What do the different colors in a color-infrared aerial photograph represent?
Color-infrared (CIR) aerial photography--often called "false color" photography because it renders the scene in colors not normally seen by the human eye--is widely used for interpretation of natural resources. Atmospheric haze does not interfere with the acquisition of the image.
- Live vegetation is almost always associated with red tones. Very intense reds indicate dense, vigorously growing vegetation. As plant vigor decreases, the vegetation appears as lighter shades of red and pink, various shades of greens, and possibly tans.
- Bare soils appear as shades of white, blue, or green in most agricultural regions. In general, darker shades of each color indicate moister soil.
- Man-made features appear in tones that relate to the materials with which they are made. Asphalt roads, for example, are dark blue or black; gravel or dirt roads are lighter colors depending on their composition; and clean concrete roads are light in tone. The colors of buildings are similarly dependent on the materials used to create them.
- Water appears as shades of blue, varying from nearly black (clean, clean water) to very pale blue (increasing amounts of sediment). The color of very shallow water is often determined by the material present at the bottom of the water. For example, a very shallow stream with a sandy bottom will appear white due to the high level of sand reflection.
Learn more: Understanding Color-Infrared Photographs
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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...
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...
How can I download orthoimagery in bulk?
Download orthoimagery in bulk through a Bulk Download Application (BDA). Free registration is required. Start by clicking on the Help link in EarthExplorer and selecting the Bulk Download Tutorial . To receive bulk data via external hard drive, you must supply the hard drive(s) within our specifications, pay for shipping the drive(s), and provide a paid return label or a carrier account number...
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...
Will all aerial photographic film held by USGS be digitized?
Yes, there is a plan to scan and digitize all rolls of film. The plan is to first scan all rolls of film that are in danger of decay from vinegar syndrome and then scan everything else. Science and customer requirements are also reviewed on a regular basis, but a formal, online schedule is not available. Learn more: USGS EROS products overview USGS EROS Aerial Photography Frequently Asked...
Related Content
- FAQ
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...
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...
How can I download orthoimagery in bulk?
Download orthoimagery in bulk through a Bulk Download Application (BDA). Free registration is required. Start by clicking on the Help link in EarthExplorer and selecting the Bulk Download Tutorial . To receive bulk data via external hard drive, you must supply the hard drive(s) within our specifications, pay for shipping the drive(s), and provide a paid return label or a carrier account number...
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...
Will all aerial photographic film held by USGS be digitized?
Yes, there is a plan to scan and digitize all rolls of film. The plan is to first scan all rolls of film that are in danger of decay from vinegar syndrome and then scan everything else. Science and customer requirements are also reviewed on a regular basis, but a formal, online schedule is not available. Learn more: USGS EROS products overview USGS EROS Aerial Photography Frequently Asked...
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