TL;DR: Bought aerial imagery, such as Nearmap, gives you any covered site, with history, without flying, on the provider's schedule. Your own drone capture gives you one site, today, at your resolution and accuracy, as often as you fly. Use bought imagery to quote and plan, and your own capture to measure and record work in progress.
Key takeaways
- Subscription imagery refreshes on a schedule. According to Nearmap, its imagery is refreshed up to six times a year, at 4.4 to 7.5 cm per pixel or better.
- Drone capture follows your schedule. You can fly weekly or daily, so the map shows this week's site rather than the provider's last pass.
- Flying for work needs a licensed pilot. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration, drones under 55 pounds flown for work operate under Part 107, which needs a Remote Pilot Certificate.
- Accuracy depends on ground control. According to the help center of Birdi (birdi.io), drone maps reach 2 to 4 cm vertical accuracy with RTK and well-distributed ground control.
- A free option is changing. According to Google, Google Earth Pro on desktop will no longer be available for download from June 25, 2027.
What is the difference between an imagery subscription and drone capture?
An imagery subscription, such as Nearmap, sells access to aerial photos the provider captured over whole regions, refreshed on its own schedule, with history. Drone capture means flying your own drone, or hiring a pilot, over your site whenever you choose, at the resolution and accuracy you set. One is broad and scheduled; the other is narrow and on demand.
That difference decides what each is good for. A subscription lets an estimator look at a new site in seconds, or check what a site looked like a year ago. A drone map shows exactly what is on site today and can be measured to the accuracy your ground control supports. Neither replaces the other.
What this comparison does not cover
This guide compares two ways of getting imagery. It does not cover services that supply imagery to you on request beyond these. Birdi, for example, works with imagery your team captures, or outputs you already hold from tools such as Nearmap; it does not supply aerial imagery of a site.
How do they compare?
They compare on who captures, how current the imagery is, how often it updates, resolution, measurable accuracy, coverage, history and cost model. Subscriptions lead on coverage, history and speed of access. Drone capture leads on currency, resolution, accuracy and control. Many construction firms use both.
| Drone capture | Aerial imagery subscription | Satellite imagery | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who captures | You, or a pilot you hire | The provider | The provider |
| How current | As of your last flight | As of the provider's last pass | As of the last suitable pass |
| How often | Whenever you fly | Up to six times a year for Nearmap | From daily to weekly, by provider |
| Resolution | Set by your flight height | 4.4 to 7.5 cm for Nearmap | Typically coarser, 30 cm to several meters |
| Measurable accuracy | Set by your ground control | Provider's stated accuracy | Provider's stated accuracy |
| History | Only what you flew | Years of past captures | Years of past captures |
| Best for | Progress, quantities, claims | Quoting, planning, history | Wide areas and remote sites |
The three imagery options compared
The three imagery options compared here are drone capture, aerial imagery subscriptions such as Nearmap, and satellite imagery. Each entry carries the same fields. The drone row uses Birdi as its worked example of what happens to the imagery after capture, and the others name typical providers. Facts were checked on October 8, 2026.
1. Drone capture (worked example: Birdi)
Best for: Active sites where you need this week's conditions, measured quantities and a dated record for claims.
Typical customer size / segment: Contractors with their own drone program or a hired pilot.
Key strengths:
- Current imagery whenever you fly, at the resolution you set.
- Measurable maps and elevation models, with accuracy set by your ground control.
- A dated record of each capture for progress and disputes.
Access for people outside the paid team: In Birdi, guests view and download without a paid seat.
Data types in one view: In Birdi, drone maps, 360 photos and design overlays, plus Nearmap outputs you already hold, in one map.
Processing: Cloud photogrammetry.
Watch-outs: It needs a licensed pilot, flight approvals where required, and suitable weather. It has no history before your first flight.
Pricing: A drone and pilot, or a contractor per flight, plus software. Birdi's Growth plan is $287 USD a month, billed annually (checked October 8, 2026).
2. Aerial imagery subscription (for example Nearmap)
Best for: Estimating and planning across many sites, and checking a site's history.
Typical customer size / segment: Construction, property, insurance and government users in covered regions.
Key strengths:
- Imagery at 4.4 to 7.5 cm per pixel or better, refreshed up to six times a year, according to Nearmap.
- Instant access to any covered site, without flying.
- Historic imagery for before-and-after checks.
Access for people outside the paid team: Through the provider's applications and licensing.
