Was there recently an imagery update?

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01-16-2018 09:53 AM
MatthewKalcich
Occasional Contributor

There is cloud cover all over the imagery and I think it just appeared today (The areas I noticed it in was central Pennsylvania into New York).... This new imagery base map is really unusable

Thanks,

Matt

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4 Replies
RobertWaterman
Esri Contributor

Yes, we recently updated World Imagery within the CONUS with DigitalGlobe Basemap +Vivid imagery.  We did this to improve currency where World Imagery was out of date (Bing Aerial) and to improve spatial resolution where World Imagery was current but less detailed (NAIP).  One of the trade offs with this update is that we will have to contend with cloud cover in some locations.  For these cases, or if someone prefers the previous imagery for other reasons, we have two alternate services available:  World Imagery (Clarity) and our NAIP Image Service.  Each of these can be added to your map(s) as imagery layers.

 

Our recent blog post, What’s New in World Imagery (January 2018), contains additional details and context.

Hopefully this helps!

MatthewKalcich
Occasional Contributor

Thanks Rob,

That is very helpful.

I do have a few more questions though?

Why did you choose these imagery....... Looks like the cloud cover imagery is from 2016 (2 years old). It Doesn't seem like much of an update and it certainly is not an upgrade over what previously existed? Will this be updated with newer imagery going forward? What is the frequency of the updates? Will Esri be notifying their users when these updates happen in the future?

Thanks,

Matt

RobertWaterman
Esri Contributor

Hi Matt,

In the context of the Bing Aerial imagery that was replaced, which was dated from 2010 to 2012, or 5-8 years old, the currency of the imagery has improved significantly.  We intend to do this level of country wide updates every 1-2 years going forward.  We also expect major metropolitan areas to be updated annually with other, often more detailed, products such as DigitalGlobe Basemap +Metro Imagery and/or Community Maps Imagery. 

As was the case with the introduction of World Imagery (Clarity), we will continue to gather user feedback and requirements and present solutions to support variable use cases.  In other words, we want our users to have options when it comes to what imagery works best for them.

I appreciate all of the interest and feedback!  We will continue to post and discuss imagery updates going forward.

Regards,

Rob

MatthewKalcich
Occasional Contributor

Hi Rob,

Thanks for taking the time to answer all of my questions. Your content is very helpful.

I just have one more question.

When issues such as the one mentioned above dealing with cloud cover occur will that version of the base map exist for 1 - 2 years, until the next update or will these issues be resolved sooner?

Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions.

Matt

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