The popularity of online mapping sites is having an impact on aerial- and satellite-imagery companies, Newsweek reports. Long dependent on government contracts, these companies now find their new clients — Google, Microsoft, Yahoo! et al. — contributing increasing amounts to their bottom line; in one firm’s case, it’s approaching 20 per cent.

As a result, scores of decades-old mom-and-pop aerial-mapping firms are suddenly thriving, along with the nation’s two major commercial satellite imagery companies. “The geospatial-imaging industry seems to be at the epicenter of a war between Google, Microsoft and Yahoo,” says Edward Jurkevics of Chesapeake Analytics Group. “It’s a good place to be.”

Via All Points Blog.