Data types in one view: Aerial imagery, 3D and AI property layers.
Processing: Done by the provider.
Watch-outs: Imagery is only as current as the last capture over your site, and you cannot choose when that happens. Coverage is by region.
Pricing: Subscriptions, by quote.
3. Satellite imagery
Best for: Remote or very large sites, and regions outside aerial coverage.
Typical customer size / segment: Mining, infrastructure and government users.
Key strengths:
- Global coverage, including remote areas.
- Frequent revisits from some constellations.
- Multispectral data for vegetation and environmental work.
Access for people outside the paid team: Depends on the provider and license.
Data types in one view: Optical and multispectral imagery.
Processing: Done by the provider, or by you for open data.
Watch-outs: Resolution is usually coarser than aerial or drone imagery, and cloud cover can delay usable images.
Pricing: Open data is free; commercial imagery is licensed.
When is bought imagery the right choice?
Bought imagery is the right choice for quoting sites you have not visited, planning before work starts, checking history, and covering many sites without flying any of them. It is fast and needs no pilot. Its limits are currency, since you work with the provider's last pass, and the accuracy the provider states.
An estimator measuring areas for a quote can usually rely on recent subscription imagery. A project manager checking whether last week's pour happened usually cannot. For measuring from above in quoting, see our list of aerial takeoff software.
When is your own drone capture the right choice?
Your own drone capture is the right choice when you need the site as it is now: progress, quantities, claims, disputes and handover. You choose when to fly, how fine the detail is, and how accurate it is. Its limits are the need for a licensed pilot, approvals and weather, and the lack of history before you start.
Using both in one record
Many teams bring both into one place: bought imagery for context and history, drone maps for current conditions. In Birdi, Nearmap outputs a team already holds can sit beside its own drone maps, compared by date. For how teams keep site data together, see our guide to managing site data across teams.
Frequently asked questions
How often does Nearmap update its imagery?
Nearmap says its imagery is refreshed up to six times a year in covered areas. The exact frequency depends on location, and remote areas may be captured less often. Check the capture date for your site before relying on it for anything time-sensitive.
Is drone imagery more accurate than Nearmap?
It can be, for a specific site. A drone flown low with good ground control can reach a few centimeters of accuracy, and Birdi publishes 2 to 4 cm vertical with RTK and ground control. Subscription imagery has its own stated accuracy. Drone accuracy depends on how the flight and ground control are done.
Can I measure from Nearmap?
Yes, Nearmap offers measurement tools on its imagery, which suit quoting and planning. Measurements reflect the site at the time of the last capture, so they may not match current conditions on an active site. For billing work in progress, measure on current imagery you captured.
Do I need a drone pilot license for site capture?
Usually, for commercial work. In the US, drones under 55 pounds flown for work operate under the FAA's Part 107, which needs a Remote Pilot Certificate. In Australia, CASA's rules for flying for work include remote pilot licenses and operator certificates, depending on the drone and the operation.
Can I use Nearmap and drone maps together?
Yes. Many teams use subscription imagery for context and history, and drone maps for current conditions and measurement. Platforms that accept both, such as Birdi with Nearmap outputs a team already holds, let you view them in one map and compare them by date.
About the author
This guide was written by the Birdi team. Birdi (birdi.io) is a geospatial AI workspace that construction, civil and mining teams use to share drone surveys and site data in one map. We checked every product fact against each vendor's or agency's own website on October 8, 2026.
Related reading
- Reducing survey costs: drone mapping on construction sites.
- Drone, 360 and point clouds: platforms that show every data type in one place.
- Birdi for construction: how construction teams use one shared map.
Sources
Government
- US Federal Aviation Administration. "Certificated Remote Pilots including Commercial Operators." https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators
- Civil Aviation Safety Authority. "Flying drones for work." https://www.casa.gov.au/drones/flying-drones-work
- Google. "Google Earth versions." https://www.google.com/earth/about/versions/
Vendor documentation (read October 8, 2026)
- Nearmap. https://www.nearmap.com/
- Birdi. Homepage FAQ (bringing in outputs from QGIS, ArcGIS, Pix4D and Nearmap) and "Pricing." https://www.birdi.io/pricing
- Birdi Help Center. "How accurate are my maps?" https://help.birdi.io/en/articles/13837409
- Birdi Help Center. "How to add WMS/WMTS layers to your map." https://help.birdi.io/en/articles/10208490
