NAIPs

The National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) is a United States program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). NAIP collects aerial imagery during the growing seasons across the United States to produce up-to-date, high-resolution orthoimagery for agricultural monitoring, land-use planning, natural resource management, and related applications. The imagery is intended to support farmers, policymakers, researchers, and the public.

NAIP data products are typically 1-meter ground sample distance orthophotography in four spectral bands: red, green, blue, and near-infrared. Images are collected by aircraft on a roughly biennial cycle, with updates varying by region. The imagery is orthorectified to correct for terrain and sensor geometry, ensuring consistent scale across the photograph. All NAIP imagery is provided to the public at no cost.

Access and usage: NAIP data are distributed through portals such as the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earth Explorer and the USDA Geospatial Data Gateway, among other public data repositories. Users employ NAIP for a range of purposes, including crop type mapping, yield estimation, crop health assessment, precision agriculture, land-use planning, environmental monitoring, and emergency management. The program's free availability and consistent spatial resolution make it a common foundation for GIS analyses and basemaps in the United States.