Working with Aerial Photos

ExpertGPS shows your GPS data on USGS aerial photos, using a UTM projection. As you move around the map, ExpertGPS will retrieve photos over the Internet and display them on your screen. The map server that ExpertGPS uses has aerial photos for most locations in the continental United States. Coverage is not available for much of Alaska, and in some parts of the Mountain West.

Aerial Photo Map

Working with Maps

Read about the basic commands for interacting with all of the maps in ExpertGPS.

Showing a Aerial Photo Map

To show a Aerial Photo Map, click Show Aerial Photo Map on the View menu.

Internet Map Retrieval

To allow ExpertGPS to retrieve aerial photos over your Internet connection, click Enable Internet Map Retrieval on the Map menu.

Drag the Retrieve Maps Tool Retrieve Maps Tool over a regional map to queue up all of the aerial photos in that area for retrieval over your Internet connection.

How Old is this Aerial Photo?

USGS takes new aerial photographs when major changes to the landscape occur. The photos that ExpertGPS uses are the latest available from USGS.

To determine when a aerial photo was published, do the following:

  1. Select a waypoint on the map.
  2. On the View menu, click View Online.
  3. The Online Waypoint Viewer will appear.
  4. Click the Microsoft TerraServer link in the Aerial Photo section. The aerial photo's name and date of publication are listed above the photo.


ExpertGPS is GPS mapping software designed to work seamlessly with your Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, or Lowrance GPS receiver. ExpertGPS makes it easy to view waypoints and GPS tracklogs over USGS topo maps, aerial photos, and color orthophotos. ExpertGPS Pro can send GPS data to and from ArcView GIS and AutoCAD DXF and dozens of other standard file formats.


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GPS Map Software
for Windows Vista/XP


New features added
December 5, 2008


GPS Support

ExpertGPS works with:

  • ExpertGPS is Garmin GPS Map Software
  • ExpertGPS is Magellan GPS Map Software
  • ExpertGPS is Lowrance GPS Map Software
  • ExpertGPS is Eagle GPS Map Software

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