'Gorgeous' new Government satellite map gives ultra-clear view of NZ from above

A screenshot from Basemap.
A screenshot from Basemap. Photo credit: LINZ/Basemap

A new mapping software offering a high-resolution aerial view of New Zealand is being praised online. 

In August Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) released Basemap - but it's recently popped up on social media, with people saying it goes above and beyond other tech, like Google Maps. 

LINZ Acting Chief Executive Kathy Mansell said the mapping tool will be of great use to anyone interested in exploring New Zealand "in exquisite detail". 

"Its full potential is unlocked in the hands of geospatial information specialists and web developers who can add more data about our country over the basemap to create a story or message, or make decisions."

A recent Reddit thread discussing the month-old feature said it's much better than anything currently available. 

"Damn this works better than any other maps service I've ever used, that's sick as," said one person. 

"Woah! The resolution of this shits on Google maps," another said. 

One called Basemap "gorgeous", adding: "Spatial science is a large portion of my day-to-day workload and this is just delicious!" 

Other users point out that the resolution can be hit or miss depending on where you live as the images are provided by the local council.

"I'm looking at Nelson and these are far lower resolution images than those on top of the South maps, which includes Tasman and Nelson. I would've thought that most other councils would have higher-res imagery available also?"