Remote-sensing imagery is the term which encompasses all kinds of photographs taken remotely, i.e. from an aircraft or satellite.
Aerial photography is a series of photographic images of the ground, taken at regular intervals from an airborne craft such as an airplane. Most aerial photographs are 9" x 9" prints. Most photo enlargements are approximately 16" x 20" (for greater detail).
Orthophotographs are aerial photographs which have been orthorectified (adjusted digitally or otherwise) to remove displacements caused by the camera and the terrain. (Definition adapted from Terraserver.com's Geographic Glossary.)
Satellite images are taken from satellites, which orbit the earth at much higher altitudes than do airplanes. Satellites use a variety of methods to produce images, including infrared, water vapor, and visible image technologies. (For detailed explanations of these methods, go to NASA's Global Hydrology and Climate Center.)
Aerial photography coverage is only for selected areas in Washington State, with an emphasis on the Puget Sound region, in a variety of scales, from 1944 to the present. Digital orthophotography available on the Washington State Geospatial Data Archive (WAGDA) website (1990's- present) supplements our paper collection.
Selected print satellite images show entire countries, large areas of the Pacific Northwest, and some states. Digital satellite imagery of Washington State is available on CD-ROM and for other locales at the Washington State Geospatial Data Archive (WAGDA) website.
The best way to locate aerial photography coverage for an area you are interested in is to follow the steps below. The first steps can be done online or in the Map Collection. The remaining steps can only be done in person in the Map Collection.
9" x 9" photos: Each vertical line represents a particular flight line. Each small circle on the flight line represents an individual photograph. The film roll number, flight line number and the first photograph number of the line are printed at either the top or the bottom of each flight line. Approximately every fifth circle is numbered as you move up or down a line.
To locate an individual photograph, determine the film roll number, flight line number and the photograph number(s) corresponding to your site.
Photographs are filed in the black filing cabinets under the Air Photos sign: first by flight line number or film roll number, and then within each line number, by photograph number.
16" x 20" photo enlargements: Each index map has a grid which shows the areas covered in our collection. To locate an individual photo enlargement, determine the township, range, and section designation (e.g., T24N,R5E,SEC14). Photo enlargements are located in the large horizontal file drawers to the left of the Air Photo cabinets. They are filed by project date.
Our digital aerial photography consists primarily of Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles (DOQs) and Quarter Quadrangles (DOQQs). These can be accessed at the Washington State Geospatial Data Archive (WAGDA).
All of our digital aerial photography is also cataloged. To find aerial photography in the UW Libraries Catalog, go to our Tips for Searching the Catalog.
All of our satellite imagery (both print and electronic) is cataloged. To find satellite imagery in the UW Libraries Catalog, go to our Tips for Searching the Catalog.
Print satellite images are filed in the General Map Cases (with other thematic maps of that geographic area). Consult the floor plan of the Map Collection. Digital satellite imagery of Washington state is available on CD-ROM, and filed in the Staff Area (ask Map Collection staff for assistance). Additional satellite imagery resources are linked to the Washington State Geospatial Data Archive (WAGDA). Due to their extremely large file size the Map Collection does not make these images available over the web.
Aerial Photography Collection in the UW Libraries
Use the Aerial Photo Project Tool to determine whether there are photos for your area of interest in this collection, which consists of more than 80,000 photographs and is housed in the Map Collection, Suzzallo Library. Photos are not online (disclaimer).
Washington
State Geospatial Data Archive (WAGDA) - some data UW
restricted
This site includes data for King County, City of Seattle, Washington geology,
Washington digital elevation models (DEMs) and digital line graphs (DLGs).
Some of this data is restricted to use by UW students, faculty, and staff.
These data sets are clearly marked as UW restricted.
Washington State Department of Ecology Shoreline
Aerial Photos
A very easy-to-use site with clickable index maps. "... over 10,000
... true-color photos comprise a continuous series, panning left to
right along the shoreline. The photos were taken to optimize sun angle,
shoreline orientation, and low tides. Oblique photos are useful for
interpreting bluff geology and land-sliding, riparian vegetation, and
shoreline modifications such as bulkheads and seawalls."
Maps.com Image Atlas
Aerial photographs of the entire continental United States. Some areas
can be viewed down to the city level; others can be viewed down to the
building or house level.
Terraserver.com
"TerraServer.com is the worldwide source of unequalled, current,
digital satellite imagery and aerial photography in both color and black
and white. Everyone can view all of the available imagery for free down
to 8 meters of detail. As a TerraServer.com subscriber, you can view
all of the imagery at full resolution, which ranges from 6 inches to
2 meters...."