Aerial vs. Satellite Imagery: What’s the Difference, and Why It Matters
Many people use imagery without knowing—let alone understanding—the difference between aerial and satellite imagery. But that distinction matters, and the difference between imagery sources is a common question we get at Vexcel. When it comes to clarity, accuracy, and usability, not all imagery performs the same.
Aerial imagery is captured from planes or drones flying at lower altitudes. Vexcel uses a fleet of fixed-wing aircraft, with pilots typically flying between 1,500-4,800 meters (5,000-16,000 feet) to produce aerial imagery that hits a sweet spot of fine resolution, accuracy, coverage, and scale.
Satellite imagery is collected from various orbit zones, ranging from roughly 250 to 35,000 kilometers (up to approximately 22,000 miles) above Earth. It typically provides broad regional or global coverage, including hard-to-reach areas. But that wide reach and regular frequency often come at the cost of resolution, accuracy, and consistency.
Satellite example of zoomed in resolution
Aerial example of resolution at 7.5cm
It can be confusing. There’s a wide range of sensors, spectral bands, and data products available from both aerial and satellite collections. In the chart below, we focus in on imagery, comparing Vexcel aerial imagery to typical commercial satellite imagery to help address common questions from professionals on which imagery source best fits their project needs.
| VEXCEL AERIAL IMAGERY | SATELLITE IMAGERY | |
|---|---|---|
| Collection Altitude | 1,500-4,800 meters (5,000 – 16,000 feet) | 250 – 35,000+ kilometers (150 – 22,000+ miles) |
| Resolution | 7.5 – 15cm (3 – 6 inches). Fine detail to see roof shape, materials, vegetation, road markings, and land features. | 30cm to 5 meters (1 – 16+ feet). Coarser detail for identifying large objects, land use trends, or regional changes. |
| Image Products | Ortho, Nadir, Oblique, Multispectral | Nadir; some providers offer off-nadir, ortho, multispectral, hyperspectral |
| Collection Control | Tasked collection over specific areas, scheduled as needed | Collection follows fixed orbital paths and timing |
| Weather Adaptability | Can adjust flight plans around weather or cloud cover to ensure total imagery clarity without cloud, smoke, or haze | May be affected by cloud cover and atmospheric conditions; some imagery may have occlusions |
| Processing, Quality, Accuracy | Fully processed with stitching, cloud removal, color balancing, alignment to ground control points; data is produced to meet ASPRS standards | Varies by provider; some datasets may require additional post-processing or positional alignment; accuracy varies by product |
| Update Frequency | Refreshed imagery across 40+ countries; in the U.S., urban areas are updated up to 3 times per year | Varies depending on the number of satellites in constellation; may range from multiple times per day to monthly, depending on provider tasking, weather, and revisit frequency |
| Coverage | 40+ countries and territories, including urban and rural collections in many areas | Limited coverage to global coverage (depending on weather/atmospheric interference and satellite orbits); may cover remote areas and conflict zones |
| AI Capabilities | Suitable for property, building, and road-level granular feature extraction due to detailed image resolution, consistent quality, and high accuracy | Variable depending on sensor; suitable for detecting trends at a landscape or regional scale, such as urban growth, deforestation, ocean and cargo ship monitoring, wildfire detection |
When Aerial Imagery Makes Sense. And Why Vexcel Delivers.
Choose Vexcel aerial imagery when your work depends on seeing both fine detail and wide-area coverage with clarity and accuracy, whether it’s a single property, a roadway network, or an entire city or country. From HD mapping and infrastructure planning to property assessment and AI-driven analysis, Vexcel delivers the resolution and consistency needed for confident decision-making at any scale.
Vexcel delivers imagery at scale and in high resolution. Key advantages include:
- High-resolution detail: Aerial imagery (7.5-15cm) that reveals roof shape, materials, vegetation, and road features. This imagery offers up to 16 times better resolution than the best commercially available satellite imagery, and significantly more compared to many other satellite sources.
- Multi-angle views: Oblique imagery from all four directions to support 3D modeling and multi-view analysis.
- Rigorous collection and processing: Captured with Vexcel’s own sensors to a strict spec, including but not limited to cloud-free conditions, optimal sun angles, alignment with ground control points, and production that meets ASPRS accuracy standards.
- AI-ready: Consistent, high-accuracy imagery optimized for large- and small-scale feature extraction, from a single property to multi-country projects.
- Flexible access: Delivered through the Vexcel Platform (APIs, SDKs) and trusted partners.
- Bonus elevation data: High-resolution Digital Surface Models (DSM) and Digital Terrain Models (DTM) aligned with our ortho imagery.
Satellite imagery plays an important role in global monitoring and broad coverage. But it doesn’t always deliver the resolution, accuracy, or consistency needed for property-level analysis, accurate feature identification, or detailed change detection that many professionals require.
Not all imagery is created equal. Know the difference and choose the best imagery for your needs. Request a demo below to see and learn more.
