02/11/2025
In 1502, Leonardo da Vinci created what is considered the first known “satellite view” map, depicting the Italian city of Imola.
Instead of using the artistic bird’s-eye perspective common in maps of the time, Leonardo used a true orthogonal projection, meaning he depicted the city as if seen directly from above.
To achieve this centuries before aerial photography, he meticulously measured every street, corner, and building using a compass and a technique similar to triangulation, calculating distances and angles from fixed points around the city.
