Earth Observation Case Study: Landsat to Map Ag. Yields and Irrigation

Social scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fort Collins Science Center – in collaboration with the USGS National Land Imaging Program – conduct Earth observation user case studies using qualitative research methods. Using standard scientific methods, they are better able to understand the variety of Earth observation users, including how they use and value Earth observation data.

This graphic illustration guides you through an Earth observation user case study and provides the in-depth user experience of Jill Deines – one example of an Earth observation user. Dr. Jill Deines is a postdoctoral scholar at the Center for Food Security and the Environment at Stanford University working jointly with the NASA Harvest Consortium, a multidisciplinary effort that works to use satellite Earth observations to support food security, agriculture, and human and environmental resiliency in the US and worldwide. Jill pivoted during her Ph.D. from being only a user of satellite-generated landscape products to producing them using cloud-based remote sensing tools to better answer her research questions about effectively managing agricultural resources. Today, Jill uses Landsat satellite imagery to reconstruct crop yield over the past 20 years to understand ongoing trends in agricultural production and examine alternative management approaches.

Landsat is a joint USGS/NASA Program that provides the longest continuous space-based record of Earth’s land surface. Every day, Landsat satellites provide essential information to help land managers and policy makers make decisions about resources and the environment.