Abstract: A system is disclosed in which a geographic area of interest can be selected, and photographic images of the selected area can be downloaded and displayed by a user in an efficient and timely manner. The geographic area of interest may initially be selected by various input means such as a map, longitude/latitude coordinates, a global positioning system (GPS), and the like. Once the particular geographic area has been selected, photographic images corresponding to the selected area are downloaded to the user. The photographic images may be stored in a suitable data storage system such as a server. Alternatively, the photographic image data may be generated real time and downloaded to the user. In one embodiment, a relatively low resolution image of a large geographic area is initially displayed to the user, and the user can then select a limited region of the image for closer viewing.