I wonder if there actually does exist updated to-the-minute imagery of various places, just not from sources publicly available on platforms like Google Maps?

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verzali 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Yes, you can buy it from commercial providers like Planet or even Airbus. They update a few times a day, though depending on the place you are interested in, you may need to put in a request for them to image it.

Its actually not that difficult. I used to fly a satellite that could photograph anywhere in the world at least once every few days.

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ares623 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

It must be quite valuable data. One anecdote I heard/read somewhere was that firms often use satellite imagery of parking lots (over time, as one measure among others) to gauge how popular a place is. I don't know if it's true or not.

	▲	noir_lord an hour ago \| parent \| next [-]
		It's true and they go a lot further hunting signals that people without their resources simply can't. https://www.financial-news.co.uk/how-hedge-funds-are-using-s... https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/10/investing/hedge-fund-dron... They have the resources to spend (to them) a small amount to confirm/check a play before they make it, it's been a thing since commercial satellite imaging became a thing. Hell the (somewhat terrible but somehow enjoyable) TV show Billions had it as a plot point years ago.
	▲	drbscl an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Similarly, I listened to a talk from someone who used to perform analysis of aerial images of farmland to estimate yields at harvest, which would then be used to trade in the futures market.