Layer: Satellite Basemap
- Page status
- Working page
- Updated
- 2026-05-13
Explorer label: Satellite
Layer group: Basemaps
Feature count: basemap
Imagery basemap for visual checking of settlements, reservoirs, roads, river valleys, and corridor anchors.
Summary
This data page describes the Satellite basemap option in the explorer. It provides imagery context for visually checking settlements, reservoirs, roads, river valleys, project anchors, and corridor surroundings.
What It Represents
The satellite basemap provides imagery behind the explorer overlays. It is useful when a map feature needs to be checked against visible land cover, settlements, river channels, reservoirs, road access, or grid-hub surroundings.
How To Read It
Use it for visual sanity checks: whether a point appears to sit on a plausible river reach, whether a corridor anchor is near a settlement or substation area, or whether a floating-PV candidate corresponds to a visible water body. It is the best basemap for visual inspection rather than schematic comparison.
Coverage / Method
The layer is a basemap option documented in Map Inventory. It supplies imagery background for visual inspection but does not add project, hydrology, or transmission features of its own.
Caveats
Imagery date, cloud cover, georeferencing, and resolution vary. A visible object is not the same thing as verified infrastructure, and an invisible object is not proof that a planned or underground feature does not exist.