So you want to buy satellite images?

Great! That's what we're here for! SpyMeSat makes imaging satellites and their imagery more accessible and affordable to the average consumer with an industry-first à la carte shopping model. Users can buy as little as one single satellite image for as low as $19.99! Satellite images can be a fantastic resource for your project, no matter the scope. However, people's initial assumptions on satellite imaging can be a bit misconstrued. Understandably the media we consume has depicted commercial satellite capabilities beyond what is currently available. Let's break down what real satellites can do!
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Why is SpyMeSat Better Than Google Earth?

Google Earth is a fantastic free resource available to you. We love Google Earth here too but it can tend to skew people's expectations on the capacity of commercial satellite imagery. The thing is, Google Earth doesn't only utilize satellite imagery. Their imagery sources also include drone, aerial, 3D, and Street View images. At any given point on Google Earth, you could be seeing images from multiple sources as well as multiple moments in time. The images are combined into a mosaic of images taken over multiple days or months. These images are displayed as one seamless image and the date may change as you move your cursor around the map. So it's possible you're looking at several images, some that are really dated.         
Resolution
The highest resolution of commercial satellite imagery you can buy is 30cm. Click here to see what that looks like. You can zoom in close enough to see each car, but not close enough to see if your partner is cheating on you with your best friend (no seriously, we've been asked about this before).     
Frequency
New images are added daily to SpyMeSat but that doesn't mean there are daily images of every location ever. On average, most locations are imaged monthly. Typically higher volume areas like large cities get imaged more frequently than say.. a ranch in Nebraska. But remember, you can always task a satellite to take a new image for you with SpyMeSat! Like that rancher in Nebraska who would rather have a satellite take pictures of his cow's watering holes than spend days surveying his hundreds of acres himself (this actually happened too! Hi Steve!)  
Cloud Cover
With the exception of Radar satellites, the satellites in SpyMeSat cannot see through clouds, so some images may be cloudy. When purchasing archive imagery, it is up to the customer to look at the preview image to determine if the level of cloud cover is acceptable for their purposes. For New Tasking, images with more than a specified level of cloud cover (generally 20%, though this varies by operator) are rejected and new images collected until the cloud cover threshold is met.

