VIDEO OSINT At Home #9 – My Top 4 Free Satellite Imagery Sources

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Exploring Free Satellite Imagery Sources for Open Source Investigations In the latest episode of the "OSINT At Home" series, host Ben provides an insightful guide to the top four free satellite imagery sources that can significantly enhance open-source investigations. This informative tutorial is particularly relevant for Windows users engaged in geolocation, environmental research, or journalism, as it highlights accessible tools for obtaining detailed satellite data.

Key Resources Explained​

• Google Earth (Desktop Version)
• Overview: Google Earth is a powerful tool for accessing historical satellite imagery. Ben emphasizes the importance of using the desktop version over the web version due to enhanced features and clarity.
• Key Features: Users can scroll through time, observing changes in landscapes and urban areas. For example, Ben demonstrates this functionality using imagery from a Nigerian village and London, showing the detailed evolution over various years.
• Advantages: The ability to save pins and visualize trends is particularly valuable for mapping significant events or changes in specific locations. [*Sentinel Hub
• Overview: While not as clear as Google Earth, Sentinel Hub excels in offering extensive coverage and updated satellite images.
• Functionality: Users can choose from multiple datasets, including Sentinel satellites and Landsat. The platform also allows manipulation of imagery using custom scripts for specialized analysis, such as tracking wildfires.
• Benefit: The significant frequency of imagery updates provides a rich resource for monitoring environmental changes. [*Zoom Earth
• Overview: Zoom Earth aggregates data from various sources and offers a unique perspective, including weather maps and real-time weather conditions.
• Highlight: Users can view detailed satellite imagery from locations that may be underrepresented in other platforms, such as Afghanistan, making it a valuable tool for geolocating events.
• Extra Features: Zoom Earth includes heat detection capabilities for monitoring wildfires and industrial activity, adding another layer to environmental studies.
• World Imagery Wayback Tool
• Functionality: This tool allows users to explore historical satellite imagery with a swipe feature that aids direct comparisons between different years.
• Usability: Although coverage can vary by region, it serves as a useful comparative analysis tool for much of the globe, showcasing changes over extended periods.

Conclusion​

Ben's tutorial underscores the importance of free satellite imagery resources for effective open-source investigations. Each of these tools has its strengths and weaknesses, yet collectively, they offer a robust set of options for Windows users to conduct thorough research and analysis. For those interested in further enhancing their investigation capabilities, Ben encourages viewers to share their own satellite imagery sources and experiences in the comments. Feel free to check out the full video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OONjbRAR-TM for a more in-depth exploration of these tools and their applications in real-world scenarios!