Nearly two years ago, Benjamin Grant saw a short film about the “overview effect” – a term that describes the sensation astronauts experience when they look down on the Earth from space. This inspired him to set up Daily Overview, a photography series that posts a new satellite image from space every day. This one captures waves breaking on Bondi Beach, Sydney. • All photographs: Daily Overview/Satellite imagery 2015, Digital Globe Inc

Daily Overview hopes to inspire a shift in the way we see the planet. “By providing our audience with a view they wouldn’t get to see otherwise – and by making sure we do the research so they know exactly what they’re seeing – we can inspire fresh thinking about the planet and the role we all play in shaping it,” says Grant. The image here shows the Venetian-style channels of Port Grimaud, a seaside town on the French Riviera by the Gulf of Saint Tropez.

Each Overview begins as a “thought experiment”. “We consider the places where man has left his mark on the planet,” says Grant, “then conduct the necessary research to identify the locations (and the corresponding geo-coordinates) that will convey that idea.” In this photograph the olive groves of Córdoba, Spain, dot the landscape like pixels.

The frothing water below Niagara Falls dominates this image of the iconic waterfalls on the Canada/US border. The falls have the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world, with a vertical drop of more than 165ft. The Maid of the Mist boat, seen here, has carried passengers into the rapids immediately below the falls since 1846. “In regards to our audience, we hope that the unusual perspective, mesmerising flatness, or the vibrant colours of the Overview will get their attention,” says Grant.

This is the Stelvio Pass in northern Italy; the snaking mountain pass is the highest paved roadway in the eastern Alps, with an elevation of 9,045ft above sea level. Only accessible in the summer (June-September), the road and its 75 hairpin turns are often scaled during the Giro d’Italia bike race.

La Plata, Argentina, is a planned city. With a view from above, this fact could not be more apparent; its strict grid pattern creates a symmetry rarely seen in urban areas. At the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris, the new city was awarded two gold medals for the “City of the Future” and “Better performance built”.

It often takes a minute to adjust to the perspective offered by the Overviews. At first glance, the dots and lines of this image look like a circuit board. In fact, it’s a shot of the beach at Viareggio, Italy, with umbrellas perfectly spread along the sand.

In this image the Pyramids of Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, are transformed into almost two-dimensional shapes. The Great Pyramid – the largest structure at the site – is the oldest of the seven wonders of the ancient world and the only one to remain largely intact. With an estimated 2,300,000 stone blocks weighing from 2 to 30 tonnes each, the 481ft pyramid was the tallest structure in the world for more than 3,800 years.

The oasis of green that is New York’s Central Park can be seen in one of the the most recognisable images from the Overview series. The shot highlights the contrast between the park and the city surrounding it. “If we can get people to go beyond the aesthetics,” says Grant, “and contemplate exactly what it is they’re seeing – and consider what that means for our planet – then I believe the project is a success.”• To see more from Daily Overview visit its website dailyoverview.nyc or follow it on Facebook and Instagram