FAQ

How do I change my location?
​To reset the app to your current location select the target icon on the right side of the main map. To set a specific location other than your current location, tap on the search icon on the lower right of the main map and enter an address, point of interest, or latitude/longitude coordinates. You can scroll and zoom on the map and drop a pin by pressing and holding a location. Once a pin is added to the map select the pin, then the icon next to the name, and choose ‘Set as new location’. Once a new location is chosen, return to the main app page and imaging passes will be recomputed for the new location. Note that satellite image previews and purchases are based on this single SpyMeSat specified location, which can be changed by the user any time.
How do I view the GeoTIFF imagery?
GeoTIFF is a public domain metadata standard which allows georeferencing information to be embedded within a TIFF file. Please follow the steps here for looking at your image. Note that there are other tools available, but this is one of the the best free tools available. Download QGIS Application at the QGIS website
1. Open .tiff file with QGIS
2. Open QGIS Application
3. Select Layer > AddLayer > Add Raster Layer
4. Select .tiff file
5. Use the Zoom tool to zoom to desired level to see buildings or other desired details
6. Select Project > Save as Image, and save in desired file format
How do I view the GeoTIFF imagery that contains multiple band files from KOMPSAT-3?
The three band files for Red, Green, and Blue are located in three different GeoTIFF files. These need to be combined into one file for viewing. There are several ways to combine these images, but best way is to open the in Adobe Photoshop.
1. Open all three images in Photoshop.
2. From the channels panel menu choose Merge Channels. The Merge Channels dialog box will open. In the Merge Channels dialog box, choose RGB color with 3 channels and click OK.
3. Ensure that the red band image is selected from the drop-down menu for Red, the green band image is selected from the drop-down menu for Green, and the blue band image is selected from the drop-down menu for Blue. Click OK. A new combined image with a Channel for each color is created.
4. For optimal viewing, color may need to be leveled. If needed, from the menu, select Image > Auto Color.
5. If desired, use the crop tool to select a relevant portion of the image.
6. Save file by going to File > ​Save As, and save in desired file format.
How do I task a satellite to take an image of my selected location?
First, set your SpyMeSat location (see the Tour the App page on how to set your location) to where you want to center your image, then select the satellite icon at the bottom of the main page and then tap on the New Tasking button. This brings up the New Tasking page which shows all of the imaging satellites and their names, resolution range, image size, and cost. Click the satellite picture on the right for satellite information.Click the satellite picture on the right for details on the satellite. Click the sample preview on the left to see a full resolution image taken from that satellite. Select a satellite to task by clicking the satellite name in the center. You can see a list of “Predicted Times” for when your tasking request can be fulfilled by clicking the button in the top right hand corner. Include any notes for your order in the text box. Toggle the switch to access and review the end user license agreement before submitting. Click “Task Satellite” to finalize your tasking order. Notifications are provided through the app on the status of the tasking request including confirmation, planned imaging time, image acquired, and delivery information.​
How do I combine TripleSat images when tasked area is fulfilled by multiple images?
1. Open QGIS Application
2. Select Layer > Add Layer > Add Raster Layer
3. Select all of the .tiff files for your tasked area, and select ok
4. If the layers panel is not enabled, enable it by selecting View > Panels > Layers Panel
5. For each layer, select it, click properties. Go to the Transparency tab, and in the Additional no data value box input 0 (zero)
6. Adjust the order of the layers by dragging them into the desired order in the layers panel
How do I purchase a recent satellite image of my current location or any location?
First, set your SpyMeSat location (see the Tour the App page on how to set your location) to where you want to center your image, then tap on the small SpyMeSat icon at the bottom of the main page to bring up the Satellite Imagery page. A selection of available images of your location are shown. Images are sorted by date with the newest on the top of the page. The sizing buttons are available once an image is chosen to help decide what size image to purchase, and note the information about the image including the Date Acquired and Satellite that took the image. If you like the preview and want to buy the image, simply tap on the Buy Image button at the bottom of the Available Image page. You must be logged into your registered SpyMeSat account to purchase imagery. Enter your credit card information and the image will automatically download. You image will be available on the My Imagery page. Tap on any purchased image icon to bring up the full resolution image. Use the Send icon to send the image via email or post it to social media.​
How clear of an image can I task using this app?
Resolution varies between satellites. The Maxar constellation of satellites currently produces the sharpest imagery at 30 cm resolution. 
Why do the same satellites fly over everyday at about the same time?
Most imaging satellites (including all of the satellites in SpyMeSat) are in “ sun-synchronous” orbits. In a Sun-Synchronous orbit, the satellite will cross the equator at the same local time on each orbit, which means that for any given location on the Earth, all of its flyover times will be around the same local time (give or take 90 minutes or so).
Why does SpyMeSat keep recalculating Satellite Passes whenever I bring it up? It is always computing and I never see the results!
SpyMeSat stops running when you close the app or your phone falls asleep. In order to ensure that the user gets a full and complete list of upcoming satellite passes, SpyMeSat will restart the calculations if it was interrupted before completion. So don’t close the SpyMeSat app until the computations are complete. If your phone is going to sleep in the middle of the computations, then increase the Auto-Lock time (under Settings > General) and/or decrease your calculation window to 6 hours.
Does a SpyMeSat imaging pass notification mean that a satellite is taking my picture?
