Satellite & Street View
Remote physical site reconnaissance — understanding a target’s physical environment without visiting.
Google Maps / Earth
# Google Maps Street View
1. Navigate to target address
2. Drop Street View pegman on the road outside target
3. Walk virtually around perimeter
# Google Earth Pro (desktop)
- Historical imagery — see how site has changed over time
- 3D buildings — understand building layout and roof access
- Measurement tools — distances, building heights
- Time slider — identify construction, changes in security measures
What to look for:
- Entry/exit points (gates, doors, loading bays)
- Camera positions (visible CCTV domes)
- Security hut / reception locations
- Parking — badge-only gates indicate secure perimeter
- Neighbouring buildings (overlooking angles)
- Utility entrances (less-monitored)
Bing Maps Bird’s Eye View
Bing sometimes has better oblique aerial imagery than Google, particularly in the UK and continental Europe.
- https://www.bing.com/maps — switch to “Bird’s eye” view and rotate viewpoint
Other Satellite Imagery
| Tool | URL | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sentinel Hub | https://www.sentinel-hub.com | Free, near-real-time satellite imagery, useful for large sites |
| Planet Labs | https://www.planet.com | Commercial, near-daily global coverage |
| Maxar | https://www.maxar.com | High-resolution commercial imagery |
| SkyFi | https://www.skyfi.com | On-demand tasking, recent commercial imagery |
| Copernicus Open Access | https://scihub.copernicus.eu | Free ESA Sentinel imagery |
Wigle — WiFi Mapping
Wigle (https://wigle.net) is a crowdsourced database of WiFi networks and their geolocations. Useful for:
- Confirming target’s physical location via SSID
- Identifying corporate WiFi networks at branch offices
- Understanding wireless infrastructure without visiting the site
# Wigle API — search by SSID or location
curl "https://api.wigle.net/api/v2/network/search?ssid=ExampleCorpWiFi" \
-u "username:password"Street-Level Imagery Alternatives
If Google Street View imagery is outdated:
- Mapillary: https://www.mapillary.com — crowdsourced street-level photos
- KartaView: https://kartaview.org — open alternative
- Yandex Panoramas: https://yandex.com/maps — often better coverage for Eastern Europe/Russia
See Also
- Geolocation Techniques — Deriving location from images
- WiFi & Signal Mapping — WiFi-based location research
- Company Research — Corporate addresses and locations