Tools We Rely On: Aerials

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough mapping team is happy to announce the new 2017 aerial imagery is available online.

With an estimated population of 102,598 today and projections of nearly 130,000 by 2025, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough has long been the fastest growing community in Alaska. Fast growth means many changes, and one of the easiest ways to see these changes is with aerial imagery. 

Aerial imagery is frequently used by Mat-Su Borough staff, business partners, private companies, and the general public. It saves money by reducing field work and site visits. It improves decision-making by providing a big picture view of project areas. 

It is used to update important map features, like roads, site addresses, and public facility locations; all of which are used to help police, paramedics, and firefighters respond to emergencies. It is also used by scientists to conduct research; realtors and investors to study properties; recreationalists to better understand landscapes; home buyers to determine wetland locations, and hobbyists who simply enjoy finding interesting features.

The easiest way to view the new imagery is in the MSB Parcel Viewer. 

Open the parcel viewer, zoom into an area of interest, under “I want to” option click the “change visible map layers" button, and check the box next to Imagery and Hillshade. You can even choose a particular year of imagery to view; 2017, 2016, or 2011.

https://mapping.matsugov.us/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=MSB_Parcel_Viewer

Cartographers, surveyors, engineers, consultants, and anyone else who wants to learn other ways to access the data should visit this webpage:

https://data1-msb.opendata.arcgis.com/pages/2016--2017-aerial-imagery

Questions can be directed to Heather Kelley at (907)861-8695 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..