What a Tennis Ball Can Teach You About Imagery Resolution
And why Vexcel collects consistent 7.5cm imagery or better in cities across the globe.
At first glance, it looks like any tennis court. Then you notice it: a ball suspended in mid-air between two players on the court above. That single detail, crisp and defined, captures what Vexcel’s imagery can show. Remarkable, real-world detail. In this case, on a random court in London.
In the next image series, the view shifts to Amsterdam. The A’DAM Lookout comes into focus where a group of friends is taking selfies from the observation deck. From thousands of feet above in an airplane, our UltraCam Osprey system captures the same Insta-moment. Did we just take a selfie of a selfie? Maybe. But what really matters is what that detail represents: accuracy, capability, and the ability to see the world exactly as it is. This is what Vexcel does.
Designed for Scale and Performance
With its Urban Area collections, Vexcel publishes high-resolution imagery at a standard spec of 7.5cm (3 inch) GSD, delivering consistent coverage across thousands of cities in dozens of countries. We collect almost every day of the year for our Urban Area programs.
“Our 7.5cm standard isn’t just about sharper imagery, it’s about making sure every city, every customer, and every decision needing to be made sees the same level of clarity,” said Ezra Philipse, VP of International Flight Operations for Vexcel.
Ask ten geospatial teams what “high-res” means and you’ll likely get ten different answers. At Vexcel, resolution is defined by outcomes, not adjectives. It’s about what a customer must see consistently and reliably at scale to make confident decisions.
While some imagery companies promote “1-inch,” “super-resolution,” or “HD” imagery, the reality is they only have it in small pockets or a few select neighborhoods. Vexcel delivers consistent, repeatable high-resolution aerial imagery across entire cities in more than 40 countries and territories.
And, when weather conditions or flight restrictions require it, our UltraCam systems can flex to collect even finer resolution imagery.
