Who takes map layers, aerial imagery and spatial data for…
4 of the 5 firms we read list maps, aerial imagery, 3D or other spatial data as something they take; newest read 28 October 2026.
Whether maps, imagery or spatial data are named
Way it acquires spatial data
Spatial data it describes taking
Where a capture firm signs up
What it says on rights and permissions
The full board, one firm per row
One firm to a row. Expand an answer for its source sentence, word for word, plus the web page and the read date; "not stated" means that web page does not cover the question.
| Firm | Way it acquires spatial data | Whether maps, imagery or spatial data are named | Spatial data it describes taking | Where a capture firm signs up | What it says on rights and permissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARTO | hosts a catalogue where capture firms list and sell their data | names maps, geospatial, aerial, 3D or spatial data | Looking for new channels for your data products? Look no further. | Become a data partner Looking for new channels for your data products? | Some data providers offer different types of licenses and different pricing options if… |
| Opendatabay | hosts a catalogue where capture firms list and sell their data | names maps, geospatial, aerial, 3D or spatial data | Find commercially licensed datasets for AI training and LLM fine-tuning | not statedNot addressed in Opendatabay, data marketplace | not statedNot addressed in Opendatabay, data marketplace |
| Protege | licenses layers or imagery straight from the firm that captured them | names maps, geospatial, aerial, 3D or spatial data | not statedNot addressed in Protege, for data providers | Become a data partner Become a data partner | not statedNot addressed in Protege, for data providers |
| Shutterstock | licenses layers or imagery straight from the firm that captured them | varies by document | Models across architecture, furniture, vehicles, fashion, tools, toys, nature, and more. | Tell us about your content library. We’ll follow up to discuss next steps.Not addressed in Shutterstock data licensing, 3D and spatial Not addressed in Shutterstock data licensing | All assets are rights-cleared and contributor-permissioned for AI training and… Not addressed in Shutterstock data licensing |
| UP42 | hosts a catalogue where capture firms list and sell their data | names maps, geospatial, aerial, 3D or spatial data | Multispectral satellite Learn more Aerial Learn more SAR Learn more Elevation Learn more… | Need help choosing the right data? Get in touchNot addressed in UP42 geospatial platform |
The 40 sentences the answers come from
- CARTO, CARTO Data Observatory, read 2026-10-28, Way it acquires spatial data:
Our Data Observatory is a one-stop shop for geospatial datasets
- CARTO, CARTO Data Observatory, read 2026-10-28, Whether maps, imagery or spatial data are named:
Our Data Observatory is a one-stop shop for geospatial datasets, allowing users to get the location data they need fast
- CARTO, CARTO Data Observatory, read 2026-10-28, Spatial data it describes taking:
Looking for new channels for your data products? Look no further.
- CARTO, CARTO Data Observatory, read 2026-10-28, Where a capture firm signs up:
Become a data partner Looking for new channels for your data products?
- CARTO, CARTO Data Observatory, read 2026-10-28, What it says on rights and permissions:
Some data providers offer different types of licenses and different pricing options if their data is going to be used only within a CARTO application or exported into other technologies
- Opendatabay, Opendatabay, data marketplace, read 2026-10-08, Way it acquires spatial data:
Buy, sell, or exchange AI-ready data in 3 simple steps
- Opendatabay, Opendatabay, data marketplace, read 2026-10-08, Whether maps, imagery or spatial data are named:
Text · Image · Audio · Video · Code · Agentic Trajectories · 3D Spatial · Tabular · Time-series
- Opendatabay, Opendatabay, data marketplace, read 2026-10-08, Spatial data it describes taking:
Find commercially licensed datasets for AI training and LLM fine-tuning
- Opendatabay, Opendatabay, data marketplace, read 2026-10-08, Where a capture firm signs up: Not addressed: the web page read on 2026-10-08 (10,788 characters) is silent on this.
- Opendatabay, Opendatabay, data marketplace, read 2026-10-08, What it says on rights and permissions: Not addressed: the web page read on 2026-10-08 (10,788 characters) is silent on this.
- Protege, Protege, for data providers, read 2026-10-08, Way it acquires spatial data:
Protege works with data and content providers across domains
- Protege, Protege, for data providers, read 2026-10-08, Whether maps, imagery or spatial data are named:
Audio & Speech Spatial & Physical Other Domains
- Protege, Protege, for data providers, read 2026-10-08, Spatial data it describes taking: Not addressed: the web page read on 2026-10-08 (21,248 characters) is silent on this.
- Protege, Protege, for data providers, read 2026-10-08, Where a capture firm signs up:
Become a data partner Become a data partner
- Protege, Protege, for data providers, read 2026-10-08, What it says on rights and permissions: Not addressed: the web page read on 2026-10-08 (21,248 characters) is silent on this.
