this Pilot Project currently has no long-term funding — so we have no way to acquire updated imagery from Google. If you would like to see this Program continue, we need to hear from you regarding the value this resource brings to your daily work.

There is not yet a guarantee that the Program will be permanent. We are working to secure consistent funding for the program, so that it can be permanent. For now, however, it is a pilot, funded by the Governor’s Office and the Department of Community Affairs.

Google makes no commitment to editing minor issues found with the imagery. However, in the very rare instance where a gross error presents itself, Google’s commitment to client satisfaction will extend to performing edits to improve the accuracy or appearance of imagery where obvious problems exist. If this happens, send an email to info@gio.ga.gov with details and screen grabs.

The imagery was not all flown on the same day, the same time of day, or within the same time of the year. Color variation is perfectly normal and should be expected.

Please email info@gio.ga.gov with the subject line: “Errors in Imagery”. The GIO will log these issues and, if possible, will work with Google staff to find solutions to correct them in future releases.

The Georgia Imagery Service is provided on a restricted license and is only for use by public organizations in the State of Georgia (ie. state, regional and local governments). Contractors engaged in a current binding contract for any public organization are permitted to use the imagery as long as the project or program being performed directly supports the public organization for which they are under contract. Rights to use the imagery terminate upon completion of work by the outside entities. The sponsoring agency will need to request an imagery link on behalf of any contractor.

It’s easy! You just need to tell us who you are and who you work for, then we’ll send you an email with your own unique account access. It works in three simple steps: 1)      Register 2)      Receive an email 3)      Choose how you want to access the imagery (instructions in email) ….. You’re done! You may register here.  Each person is required to have their own individual account to access the imagery.  Once you register, you will receive an email with your unique account access, and directions to access the imagery. If you have a Contractor you wish to register, you will follow these same steps. Create an account for yourself first, as a government employee, then you will be able to use the same system to register your contractors.

Aerial orthoimagery is imagery that has been collected via an airplane in order to capture high-resolution photos of the Earth’s surface. The imagery has been “orthorectified,” or geometrically corrected, to create a uniform scale. Distortion, such as from lens and camera tilt, has been removed and the photo is adjusted for topographic relief. The resulting product is an accurate representation of the Earth’s surface that can be used to measure true distances. Also, orthoimagery collected from different dates can be compared against each other for change detection analysis in a given area.

The Google imagery will not support large-scale, engineering-focused analysis. An independent, third-party horizontal accuracy assessment was conducted on Google Imagery in Shelby County, AL (similar geography to Georgia) and the results showed the horizontal accuracy meets 1” = 100’ scale mapping requirements. The results of this assessment may be found here.

Imagery was flown at various times of the year, which means some was flown in winter/spring when leaves are off the trees, so you will be able to see more under tree canopies, while other portions of the State were flown in summer/fall when leaves are on the trees and it’s more difficult to see through them to the ground.

Imagery covers the entire geographic extent of the State, plus an approximate one-mile buffer across borders into our neighboring states, so every square inch of the State is covered.

It is available to all those who work for a governmental entity in Georgia via a streaming imagery map tiling service. This is the most state-of-the-art way to serve this large amount of data. It is unfeasible to use this data on a hard drive due to the size and number of files. You will need access to internet and software that can consume a WMTS or WMS.

If you can surf Facebook or Google, you will be able to view the imagery, especially if you are using the WMTS, which is much faster than the WMS.

The Google imagery will serve the State of Georgia well by providing a more current, and uniformly consistent, aerial imagery base suitable for myriad local government needs. It will support various activities such as tax parcel mapping, zoning, land use/land cover analysis, public utility data, impervious surface information, and transportation planning.

• You can’t use any part of the Imagery or the Services for commercial sale, monetary gain or cost recovery, whether by hardcopy, digital medium or web service. In addition you cannot increase fees as a result of receiving this imagery.
• You can’t sublicense, sell, rent or lease the imagery.
• You can’t use the imagery for high-risk activities like the operation of nuclear facilities, or military operations.
• You can’t use the imagery in connection with the following: real-time navigation or route guidance, including turn-by-turn route guidance that is synchronized to the position of a user’s sensor-enabled device, or automatic or autonomous control of vehicle behavior.
• You can’t print more than five thousand copies of sales collateral materials containing a screenshot of the Imagery for purposes of commercial sales lead generation or incorporate the Imagery as a core part of printed matter (such as printed maps or guidebooks) that is redistributed for a fee.
• You can’t allow anyone to use it – your unique link is your own and no one else should ever use it.
• No one other than government employees may use the imagery, except under certain limited circumstances.

Given the consumer-oriented nature of the Google imagery, seam lines will be noticeable in certain areas in between flights and elevated structures such as bridges and overpasses may appear “warped” as these features are not edited in the orthocorrection process to make them more aesthetically pleasing to the user. This does not directly affect the spatial accuracy of the imagery, however, the appearance of these features as described can be alarming to users accustomed to seeing imagery that has been “cleaned up”.

