How much area does an aerial photograph cover?
The area covered by an aerial photograph (air photo) depends on the scale of the imagery. Most air photos were taken on 9 x 9 inch film. The chart below reflects coverage for a variety of photographic scales.
| Scale | 1 inch = feet | 1 side (miles) | Area (square miles) |
| 1:12,000 | 1000 | 1.70 | 2.9 |
| 1:20,000 | 1667 | 2.84 | 8.1 |
| 1:24,000 | 2000 | 3.41 | 11.6 |
| 1:40,000 | 3333 | 5.68 | 32.3 |
| 1:58,000 | 4833 | 8.23 | 67.73 |
| 1:63,360 | 5280 | 9.00 | 81.00 |
| 1:80,000 | 6667 | 11.36 | 129.1 |
| 1:100,000 | 8333 | 14.20 | 201.6 |
Note: The photo scale is determined by dividing the flying height by the camera focal length.
Example: If the flying height is 20,000 feet and the camera focal length is 6 inches, then:
20,000 feet ÷ 0.5 feet = 40,000 scale or 1:40,000
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A digital orthophoto quadrangle (DOQ)--or any orthoimage--is a computer-generated image of an aerial photograph in which displacements (distortions) caused by terrain relief and camera tilts have been removed. It combines the image characteristics of a photograph with the geometric qualities of a map. Unlike an aerial photograph, an orthoimage has a uniform scale, so it can be used as a base map...
Will I be able to see my house in an aerial photograph? Will enlarging the image let me see more detail?
The ability to see specific items in an aerial image is mostly a function of scale and resolution. The following aerial photography products all have a resolution of 1 meter or better, so you should be able to see an object the size of a house: High Resolution Orthoimagery (HRO) National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery Digital Orthophoto Quadrangle (DOQ) Use EarthExplorer to search for...
How do I download orthoimagery products and what are the available formats?
Download orthoimagery (georectified aerial photographs) using EarthExplorer , which has the full catalog of USGS orthoimagery and aerial photography, or The National Map downloader, which has NAIP orthoimagery only. EarthExplorer : Products Overview Format varies by type of orthoimagery: Native format, Georeferenced Tagged Image File Format (GeoTIFF), or compressed 10:1 JPEG2000 The National Map...
Is there a cost for aerial photograph products?
Download medium-resolution scans (400 dpi) of aerial photography products at no charge using EarthExplorer . We are working on high-resolution scans (25 micron or 1,000 dpi) that can also be downloaded at no charge. With over 8.4 million frames of imagery in our archive, scanning will take many years to complete, but about 80% of high-resolution scans are currently available. If you can't find a...
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Are the scanned aerial photographic images georectified?
Scans of traditional aerial photography film products (air photos) are not georectified . The USGS does, however, offer several orthoimagery (georectified aerial photograph) products: Digital Orthophoto Quadrangle (DOQ) High Resolution Orthoimagery (HRO) National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP, NAIP Plus) NAIP orthoimagery has been collected for the entire conterminous United States every 3...
What is a digital orthophoto quadrangle (DOQ) or orthoimage?
A digital orthophoto quadrangle (DOQ)--or any orthoimage--is a computer-generated image of an aerial photograph in which displacements (distortions) caused by terrain relief and camera tilts have been removed. It combines the image characteristics of a photograph with the geometric qualities of a map. Unlike an aerial photograph, an orthoimage has a uniform scale, so it can be used as a base map...
Will I be able to see my house in an aerial photograph? Will enlarging the image let me see more detail?
The ability to see specific items in an aerial image is mostly a function of scale and resolution. The following aerial photography products all have a resolution of 1 meter or better, so you should be able to see an object the size of a house: High Resolution Orthoimagery (HRO) National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery Digital Orthophoto Quadrangle (DOQ) Use EarthExplorer to search for...
How do I download orthoimagery products and what are the available formats?
Download orthoimagery (georectified aerial photographs) using EarthExplorer , which has the full catalog of USGS orthoimagery and aerial photography, or The National Map downloader, which has NAIP orthoimagery only. EarthExplorer : Products Overview Format varies by type of orthoimagery: Native format, Georeferenced Tagged Image File Format (GeoTIFF), or compressed 10:1 JPEG2000 The National Map...
Is there a cost for aerial photograph products?
Download medium-resolution scans (400 dpi) of aerial photography products at no charge using EarthExplorer . We are working on high-resolution scans (25 micron or 1,000 dpi) that can also be downloaded at no charge. With over 8.4 million frames of imagery in our archive, scanning will take many years to complete, but about 80% of high-resolution scans are currently available. If you can't find a...
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