Imagery use & sharing FAQ

Lens customers have the ability to access imagery from a range of imagery vendors. These imagery providers, including Airbus, Maxar, Planet, and Nearmap, have certain restrictions governing the distribution of their respective products. This is true whether you’re working through Upstream Tech or whether you contract with them directly. Commercial imagery providers - referred to as Third Party Content Providers in our contract - control access to and distribution of their imagery and data, in order to make sure that users are paying for its use.

We realize this can be complicated, and we’ve structured the Lens contract to make sure everyone - Upstream Tech and our customers - is in compliance with those restrictions. Below we walk through some of the frequently asked questions about how imagery can be used.

Disclaimer: This document is intended for explanatory purposes and is not legally binding. The terms and conditions under which you are authorized to use Lens are the terms and conditions set forth in our Lens Terms of Service. This FAQ is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor is it intended to supersede, modify or replace the terms of our Terms of Service. If you have questions regarding the Terms of Service and/or this FAQ, we encourage you to reach out to us, or seek the advice of legal counsel. 

Where can I find the licenses for each vendor? 

You can always find the links to the latest vendor licenses on our website under the Lens Third Party Vendor Licenses.

How can I use and attribute imagery?

Broadly, you can use the imagery for your organization’s internal use. You can view the imagery in Lens, annotate it with notes, and generate reports. Per the Terms of Service, imagery has to retain attribution to both Upstream Tech and the commercial imagery vendor (e.g., "Includes material (c) 2025 Airbus, via Upstream Tech Lens"). Where there is a screenshot of Lens, you should write "Image from Upstream Tech Lens" and ensure attribution for the data/imagery is also included. Within the report generation function, we handle all the proper attribution and restrictions around resolution imagery and data. We also handle attribution for any imagery downloaded as PNGs from the Details pane in Lens and for share links generated from Lens. 

You can always refer to the Lens Third Party Vendor Licenses on our website for attribution guidance. In general, referring to the text in at the bottom of the screen in Lens when viewing the imagery you want to attribute can serve as a guide for attribution with the addition of 'via Upstream Tech Lens'.

Can I distribute imagery? 

You can use screenshots of the imagery with appropriate attribution for internal use (such as training, meeting monitoring requirements, or coordinating with project partners). You can also download commercial images as PNGs via the Details pane. The PDF reports are a good way to get the imagery out of Lens in a format that’s usable and distributable to project partners. You can generate a report with just the imagery that you’re interested in. As noted above, reports generated through Lens will be in line with attribution requirements.

Can I distribute reports? 

You can distribute reports to accrediting bodies, land owners, legal counsel, contractors, and entities that are project collaborators. The reports still need to be used for “internal purposes” (per the restrictions on commercial imagery distribution), which is why we’ve specified this group of collaborators.

Can I use imagery ordered through Lens on other platforms?

We are always building new Lens features that help you use imagery with other tools. Airbus images can be downloaded as GeoTIFFs and dropped right into GIS. Customers on Standard and Enterprise plans can use WMTS streaming to stream any commercial imagery right into GIS. As always, proper attribution to the vendor source and in alignment with the respective vendor licenses is required. 

Can I include imagery in public presentations and reports? Can I use it on my website? 

You can use a screenshot of the imagery in public presentations with proper attribution. If you want to publish an image publicly (such as in a report or share link) or use it for marketing purposes, this depends on the data provider. 

In general, publicly available data (such as from ESA's Sentinel-2) is able to be shared externally, but always refer to the Third Party Vendor Licenses that are linked here for guidance. Detailed below are specific approaches some of our vendors recommend for use of their imagery in a public/external context, as of April 2025 (please note that this list is not exhaustive).

Airbus: 

  • Via Airbus’s standard license (which Lens customers agree to via the Lens EULA): "The END-USER is granted the right to display EXTRACT(s) on a public website for promotion purposes, as long as it doesn’t include areas of war or conflict and/or airplane crashes or accidents, being understood that (i) the END-USER shall not display and/or post any content which include the EXTRACT and which may adversely affect AIRBUS DS and (ii) AIRBUS DS reserves the right to request the removal of any EXTRACT posted online when deemed necessary to avoid harm, liability, or reputational damage." The Extract is subject to the following parameters: 
    • "'EXTRACT': means an extract or screenshot of a PRODUCT or VAP in a secure, non-extractable, and nondownloadable format that prohibits manipulation of any pixel or metadata contained in the PRODUCT or VAP as follows:
           (i) 2048 x 2048 pixels; and
           (ii) at a resolution no better than resolution of imagery at which the EXTRACT was captured ;
           (iii) in a format used in in a digital report (such as.pdf, .doc, .ppt) or printed report or any format
           without georeferencing information, with or without rasters or vectors on top; and
           (iv) properly attributing the copyright imagery."

Maxar: 

  • Via Maxar's license: "Subject to Customer’s compliance with these License Terms and the applicable Customer Agreement, including, without limitation, payment of all applicable fees, during the Term, Maxar grants to Customer a non-exclusive, non-transferable, limited license to allow an unlimited number of its Authorized Users to: . . .
    c) display an extract of the Product (excluding Information Products) or a Derivative thereof on a public website in a secure, non-extractable, and non-downloadable format that prohibits manipulation of any pixel or metadata contained in the Product or Derivative thereof and does not result in any revenue to Customer, as follows:
         (i) on one domain name;
         (ii) 2048 x 2048 pixels;
         (iii) at a resolution no better than resolution of imagery in the Product;
         (iv) .png, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .jpe, .jfif, .bmp, .pdf; or any format without geo-referencing information (TIFF,
          NITF, GeoPDF, JP2 and JPEG2000 are not permitted);
         (v) only collection date/time, vehicle, and band combination metadata can be published with the
          extract; and
         (vi) properly attribute the imagery as required in Section 7 of these License Terms."

Planet: 

  • Per Planet's license: “Licensee will not: (a) alter, remove, or obscure any proprietary notices, watermarks or legends included or embedded in the Licensed Materials; (b) use the Licensed Materials in violation of applicable laws or regulations; (c) adapt, alter, publicly display, publicly perform, translate, create derivative works of, or otherwise modify the Licensed Materials except as expressly authorized under this Agreement and the Order Schedule" 

Chloris Geospatial:

  • Per Chloris's license: "You shall be allowed to: . . .
      2. Visualize and present the Data or updated Data in various forms, including reports, website/social media, conferences, journal publications, and stakeholder meetings.
      3. Create and use Permitted Data Derivatives as defined herein. Permitted Data Derivatives are those created by You that can be used for any purpose excluding those that compete with Licensor's products or services. They must include the following copyright notice: 'Chloris Data © [YEAR] Chloris Geospatial Inc.' Permitted Data Derivatives include:
         (i) Derivatives that do not contain original data and are irreversible and uncoupled from the original
         Data Source.
         (ii) Graphic renderings of tabular and numerical Data provided that they summarize the Data in
         aggregated form such that it is not possible to derive from it the original geospatial Data at its original
         resolution.
         (iii) Graphic renderings of the Data provided that they:
            a) If digital, are limited to formats that do not contain any geo-referencing (e.g. .png, .gif, .jpg, .pdf)
            b) If digital, are at a resolution not better than the original resolution of the Data
            c) If digital and at original resolution, are limited to 3840X2160 pixels in size."

Can I use imagery in a legal context? 

In some cases, organizations have used Lens and the data provided to support legal cases (such as to show evidence as to when a change occurred on a site). If you have questions about utilizing imagery in that context, please reach out to our team at lens@upstream.tech to help facilitate conversations directly with these vendors as needed regarding license rights and any other needs.