- Shutterstock, Shutterstock data licensing, read 2026-10-27, Way it acquires spatial data:
We can identify, source, curate, and license datasets across Shutterstock’s content and broader data ecosystem to align to your exact use case.
- Shutterstock, Shutterstock data licensing, read 2026-10-27, Whether maps, imagery or spatial data are named:
3D objects and assets for spatial, simulation, and physical-world applications.
- Shutterstock, Shutterstock data licensing, read 2026-10-27, Spatial data it describes taking:
Access hundreds of millions of images, videos, audio files, 3D assets, and other content from Shutterstock’s global collection.
- Shutterstock, Shutterstock data licensing, read 2026-10-27, Where a capture firm signs up: Not addressed: the web page read on 2026-10-27 (8,297 characters) is silent on this.
- Shutterstock, Shutterstock data licensing, read 2026-10-27, What it says on rights and permissions: Not addressed: the web page read on 2026-10-27 (8,297 characters) is silent on this.
- Shutterstock, Shutterstock data licensing, 3D and spatial, read 2026-10-27, Way it acquires spatial data:
All assets are rights-cleared and contributor-permissioned for AI training and commercialization.
- Shutterstock, Shutterstock data licensing, 3D and spatial, read 2026-10-27, Whether maps, imagery or spatial data are named:
Shutterstock's 3D & Spatial AI datasets give you access to one of the largest licensed collections of 3D models and photorealistic renders
- Shutterstock, Shutterstock data licensing, 3D and spatial, read 2026-10-27, Spatial data it describes taking:
Models across architecture, furniture, vehicles, fashion, tools, toys, nature, and more.
- Shutterstock, Shutterstock data licensing, 3D and spatial, read 2026-10-27, Where a capture firm signs up: Not addressed: the web page read on 2026-10-27 (4,650 characters) is silent on this.
- Shutterstock, Shutterstock data licensing, 3D and spatial, read 2026-10-27, What it says on rights and permissions:
All assets are rights-cleared and contributor-permissioned for AI training and commercialization.
- Shutterstock, Shutterstock Data Partner Network, read 2026-10-27, Way it acquires spatial data:
Explore Shutterstock’s Data Partner Network to license your content for AI training
- Shutterstock, Shutterstock Data Partner Network, read 2026-10-27, Whether maps, imagery or spatial data are named:
What type of content do you control (select all that apply)
- Shutterstock, Shutterstock Data Partner Network, read 2026-10-27, Spatial data it describes taking:
Tell us about your content library. We’ll follow up to discuss next steps.
- Shutterstock, Shutterstock Data Partner Network, read 2026-10-27, Where a capture firm signs up:
Tell us about your content library. We’ll follow up to discuss next steps.
- Shutterstock, Shutterstock Data Partner Network, read 2026-10-27, What it says on rights and permissions:
Retain ownership and control
- UP42, UP42 geospatial platform, read 2026-10-28, Way it acquires spatial data:
Search available geospatial data from different providers.
- UP42, UP42 geospatial platform, read 2026-10-28, Whether maps, imagery or spatial data are named:
Search, task, process, and manage EO data from leading providers through one platform.
- UP42, UP42 geospatial platform, read 2026-10-28, Spatial data it describes taking:
Multispectral satellite Learn more Aerial Learn more SAR Learn more Elevation Learn more Lidar
- UP42, UP42 geospatial platform, read 2026-10-28, Where a capture firm signs up: Not addressed: the web page read on 2026-10-28 (4,407 characters) is silent on this.
- UP42, UP42 geospatial platform, read 2026-10-28, What it says on rights and permissions: Not addressed: the web page read on 2026-10-28 (4,407 characters) is silent on this.
- UP42, UP42 data partners, read 2026-10-28, Way it acquires spatial data:
We've built the world’s most extensive ecosystem of Earth observation data and processing algorithms for our users.
- UP42, UP42 data partners, read 2026-10-28, Whether maps, imagery or spatial data are named:
Access data from aerial sensors, including planes and drones.
- UP42, UP42 data partners, read 2026-10-28, Spatial data it describes taking:
Capable of resolutions up to 1 cm, with data from Vexcel, Hexagon, IO Aerospace, Bluesky, Getmapping, and Globhe.
- UP42, UP42 data partners, read 2026-10-28, Where a capture firm signs up:
Need help choosing the right data? Get in touch
- UP42, UP42 data partners, read 2026-10-28, What it says on rights and permissions: Not addressed: the web page read on 2026-10-28 (3,729 characters) is silent on this.
Documents we read but did not count
10 named documents fell outside what this board reads once we had read them; their reasons follow. They are tallied, never scored as answers.
