Today, we are pleased to announce the release of a new data product that provides Google Satellite Embeddings aggregated at small area level from 2017 to 2024, enabling more flexible and detailed analysis of place-based change. The dataset includes Lower Layer Super Output Areas — or LSOAs — in England and Wales, Data Zones in Scotland, and Small Areas in Northern Ireland.

Satellite embeddings are dense and compressed representations of satellite imagery that are reshaping how we access and work with remote sensing data. The Google satellite embeddings we repackage here are built from several data sources, including Sentinel-1 and 2, and Landsat, and are provided by Google as 10 metre resolution pixels. Our data product takes these and aggregates them at a geography social researchers and policy makers are familiar with, and provides them in widely used, familiar file formats. We expect this will lower the barrier for these user communities to engage with satellite embeddings and combine them with the data they are already using (e.g., Census, Index of Multiple Deprivation).

A visualisation of embedding dimensions across UK neighbourhoods for 2024.

We see embeddings as a new way of representing neighbourhoods, capturing patterns in the built environment that are not easily measured through traditional indicators. By making them available at consistent small area geographies across the UK, the dataset supports comparison across both space and time. Understanding how neighbourhoods evolve is critical for addressing challenges such as inequality, health outcomes, and urban change. Many datasets struggle to capture the complexity and dynamism of local environments at fine spatial scales, and we envision our embeddings data product will help fill this gap.

What the dataset includes

The dataset provides annual coverage across all UK small areas (46,844 areas per year):
• Coverage: United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland)
• Time period: 2017 to 2024
• Spatial resolution: Small area level (LSOAs, Data Zones, and Small Areas)
• Format: yearly GeoPackage (.gpkg) files with 64-dimensional embedding vectors linked to small area geometries

About the data

The embeddings are derived from the Google Alpha Satellite Embedding V1 data product and aggregated to small area level across the UK to enable fine-grained analysis. We are working on a technical document explaining the construction process as well as educational materials to help users get started with this data product, which will be added to our Book of Imagery soon. For an example of how to use this data, explore our satellite embeddings workshop materials. We are releasing this dataset in open format to support reuse, transparency, and wider uptake across research and policy communities.

Access the data

The embeddings dataset is available today via our data catalogue, and is free to use for research and non-commercial purposes. You can download it, and our other data products, when you register for free at https://data.imago.ac.uk/