The short answer is, you’ll have to go arrange for and purchase your own custom flight. The slightly longer answer is, you can check with the GIO to see if Google has more current imagery for the area you are working in and a sample can be provided for your review. If you like it you can buy it just for your area, likely for a cost of between $3-4/kmsq. The imagery made available to you through this Program comes as it is. The GIO does not control when the imagery was captured and currently has no additional funding to buy more current imagery. The GIO purchased the most current vintage of imagery that Google had on the day of contract execution. In other words, you get what is there and the only way to get new imagery is to buy it, either through a custom flight or from our statewide vendor (contact GIO for details), who flies portions of the State annually but not on a prescribed schedule.

The Google imagery base is not intended to eliminate custom flights in the slightest. It is simply meant to be a uniform statewide imagery resource. For some, it will be the only access to imagery; for others accustomed to regular flights in their jurisdictions, this imagery will function as a useful addition to their collection of imagery tools. Local and regional governments should learn about this new service and then determine, according to their needs, whether or not they should continue to plan for and budget the necessary funding required to maintain their own custom flights, captured to their own specifications. There is no definitive answer: in some cases, a city or county may decide that this State Imagery Program satisfies its needs, and they can cease their costly custom flights — others will decide their business needs warrant the continuation of custom flights. Both approaches are legitimate and appropriate.

Access to the Google Imagery Program allows GIS professionals and other geospatial practitioners the ability to “ingest” the aerial imagery directly into their native GIS environment and perform relevant analysis typically supported by other aerial imagery data sources. While Google Maps and GoogleEarth allow users/consumers to view the imagery, they do not allow these additional analytical functions (i.e. calculations like distance and area, change detection, etc.).

The Georgia Imagery Service is a mapping service that is available on-demand. It is licensed, hosted, and served by the Georgia Geospatial Information Office. It offers 6-inch resolution imagery, which is approximately 16 times greater resolution than the 1-meter National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery. The imagery hosted by the Georgia Imagery Service is not in the public domain and is restricted under license.

Google remains committed to providing updated imagery nationwide. There is no established acquisition timetable, but Google is diligent in its commitment to keeping its aerial imagery inventory as fresh and up to date as is practical. If Georgia were to engage in an ongoing statewide contract with the Google Aerial Imagery Program it would increase the priority placed on updating acquisition. With that said, this Pilot Project currently has no long-term funding — so we have no way to acquire updated imagery from Google. If you would like to see this Program continue, we need to hear from you regarding the value this resource brings to your daily work.

Google makes no commitment to editing minor issues found with the imagery. However, in the very rare instance where a gross error presents itself, Google’s commitment to client satisfaction will extend to performing edits to improve the accuracy or appearance of imagery where obvious problems exist. If this happens, send an email to info@gio.ga.gov with details and screen grabs.

The imagery was not all flown on the same day, the same time of day, or within the same time of the year. Color variation is perfectly normal and should be expected.

The Georgia Imagery Service is provided on a restricted license and is only for use by public organizations in the State of Georgia (ie. state, regional and local governments). Contractors engaged in a current binding contract for any public organization are permitted to use the imagery as long as the project or program being performed directly supports the public organization for which they are under contract. Rights to use the imagery terminate upon completion of work by the outside entities. The sponsoring agency will need to request an imagery link on behalf of any contractor.

It’s easy! You just need to tell us who you are and who you work for, then we’ll send you an email with your own unique account access. It works in three simple steps: 1)      Register 2)      Receive an email 3)      Choose how you want to access the imagery (instructions in email) ….. You’re done! You may register here.  Each person is required to have their own individual account to access the imagery.  Once you register, you will receive an email with your unique account access, and directions to access the imagery. If you have a Contractor you wish to register, you will follow these same steps. Create an account for yourself first, as a government employee, then you will be able to use the same system to register your contractors.

Costs are covered for the first year, by DCA and the Governor’s Office. During the pilot year, usage of the imagery service will be tracked to determine how valuable the program is. Tracking use will allow for the GIO to understand usage metrics and performance of the imagery service and to show those with funds if they are receiving a good return on investment. At this time, ongoing funding for the Program is not assured, which means there are no plans to update the imagery as Google gathers for current coverage for the State. If we engage in a long-term contract with Google, Georgia can certainly pass along requests for additional update areas or for specific collection periods. But there is no provision in the current contract to create any expectation that those requests will be acted upon. A long-term, sustainable Program must be contracted to ensure this outcome.

