Satellite imagery

Sounds like you want real time data (or at least something in the last few weeks) rather than the once every few months or years which is most of what is available. To get that you’ll have to pay the satellite owners for their time to actually take the images when you want. Expensive if you aren’t named Google or something similar. Hence why you keep getting the type of responses you are as they are use to dealing with corporations who have budgets for it.

What resolution do you need?  Daily images at the 3-5 m range can be found with a free account at https://www.planet.com/products/explorer/.

You could probably use Landsat (16 days, 25m) or MODIS (daily, 250m) products for this. Freely available.

These Ground Sample Distances (resolution in layman’s terms) are probably perfectly fine. Most people new to the field of Remote Sensing always assume that they need higher spatial resolution than they really do.

A simple albedo filter subtracting a clear end of summer image with zero snow cover from the image in question, would likely suffice in identifying snow cover. Albedo is very high with snow. That’s why its white. Anything else in the same pixel will always have a lower albedo value.

I’m not American, but I dare say that NOAA already produces this for the continental US. I would be very surprised if they don’t…

Cheers,

Adam (Remote Sensing Scientist).

Not quite what you asked, but the NOAA snow model can be useful

http://www.nohrsc.noaa.gov/interactive/html/map.html?ql=station&zoom=&zoom7.x=11&zoom7.y=8&loc=Latitude%2CLongitude%3B+City%2CST%3B+or+Station+ID&var=ssm_depth&dy=2017&dh=6&snap=1&o5=1&o6=1&o9=1&o12=1&o13=1&lbl=m&o7=1&mode=pan&extents=us&min_x=-122.03333333333&min_y=45.241666666662&max_x=-121.55833333333&max_y=45.524999999996&coord_x=-121.79583333333&coord_y=45.383333333329&zbox_n=&zbox_s=&zbox_e=&zbox_w=&metric=0&bgvar=dem&shdvar=shading&palette=1&title=1&width=1000&height=600&nw=1000&nh=600&h_o=2&font=0&js=1&uc=0

I think it’s about 1 mile resolution

A lot of times it’ll say it’s snow free, but the ridge I’m on will have snow, because that ridge is much less than 1 mile.  A satellite image would have the same problem

Thanks for the info.

I have tried the Landsat, Modis, and NOAA, but they are either too low resolution or outdated.  The resolution of Google Earth is quite good, I can often see trails above treeline, but obviously not current. I am not really sure what resolution I need, but something where i can see some trails and snow covering them or clear.   I went to Planet.com and got the classic response below.   But, i found that on their page where you select the area you are looking to buy, you get reasonably good resolution views. Not great, but doable.  It is the “catalog” so to speak.  The response is classic when asking for higher resolution pictures.  With this, my wallet would be ultralight!!

“Planet has a minimum of $10,000 USD. Let me know if you want to proceed?
Best regards”

Look at imagery from a previous year with similar conditions.