Using Nearmap High Resolution Imagery

SolarNexus offers access to premium, high-resolution aerial imagery for site assessment and remote design through our partner Nearmap. Nearmap provides frequently updated, sub-3" GSD imagery for 70%+ of the US population, with multiple historic surveys available in many areas.

NOTE: Nearmap imagery is a premium add-on service. Your SolarNexus administrator must purchase Nearmap imagery credits in order for you to be able to access Nearmap imagery for your leads and projects.

This article will describe how to use Nearmap imagery for system design. See the Nearmap Administration article for further details on buying and managing Nearmap credits in your SolarNexus account.

Benefits

• Improved site assessment. With a clearer view of the customer's roof and surrounding environment, you can make a more confident site assessment when qualifying a lead.
   
• More accurate array layouts. Get a more detailed view of roof lines and obstructions, with a "true nadir" overhead perspective allowing you to trace accurate roof faces without the skew typical of satellite imagery.
   
• Up to date imagery. Nearmap re-photographs locations every few months in many areas, so you can often get a more current snapshot than with free satellite imagery.
   
• Surveys available from different times of the year. With our Nearmap integration, you can access multiple historic images for most sites, allowing you to assess shading, for example, in the winter vs. summer.
   
• Enhanced sales proposals. High resolution site photos will make your sales proposals shine.

Coverage

Nearmap covers over 70% of the US population, including 430 urban areas and their surroundings. You can check out the coverage in your area and learn more on the Nearmap website.

Note: at this time, Nearmap imagery is not available in Hawaii or outside the US.

How to Access and Use Nearmap Imagery

To access Nearmap imagery for a site, first find the Site Imagery drop-down beneath the map on the Edit/Add Array Areas screen. This drop down shows the currently selected imagery source:

To access Nearmap imagery, select Get Nearmap Imagery...:

From the "Get Nearmap Imagery" dialog, select the survey you wish to purchase and click Get Imagery:

The newest survey is selected by default, but if you want to get an older survey or one from a different time of the year, open the dropdown to see the available surveys, listed newest first:

Each survey for a site costs 1 credit. You may purchase as many surveys as you wish for a given site, but you cannot preview them before you buy. Once you purchase a survey, you have access to that imagery for as long as you continue your SolarNexus subscription.

After selecting and purchasing Nearmap imagery, the map will change to use the selected imagery:

You can always switch back to using the standard Google imagery or switch among multiple purchased surveys.

FAQ

Why do my array areas shift when switching from Google to Nearmap imagery?

The overhead angle for a given site is usually somewhat different between Google's satellite imagery and Nearmap imagery, and can even be slightly different between different Nearmap surveys. The difference depends on the angle of the satellite/plane and any orthorectification applied. Due to differences in the angle, the roof can shift anywhere from a few inches to a few feet between Google and Nearmap imagery.

If you already had array areas drawn on Google imagery before switching to Nearmap, you can move the areas on the Nearmap imagery by clicking anywhere inside the areas and dragging them to their proper location. If you have multiple array areas and restrictions, check the "Move all areas at once" box below the map on the right. Then when you drag any one array area, the rest of the areas will be moved in tandem.