Not necessarily. SpyMeSat provides notifications when a satellite could be imaging your location, but the satellite may have its camera pointed elsewhere within its field of regard or not have its camera on at all. Imaging satellites modeled by SpyMeSat generally takes pictures of areas approximately 10-20 miles wide and up to 100 miles or more in length. But these imaging areas are relatively small compared to the very large (~1200 mile diameter) area that a satellite could point within at any time.
Does SpyMeSat include all imaging satellites?
No. SpyMeSat includes imaging satellites with resolution capabilities of 5m or better for which orbit information is published by NORAD. For the most part these are commercial satellites or publicly-acknowledged government satellites from other countries. For many of them anyone can obtain images (new or archived). No classified imaging satellites (from any nation) have their orbit information published, so these satellites are not included in the SpyMeSat app.
Where does the information displayed in SpyMeSat come from?
Orbit information comes from the Celestrak website, which is driven by data published by NORAD. The SpyMeSat app uses this orbit data to predict the positions of the satellites. Satellite sensor (camera) capabilities come from the individual satellite operator websites or other public internet sources. SpyMeSat uses the sensor data to predict potential image resolutions and the field of regard of the satellite. Combining the orbit data and sensor data with basic computations leads to the predicted imaging opportunities and dynamic position and resolution data displayed in the SpyMeSat app.
How many satellites are in space?
​More than 5,000 satellites have been launched into space since Sputnik in 1957. If you include space debris (old rocket parts, etc.) there are over 10,000 artificial objects in space orbiting the Earth today. Of these, fewer than 1,000 are actually still operational (the rest having run their useful life and now orbit essentially as dead space junk). And only a small percentage of operational satellites have cameras on them and are used for Earth observation. Other satellite types include navigation (e.g. GPS), research (e.g. Hubble telescope), communications (e.g. satellite TV, telecommunications).
Can satellites see through clouds?
Optical imaging satellites (panchromatic and multi-spectral sensors) cannot see through clouds. RADAR satellites (Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR) sensors) can see through clouds and can see at night, but the images generated are without color.
How fast do satellites move?
All of the imaging satellites in SpyMeSat are in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at an altitude of about 500 miles. LEO satellites move at approximately 16,000 miles per hour and complete a full orbit of the Earth about every 90 minutes! The orbital speed is a balance with gravity. Too slow and the satellite will fall back to Earth. Too fast and the satellite will zoom away from Earth. But if the speed is just right for the altitude, then the satellite will stay in a stable orbit. Sometimes small orbit adjustments are required (using thrusters on the satellite) to compensate for atmospheric drag or solar wind to keep the satellite in a stable orbit.
What is Azimuth and Elevation?
Azimuth and Elevation define the position of the satellite relative to your selected location. Azimuth tells you what direction to face and is measured from North (0 degrees) in a clockwise direction, so East is 90 degrees, South is 180 degrees, and West is 270 degrees, etc. Once you are facing the correct direction based on Azimuth you need to know how high up to look, and that is what Elevation tells you. Zero (0) elevation means the satellite is at the horizon, and 90 degrees elevation is straight up, so 45 degrees is about halfway, etc. The Azimuth and Elevation of the satellite will change as the satellite passes over your location, and these changing values are displayed by SpyMeSat during possible imaging times.
Will SpyMeSat still work when I don’t have internet access?
Yes! SpyMeSat automatically retrieves updated orbit information from the SpyMeSat server when an internet connection is available, but if the app cannot reach the server for any reason it can work from older orbit data stored in the app. After a few (3-4) days without connecting to the server, the precision of the imaging opportunity computations may start to be affected, however. After a week or more without an internet connection to the SpyMeSat server for new orbit data, SpyMeSat imaging opportunities should be considered suspect.
Why are satellite passes for radar satellites so short?
Unlike optical satellites which can rotate the camera to look at different locations as they fly, radar satellites typically point in one direction and sweep over the earth. SpyMeSat knows this, and only takes into account those brief moments you're likely to be in the path of the radar satellite's imaging area.
How do I disable notifications?
Tap on the settings icon in the lower right of the main app page. At the bottom of the Alerts section, you'll find a Notifications on/off switch. Toggling that to off will cancel the alerts you're getting when SpyMeSat is off.
Why do some archive images show a lot of white space?
Satellite cameras are like regular cameras in that they take pictures of specific areas. If the area of the satellite image does not fully cover the area you are looking for, any uncovered area will show as white space. SpyMeSat does not combine multiple satellite images to fully cover your location of interest.
How is pricing determined?
Pricing of archive images and new tasking is set by the satellite operator. Usually newer archive images are more expensive than older images, although sometimes images of specific events in the past are higher cost due to the demand for the images. Usually higher resolution satellites cost more than lower resolution satellites for new tasking, but this is not always the case . . . check the capabilities of the satellite and compare prices before choosing! SpyMeSat provides all the information you need to make an informed choice.
I can't enter a comma for the lat/lon on my andriod phone?
​Your default keyboard may not have the comma on the small keyboard. We recommend downloading the Google stock keyboard and using it as default when using SpyMeSat
How can I delete my account?
​If you would like to delete your account, please contact spymesat@auria.space. Once your account is deleted you will be unable to access previous purchases. All personal information will be deleted, however we may maintain some anonymized data pertaining to search and purchase history in order to improve SpyMeSat functionality.

Have a question you don't see here? 

Let us know if you have any additional questions by emailing spymesat@auria.space
U.S. Patents 9344994, 9779301, 10853410, 10817561, and 11113330
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