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Maps

Aerial Photos & Satellite Imagery

At Perkins/Bostock Library

The Duke Map Collection has never systematically collected aerial photos and has only a very few such images. Here's what we do have:

Durham County Aerial Photos
These 9 x 9 inch aerial photos are located in the top drawer of a filing cabinet near the map reference shelves.  Indexes are in the map collection flat drawers at G3903 .D8 B52 [date] .U5. The table below shows our holdings.  Early 1990's images are available as Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles (see below).

The indexes vary, but will indicate a roll and exposure number that correlates to a number in the upper left or right corner of the photograph.  For instance, for the 1972 images we have 101 images labeled from 37063 172-4 through 37063 172-104 at the top of the photographs and faintly visible in the upper right corners of the squares on the photomosaic index.  37 refers to North Carolina, 063 refers to Durham County, and 172 is the roll number.  Coding schemes for other years may differ.

Rectified means that the photos have been corrected so that they have consistent properties over the area of the image, as would a paper map.   Non-rectified images may have some distortions due to camera tilt, etc.

Color infrared images show green vegetation as red and are generally photographed when leaves are on trees.  Black & white images are generally photographed in the winter, with leaves off.

Year Scale B&W or Infrared Rectified Index Type Agency
1955 1:20,000 B&W No Photomosaic FSA
1959/60 1:20,000 B&W No Photomosaic FSA
1966/67 1:20,000 B&W No Photomosaic FSA
1972 1:38,000 B&W No Photomosaic NRCS
1983 1:40,000 B&W Yes Photomosaic FSA
1983 1:60,000 Color Infrared No Spot Index NHAP1
1988/89/90 1:40,000 B&W Yes Line Index FSA

FSA=Farm Service Agency (USDA)
NRCS=National Resource Conservation Service (USDA)
NHAP1=National High Altitude Photography (USGS)
 

Orthophoto quadrangles and orthophoto maps
Location:  Interfiled by state and quadrangle name with the other 1:24,000 quadrangles.
These cover the same 7½ by 7½ minute area as the familiar USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle maps, but are based on aerial photography.  The Orthophoto quadrangles are usually black and white, although sometimes are color (based on the infrared spectrum, where vegetation will be red).  These have limited, if any, topographic detail overprinted.  The orthophoto maps have essentially the same information as on a topographic map (contour lines, streets, cultural features, etc.) overprinted in the familiar green, brown, and black of a topographic map.  Orthophoto quads and maps are are rectified to eliminate distortions due to camera tilt, etc.
These exist for only a small fraction of a percentage of  7½ minute quadrangles, and what we do have is interfiled by state and quadrangle name with the other 1:24,000 quadrangles.
Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles (DOQs)
Location:  Filed by county name in a cabinet in the Public Documents and Maps Department.
Consult a chart on the bulletin board above the map computers regarding the county FIPS codes. We have these on CD-ROM for the 100 counties in North Carolina.
These files are based on aerial photography and can be imported into the desktop mapping programs ArcGIS, geospatially registered to allow the overlay of other data layers. Problems with projections and datums between the different layers should be anticipated. Please consult the map librarian.
 

Links to Other Sources

Coos BayThe most comprehensive source for recent hard copy aerial photography is the US Geological Survey. For older material, you might want to check the APSRS to determine which agency you might have to contact, often either the US Dept. of Agriculture or the National Archives.

Aerial Photography Summary Record System (APSRS)
This database is available on CD-ROM and runs on a computer in the Map Collection of the Public Documents and Maps Department at Perkins Library. The US Geological Survey provides an explanatory fact sheet (also in Adobe Acrobat format). This database of historic United States aerial photography is best searched using the latitude and longitude coordinates of the southeast corner of a 7½ minute quadrangle. You can also search by county and other attributes. The database shows information such as the years that flyovers occurred over a quadrangle and what agency or company performed them, but it does not provide negative level index information; you must contact the specific agency for more information.
Coastal Aerial Photography
From the National Ocean Service.  This site describes their coastal photography program and gives information on obtaining images.
Earth Observing System (EOS) Data Gateway (EDG)
"Search for, browse, and order Earth Science data from various participating archive centers around the globe." Use of the Gateway requires registration.
Landsat Data from University of Maryland Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF)
Landsat 4 and 5 satellite data is free to download (all 7 bands) in GeoTIFF format.
Landsat 5 Data from NASA Stennis Space Center
Landsat 5 satellite data free to download (several bands) in MrSID format.
Landsat 7 Gateway
This NASA site gives information on on the Landsat satellite program and on purchasing Landsat 7 data or downloading free "heritage" satellite data.  This is very raw data that will require processing to be viewed (it is not in a native GIS format and isn't ready to be viewed in standard GIS programs).  The US Geological Survey archives and distributes data from their Landsat 7 home page. The Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) at the USGS's EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls, SD, has more information about distribution of NASA satellite data.  The National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive at the EROS Data Center has information on their archival collection of satellite data.
Microsoft Terraserver
Allows you to view images of selected areas of the earth (mostly in the U.S.).  You can zoom in to an area by clicking on the map, use the "Find a specific place" search box on the opening screen, or choose "Advanced Find" for more elaborate searches.  Images come from USGS topographic maps, USGS aerial photography (at a resolution of 1 meter per pixel), or Soviet SPIN-2 satellite imagery (at a resolution of 1.5 meters per pixel).  Users can view the images on the screen and have options to purchase hard copy of the scene or digital data. The Soviet SPIN-2 imagery is handled by Terraserver.com, and you will be automatically sent to their site if you choose these images.
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Maps, Plans, and Aerial Photographs
The National Archives holds many negatives of historical aerial photographs from U.S. federal agencies from before1954. This web page gives information on contacting NARA staff to obtain item numbers or indexes for the area and years that you need. Once you have the various numbers (can, flight line, frame, etc.), you must use a private contractor to actually reproduce the photos for you. Factoring in the $5.50 NARA per item "pull fee," expect to pay at least $20.00 for each 10 x 10 inch black and white photograph.

The NARA Archival Research Catalog (ARC) -- formerly known as the NARA Archival Information Locator (NAIL) -- can be used to see what broad groups of photos they hold (allows only a limited number of simultaneous users); the control number of the series can help NARA locate images that you need. In the NAIL standard search form, you can search, for instance, Soil Conservation Service in the keyword box and choose Aerial Photographs in the media box. Also see the APSRS database in the Public Documents and Maps Department to determine what agency flew the areas you're interested in and when.

National High Altitude Photography (NHAP) and the National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP)
From the US Geological Survey.  These web pages describe these programs and how to obtain images.  The Photo Finder is an online search mechanism for determining what images and time periods are available through NAPP for your area of interest.
Space Imaging
A commercial purveyor of satellite imagery (raw digital remote sensing data collected by satellites). This site does not allow downloading of satellite imagery, but does allow online searching for imagery and online ordering of digital imagery Browsing requires registration.
USDA Farm Service Agency Aerial Photo Field Office
This office, in Salt Lake City, Utah, can provide access aerial photo images back to 1955 produced by Dept. of Agriculture agencies.