How to Get Satellite Images by Date and Location

To get a satellite image by date and location in Claude, ChatGPT, or Grok, connect ToolRouter and provide latitude, longitude, the date in YYYY-MM-DD format, and the area radius. ToolRouter's Satellite Imagery tool uses capture_dated for date-specific NASA imagery and capture_location for the best available Esri World Imagery view. Those are different datasets: a high-resolution basemap is not necessarily live or captured on your requested date.

ToolRouter needs coordinates rather than an ambiguous place name for the imagery call. Confirm the coordinates, source, capture date, resolution, and clouds or other visual obstructions before drawing a conclusion from the image.

Choose the Right ToolRouter Imagery Skill#

ToolRouter exposes four distinct imagery jobs:

ToolRouter's manifest was checked on 30 August 2026. NASA explains that GIBS serves visualizations of Earth observations, while Esri explains that its World Imagery compilation mixes satellite and aerial sources and that metadata is needed to identify collection date, source, and resolution.

How to Connect ToolRouter to Claude, ChatGPT, or Grok#

ToolRouter uses https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp/anthropic for Claude and https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp for ChatGPT and grok.com:

• Claude: Open Customize → Connectors → + → Add custom connector, name it ToolRouter, and enter https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp/anthropic. Check Anthropic's custom connector documentation for current account controls. See Connect Claude.
• ChatGPT: In a supported workspace, use Developer mode to create a custom MCP app with https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp. Check OpenAI's Developer mode documentation for current plan and role requirements. See Connect ChatGPT.
• Grok: On grok.com/connectors, select New Connector → Custom and enter https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp. Check xAI's connector documentation for the current grok.com path. Grok Bot is separate. See Connect Grok.

ToolRouter's connection chooser links each assistant to its dedicated instructions.

A Tested ToolRouter Prompt for a Location Image#

ToolRouter's current manifest includes a central London example:

Use ToolRouter Satellite Imagery. First call image_metadata for latitude 51.5074 and longitude -0.1278. Then call capture_location for the same coordinates with radius_km: 2, width: 1024, height: 1024, and format: jpg. Return the image link plus the source, capture date, and resolution. Do not call the result live imagery.

ToolRouter maps the two calls to the exact coordinate fields required by image_metadata and capture_location. Increasing output pixels does not create more source detail, and the available resolution varies by place.

A Tested ToolRouter Prompt for Dated Imagery#

ToolRouter's current manifest includes this large-area dated example:

Use ToolRouter Satellite Imagery capture_dated for latitude 34.05, longitude -118.25, date 2025-01-10, and radius_km: 30. Return the image link, requested date, source, and stated resolution. Explain that cloud, smoke, revisit timing, and source processing can limit what the image proves.

ToolRouter maps that request to { "latitude": 34.05, "longitude": -118.25, "date": "2025-01-10", "radius_km": 30 }. A requested date is an input to the imagery service, not proof that a clear observation exists at the exact minute or that every visible change has a single cause.

How to Verify ToolRouter Satellite Imagery#

ToolRouter imagery is more useful when you preserve provenance:

• Record the latitude, longitude, radius, requested date, and returned source.
• Keep the capture date separate from the date a basemap version was published.
• Check the stated ground resolution before claiming that a small feature is visible.
• Compare like-for-like sources when making a before-and-after image.
• Treat clouds, haze, smoke, shadows, seasonal vegetation, and viewing angle as possible confounders.
• Use specialist remote-sensing analysis for safety, legal, insurance, or emergency-response decisions.

ToolRouter returns reference imagery and links; it does not certify property boundaries, damage, military activity, or legal facts.

Satellite Imagery Is Not Satellite Tracking#

ToolRouter's Satellite Imagery tool retrieves pictures of Earth. ToolRouter's separate Satellite Tracker tool looks up orbiting objects, positions, passes, and launches. Asking "show me an image of London on a date" is an imagery job; asking "where is the ISS now" is a tracking job.

ToolRouter keeps those tools separate because a spacecraft's calculated position does not provide an Earth-observation image, and an image does not reveal the current position of the spacecraft that contributed data.

Gemini CLI and Microsoft Copilot Paths#

ToolRouter can be configured in Gemini CLI, whose official client supports MCP servers; this does not claim equivalent custom-server support in consumer Gemini chat. See Connect Gemini CLI and Google's Gemini CLI MCP documentation.

ToolRouter can also be connected to a Copilot Studio agent through Microsoft's MCP onboarding flow; this is not a generic consumer Copilot setup claim. See Connect Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft's Copilot Studio MCP documentation.