The basic concepts and tools of automatic image registration are presented and the problems which exist are discussed. The paper describes work carried out at University College London on the registration of two images and on the registration of images with maps. It is shown that strategies have been developed which are applicable to different types of image and reference data and that with the tuning of well tried algorithms it is possible to achieve the required matching. The PAIRS technique for automatic registration of optical images from satellites has been implemented and tested and is now being developed for use with optical and microwave images. The ARCHANGEL system for registration of images with maps or vector data is also being implemented and initial results show considerable promise.