- License My Data: set aside so each buyer sits on one board across this batch (difference M1, 2026-10-28): this organisation names no map, geospatial or spatial data and is read on selljobrecordstoai.com's board or another site's instead
- Troveo: business data: set aside so each buyer sits on one board across this batch (difference M1, 2026-10-28): this organisation names no map, geospatial or spatial data and is read on selljobrecordstoai.com's board or another site's instead
- Nyne: sell your company data: set aside so each buyer sits on one board across this batch (difference M1, 2026-10-28): this organisation names no map, geospatial or spatial data and is read on selljobrecordstoai.com's board or another site's instead
- DataDeals: sell your company data: set aside so each buyer sits on one board across this batch (difference M1, 2026-10-28): this organisation names no map, geospatial or spatial data and is read on selljobrecordstoai.com's board or another site's instead
- micro1: data partnerships: set aside so each buyer sits on one board across this batch (difference M1, 2026-10-28): this organisation names no map, geospatial or spatial data and is read on selljobrecordstoai.com's board or another site's instead
- Mercor Data: set aside so each buyer sits on one board across this batch (difference M1, 2026-10-28): this organisation names no map, geospatial or spatial data and is read on selljobrecordstoai.com's board or another site's instead
- Esri ArcGIS Marketplace and partners: Esri's partner finder: it lists partners who sell services and products to ArcGIS users, not a door for an owner to license map data
- Polyshares: data licensing: set aside so each buyer sits on one board across this batch (difference M1, 2026-10-28): this organisation names no map, geospatial or spatial data and is read on selljobrecordstoai.com's board or another site's instead
- Maryah: business data licensing: set aside so each buyer sits on one board across this batch (difference M1, 2026-10-28): this organisation names no map, geospatial or spatial data and is read on selljobrecordstoai.com's board or another site's instead
- ShareCafe: Aerometrex AI data deals: a news report of Aerometrex licensing its aerial and LiDAR catalogue to two AI companies: a dated deal, admitted as evidence of demand, not a buyer's own page
The method in full
Each firm's own geospatial marketplace, spatial data licensing and partner pages were read through estate-fetch and stored whole (sha256 on every row).
For every web page, five questions were answered from its own words: way it acquires spatial data, whether maps, imagery or spatial data are named, spatial data it describes taking, where a capture firm signs up, what it says on rights and permissions.
Every stated answer carries the sentence it rests on, checked against the stored text; 'not stated' means the web page read does not address the question.
A firm with several web pages reads 'varies' where they disagree.
5 firms, 8 web pages.
All 18 sources
- Shutterstock data licensing: 3D and spatial (quoted for comment from the publisher's own geospatial marketplace, spatial data licensing and partner pages)
- Shutterstock data licensing (quoted for comment from the publisher's own geospatial marketplace, spatial data licensing and partner pages)
- Shutterstock Data Partner Network (quoted for comment from the publisher's own geospatial marketplace, spatial data licensing and partner pages)
- Protege: for data providers (quoted for comment from the publisher's own geospatial marketplace, spatial data licensing and partner pages)
- License My Data (read, set aside)
- Troveo: business data (read, set aside)
- Nyne: sell your company data (read, set aside)
- Opendatabay (quoted for comment from the publisher's own geospatial marketplace, spatial data licensing and partner pages)
- DataDeals: sell your company data (read, set aside)
- micro1: data partnerships (read, set aside)
- Mercor Data (read, set aside)
- CARTO Data Observatory (quoted for comment from the publisher's own geospatial marketplace, spatial data licensing and partner pages)
- Esri ArcGIS Marketplace and partners (read, set aside)
- UP42 geospatial marketplace (quoted for comment from the publisher's own geospatial marketplace, spatial data licensing and partner pages)
- UP42 marketplace catalogue (quoted for comment from the publisher's own geospatial marketplace, spatial data licensing and partner pages)
- Polyshares: data licensing (read, set aside)
- Maryah: business data licensing (read, set aside)
- ShareCafe: Aerometrex AI data deals (read, set aside)
Cite it or embed it
4 of the 5 firms we read list maps, aerial imagery, 3D or other spatial data as something they take; newest read 28 October 2026.
Way it acquires spatial data, by firm: hosts a catalogue where capture firms list and sell their data 3 of 5, licenses layers or imagery straight from the firm that captured them 2 of 5 (5 firms, read 28 October 2026).
Whether maps, imagery or spatial data are named, by firm: names maps, geospatial, aerial, 3D or spatial data 4 of 5, varies 1 of 5 (5 firms, read 28 October 2026).
Spatial data it describes taking, by firm: stated 4 of 5, not stated 1 of 5 (5 firms, read 28 October 2026).
Where a capture firm signs up, by firm: stated 4 of 5, not stated 1 of 5 (5 firms, read 28 October 2026).
What it says on rights and permissions, by firm: not stated 3 of 5, stated 2 of 5 (5 firms, read 28 October 2026).
Citation: "Who takes map layers, aerial imagery and spatial data for AI training", updated 2026-10-28, https://sellmapdatatoai.com/datasets/map-data-buyers/.
The data as a CSV (40 answers as of 2026-10-28)