Maps
About Maps and Satellites
A guide to using map and satellite tools.
Free
Apple Maps
Apple Maps is a digital mapping service with detailed, interactive maps, satellite imagery, and location-based information.
Free
Baidu Maps
Baidu’s mapping service offering satellite imagery, street maps, and streetview (“Panorama” - zh:百度全景).
Free
Bellingcat OpenStreetMap Search
A user interface to search OpenStreetMap data for features in proximity to each other.
Free
Bing Maps
Bing Maps is a web mapping service provided by Microsoft that offers detailed geographical information and tools for route planning, location search, and satellite imagery.
Partially Free
Convert Geographic Units
A tool that converts various geographic coordinates to support diverse mapping and spatial analysis needs.
Free
F4Map
F4Map is an interactive 3D map visualization tool that provides detailed rendering of urban landscapes and geographical features.
Free
Gaode Maps
Gaode Maps (also known as AMap) is a mapping application and technology from the Chinese company Alibaba.
Free
Global Fishing Watch Map
The Global Fishing Watch Map is a digital platform for investigating fishing activities worldwide by utilising satellite and AIS data.
Free
Global Forest Watch
It helps to detect changes in forest cover (i.e., to track deforestation), fires, land use, and more. It also includes Global Fire Watch (VIRSS data)
Free
Google Earth Pro
Google Earth is a geospatial tool that provides detailed, global satellite imagery, maps, 3D terrain models, and the ability to explore geographic data interactively.
Free
Google Maps
Google Maps provides mapping information, satellite imagery and Google Street View imagery including historical Street View images.
Free
GovMap
GovMap provides an interactive map of Israel, offering users a wide range of data including property boundaries, planning information, and infrastructure details.
Free
KartaView
KartaView is a crowdsourced, street-level imagery platform that allows users to contribute, view, and use photos to enhance and validate map data.
Free
MapChecking
This tool helps you estimate and fact-check the maximum number of people standing in a given area.
Free
Mapillary
Mapillary is a crowdsourced street-level imagery platform.
Partially Free
MapSwitcher
Chrome extension switches between online map apps, maintaining (as far as possible) the map centre, zoom level, & directions of the source map.
Free
Maritime Awareness Project
South China Sea maps with oil and gas fields, fishing areas, air defense zones and administrative, claimed, disputed zones, submarine data cables.
Free
Guide not available
NASA FIRMS
Displays a world map overlaid with infra-red data from one or more satellites, some, but not all of which may represent heat from fires and explosions.
Free
Nullschool Earth Map
View current and historic wind, weather, ocean and pollution conditions on an interactive animated map.
Free
Guide not available
OpenInfraMap
Power lines, telecoms, solar, oil, gas & water infrastructure mapped globally.
Free
Guide not available
OpenSeaMap
Sea map of borders, special zones, shipping lanes, with overlays of MarineTraffic and other sources
Free
Guide not available
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap is a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world.
Free
Guide not available
Overpass Turbo
Overpass Turbo is a web-based tool for querying and visualizing OpenStreetMap crowd sourced data, aiding in extracting specific information like locations of amenities e.g.hospitals.
Free
PeakVisor
Dual window views for any global location: (1) a 2-D map & (2) a 3-D rendered terrain model, with photo fitting, shade/slope mapping, sun trails & weather data. In active development for OS research.
Free
QGIS
QGIS is a free Open Source Geographic Information System (GIS).
Free
Quick geolocation search
A tool that brings several maps into one place for easy location search.
Free
Resource Watch
A nonprofit platform, still in beta, that provides hundreds of data sets on the state of the planet’s resources and citizens. It is sponsored by the World Resources Institute and other organizations.
Free
Guide not available
satellites.pro
Satellites.pro allows open source researchers to quickly switch between several free satellite imagery and mapping services.
Free
ShadeMap
ShadeMap is a global simulation of mountain, building & tree shadows for a given date & time. Base data is free, but users can buy 30cm accurate data per sq km for areas of special focus.
Partially Free
ShadowMap
Global map of 3D buildlings and the shadows they cast at a specific time a day
Free
Strava
Social media fitness app with exercise map based on users' GPS data.
Partially Free
Tencent Maps
Tencent Maps (formerly SOSO Maps) is a desktop and web mapping service application and technology provided by Chinese company Tencent, offering satellite imagery, street maps, street view (coverage) and historical view perspectives.
Free
Topotijdreis.nl
Over 200 years of maps and topography from the Netherlands.
Free
Guide not available
UTM grid zones
An overview of the Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system.
Free
Guide not available
what3words
A proprietary geocode system which identifies any location on the surface of the earth to a resolution of 3 metres. The identifier is a unique combination of three words, available in 60 languagues.
Free
Guide not available
Wikimapia
Wikimapia is a collaborative mapping project that aims to describe every location on Earth, combining the interactive features of a detailed map with the versatility of a wiki system.
Free
Yandex Maps
A platform offering detailed maps, satellite imagery, street views (static & sometimes dynamic imagery, including aerial views). Often the best available data on Russia & surrounding regions.
Partially Free
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