• Relatively cheap and rapid method of acquiring up-to-date information over a large
geographical area.
• It is the only practical way to obtain data from inaccessible regions.
• At small scales, regional phenomena which are invisible from the ground are clearly
visible. Examples: faults, dykes and other geological structures.
• Cheap and rapid method of constructing base maps in the absence of detailed land
surveys.
• Easy to manipulate with a computer, and combine with other geographic coverages
in Graphical Information Systems.