How do I decide which image type is right for me?

A higher resolution allows you to see more granular details of the image you are viewing. The higher the resolution of an image, the smaller the pixel size in terms of centimeters. With a spatial resolution of 75 cm, each pixel corresponds to an area on the ground of 75 cm by 75 cm, but since the pixels will generally not perfectly align with the objects on the ground, an industry rule of thumb is that you can see consistently see objects that are between 30% and 50% larger than pixel size. For 75 cm imagery, that means you can typically identify anything that takes up about 1 square meter, such as outdoor tables and small cars. As the resolution improves, you are able to see more granular detail with 30-50 cm resolution allowing you to see, but not identify, things like livestock and even people. Google Maps, which uses aerial rather than satellite imagery, uses resolutions as low as 15 cm.