Usage of the Georgia Imagery is bound by the terms and conditions of a license agreement executed between Google, Inc. and the State of Georgia. “Customer”, as used below, is an employee of the entities listed here. “Imagery”, as used below is the online Google Aerial Orthoimagery. The following are the terms of use Georgia is subject to under the Google license: The following text is taken directly from the license agreement: 1. Google Cloud Platform Terms. Customer’s use of Google Cloud Platform (“GCP”) is governed by the terms at https://cloud.google.com/ (or such other URL as Google may specify). 2. Imagery Terms. Customer’s use of Imagery is governed by these Imagery Terms. Google reserves all rights, title, and interest in the Imagery not expressly granted to the Customer. 3. Imagery License Grants. 3.1. Term-Based License. Subject to the Imagery Terms (including Section 4 (Imagery License Restrictions)), Google grants to Customer a non-exclusive, non-sublicensable, non-transferable license to do the following during the license term [the Contract]:

3.1.1. Use the Imagery for its internal business purposes (use for the benefit of related entities as defined in Attachment 2; no third party access);

3.1.2. Distribute materials based on the Imagery (including reports and analyses) to third parties, as long as Customer provides Google attribution in accordance with the Attribution Guidelines for Google Maps and Google Earth at http://www.google.com/permissions/geoguidelines/attr-guide.html(or such other URL as Google may specify);

3.1.3. Not applicable to Georgia end users;

3.1.4. Not applicable to Georgia end users.

4. Imagery License Restrictions. The Imagery license grants in Section 3 are subject to the following restrictions. Customer will not: 4.1. Sublicense, sell, rent, or lease the Imagery on a stand-alone basis to a third-party; 4.2. Use the Imagery for High Risk Activities; Examples include operation of Nuclear Facilities, Military Operations 4.3. Use the Imagery with any products, systems, or applications for or in connection with any of the following:

4.3.1. Real time navigation or route guidance, including turn-by-turn route guidance that is synchronized to the position of a users sensor-enabled device; or

4.3.2. Automatic or autonomous control of vehicle behavior.

4.4. Print more than five thousand copies of sales collateral materials containing a screenshot of the Imagery for purposes of commercial sales lead generation or incorporate the Imagery as a core part of printed matter (such as printed maps or guidebooks) that is redistributed for a fee: or 4.5. Give third-parties access to Imagery downloads or feeds. Attachment 2: Related Entities Authorized users of Google Imagery as part of the State of Georgia Aerial Imagery contract. Google grants license and use rights to the following entities: All State of Georgia governmental entities (including state offices, agencies, departments, authorities, boards, bureaus, commissioners, institutions and colleges and universities) and local government, municipalities, counties, cities, townships, other political subdivisions of the State of Georgia and their employees, contractors and its Federal Partners doing work on behalf of said entities. Use must be for the benefit of said entities” NOTE: The list of organization types and organization names provided during registration are fully covered under the definition of “entities” above. Additional Georgia Terms of Service I acknowledge and agree to the following informational items and terms of service: • Imagery web services are provided as a ‘best effort’ level service; there is no implied or explicit high availability service-level agreement for the Imagery web services • The Imagery and services (in any part) shall not be used for commercial sale, monetary gain, or cost recovery, whether by hardcopy, or digital medium, or web service. In addition, the Imagery and services shall not be used to increase fees for products and services of any kind. • Your web service URL or other credentials for accessing the Imagery as a service may not to be distributed. You therefore agree to never share your URL • User-based usage statistics will be kept to inform the acquisition of future Imagery updates and to support sustained funding efforts in order to continue this program • A formal support program for the Imagery Program does not currently exist, and will not be available until appropriate funding is secured. Only ad hoc support is available and response times are not guaranteed. • Contractors, and the Customer(s) they are working for, are subject to the following additional terms:

• Customer will remain liable for all contractors compliance with these terms;
• The contractor can only use the Imagery for Customer’s benefit, and the contractor must agree in writing to the all of the terms herein, at the coordination of Customer; and
• Customer will arrange for the termination of contractors Imagery access immediately when the customer’s agreement with the contractor ends

• In the event of non-renewal of the contract with Google due to lack of funding, all web services will terminate (e.g. preview, WMTS, WMS). At that time, Georgia will be allowed to make an offline copy of the Imagery. However, there are several caveats to keep in mind on the use of the offline Imagery:

• It can only be used in-house. External use will be terminated.
• Use by contractor’s use will be terminated.
• Any products that are based on the Imagery (analyses, reports, public-facing websites) may only be used in-house which means products may no longer be provided to anyone other than the governmental entities listed in the licensing agreement.
• At this time, there is no technologically efficient way to use the offline imagery via a physical hard drive. To recreate the online map services, which make the statewide imagery usable, there would need to be a significant investment made into planning, infrastructure and staffing for ongoing maintenance. As of today, those activities are not funded.

If you feel that an unauthorized party has compromised your links, please contact the Georgia GIO immediately at info@gio.ga.gov. We will disable your current links and re-establish new links for you to use.

The map service tiles are Web Mercator

If your GIS/CAD software can consume a WMTS, that is what you should use. WMTS is optimized for efficient web delivery and map printing. If your GIS/CAD software cannot consume a WMTS, you can use the WMS link, but expect slow speeds.

Since the Google acquisition flight blocks are not done all at once (as opposed to the NAIP product, for example), there will certainly be color and positional changes at flight block boundaries. For large area maps, the color-balanced NAIP may be a more aesthetically pleasing cartographic choice.

Please email info@gio.ga.gov with the subject line: “Errors in Imagery”. The GIO will log these issues and, if possible, will work with Google staff to find solutions to correct them in future releases.

At this time it is infeasible to print, copy, or download this data on a drive due to the size of the files along with inadequate staffing in the GIO and monetary restrictions.