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ArcGIS Wayback Imagery

Operator: Esri

Archive of earlier versions of Esri's World Imagery map since 2014. Compares aerial and satellite imagery and displays its metadata.

Image, Video & Geo

Open website

Product

World Imagery Wayback by Esri, a web application with archived versions of the World Imagery basemap.

Availability and source date

Active

As of: 16 October 2026.

No functionality test has been performed.

Use in OSINT research

Helps identify changes to buildings and terrain across imagery dates. A map version's publication date must be distinguished from the capture date of its imagery.

Queries

InputResultResult type
Address + Place nameEarlier imagery maps of the selected location and available metadata such as capture date and imagery source.
Retrieved

Features

  • Browses earlier map versions dating back to 2014.
  • Compares two imagery versions using a slider.
  • Shows changes as an animation.
  • Displays imagery capture dates and other metadata.
  • Filters versions to those with local changes.
  • Exports tile packages for use in ArcGIS.

Categories

  • Image, Video & Geo
  • Maps & satellite imagery

Coverage

Geographical coverage

Worldwide

Dataset

Archive of Esri World Imagery. According to the provider, most land areas have a resolution of one metre or better, supplemented by coarser satellite imagery worldwide. Coverage and imagery age vary by location.

Access

Installation and deployment

Website · Locally installable · Self-hosted

Hosted web app and self-hosting of the open-source interface. The repository describes Node.js, npm, a local server and a deployment build. A custom ArcGIS OAuth app ID is envisaged; imagery remains provided by Esri services.

Requirements

The map view is publicly accessible in a browser. Tile export and the mode for planned or published updates require an ArcGIS organisational account; Esri explicitly requires an organisational subscription for the updates mode.

Export

Tile packages in TPKX format, with up to 150,000 tiles per request according to the export guide. Also map-view images, shareable links and web map creation.

Provider

Esri

Country of establishment

Unknown

Interfaces

API

Available. The official wayback-core JavaScript library retrieves archived versions, versions with local changes and imagery metadata. It enables Wayback imagery services to be integrated into custom applications.

MCP

Not documented. Not documented in the app description or repository READMEs reviewed.

AI agents

Not documented. Not documented in the app description or repository READMEs reviewed.

Maintenance

Licence

Apache-2.0

Latest activity

Commit 07/2026

Stars

75 (as of 16 October 2026)

Usage note

The Apache 2.0 licence applies to the software. The imagery is subject to Esri's separate terms of use.

Limitations

  • A map version's publication date may differ from the imagery capture date.
  • Local imagery coverage, resolution and time intervals vary.
  • According to the provider, exported image tiles are intended only for use within ArcGIS.

Guides and practical reports

Sources

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