Every spring, a small aircraft flies over the Netherlands capturing cities, villages, and nature from high above. The result: fantastic imagery.

Did you know that satellite and aerial imagery can be very useful for your interactive map? Especially for fast-changing environments and for keeping your map up to date. In this blog we highlight one of our most valued features.

What are satellite images and aerial photos?

Aerial photos offer a unique perspective on Earth. In the Netherlands, new photos are captured every year on behalf of public organizations such as Kadaster, ProRail, and Staatsbosbeheer. High resolution, current, and publicly available.

For maps that tell stories about changing environments, recent imagery is essential: construction zones, unique landscapes, and key urban areas.

The source data behind Dutch aerial imagery is enormous. For the technical readers: one 1 km² tile is around 450 MB. The Netherlands is 41,500 km², so the full image is roughly 1.9 terabytes.

AI, drones, and the future of aerial imagery

Rapid advances in drones, satellite technology, and AI continue to improve image quality and precision. We are excited about that. Growing demand across sectors like agriculture, nature conservation, and urban planning also makes imagery more economically viable and more widely accessible.

Another interesting development is companies like SkyFi and Kavel10, where you can purchase on-demand, up-to-date aerial and satellite imagery.

Highest-quality aerial imagery

We only use aerial and satellite sources we trust. That keeps things reliable and accurate. Additional benefits:

• Current: aerial imagery is updated about once per year. In Wolf Maps we update it automatically, so you always have the latest version.
• Highest resolution only: very sharp images, often better than other sources (such as Google), especially in rural areas.
• Strict quality requirements: imagery must align perfectly in color and positioning, and match map coordinates precisely.

Your map, your aerial imagery

In Wolf Maps, the latest aerial imagery is available on request. You can quickly publish maps based on up-to-date Dutch imagery. Very useful in fast-changing environments, such as Blauwestad, nature parks with conservation efforts, or areas with new zoning plans.

Of course, we continue to monitor new developments. For now, we are very happy with high-resolution coverage in the Netherlands and strong global coverage at a slightly lower (still very good) resolution.

Looking ahead, we may eventually offer real-time satellite imagery requests for specific areas. We are not there yet, but we are moving in that direction.

Want to tell a story with current high-resolution aerial imagery? Email Tim.