Publications

Landsat-5 has been imaging the Earth since March 1984, and Landsat-7 was added to the series of Landsat instruments in April 1999. The Landsat Project Science Office and the Landsat-7 Image Assessment System have been monitoring the on-board calibration of Landsat-7 since launch. Additionally, two separate university teams have been evaluating the on-board thermal calibration of Landsat-7 through

The Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) incorporates two new devices to improve its absolute radiometric calibration: a Full Aperture Solar Calibrator (FASC) and a Partial Aperture Solar Calibrator (PASC). The FASC is a diffuser panel, typically deployed once per month. Initial FASC absolute calibration results were within 5% of the pre-launch calibrations. Over time, the responses of t

Few would question the need to archive the scientific and technical (S&T) data generated by researchers. At a minimum, the data are needed for change analysis. Likewise, most people would value efforts to ensure the preservation of the archived S&T data. Future generations will use analysis techniques not even considered today. Until recently, archiving and preserving these data were usually accom

The images in Earth as Art 2 are grouped by continent or region. In this catalog, they are set against a background image of part of the continent or region from which they come. However, their placement on the background does not necessarily correlate with their true geographic location. The images are numbered sequentially, from 1 to 36.

Recently, the combination of new projection technology, fast, low-cost graphics cards, and Linux-powered personal computers has made it possible to provide a stereoprojection and stereoviewing system that is much more affordable than previous commercial solutions. These Geowall systems are low-cost visualization systems built with commodity off-the-shelf components, run on open-source (and other)

The stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC) on the landscape are an important element in the global carbon cycle. Changes in soil carbon can change the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. If carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, captured through photosynthesis, is ultimately stored in the soil to an enhanced degree, the resulting soil carbon sequestration may help delay some of the und

Under an agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense's National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is now distributing elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The SRTM is a joint project between NASA and NIMA to map the Earth's land surface in three dimensions at a level of detail u

The U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation Systems Data Center responds to emergencies in support of various government agencies for human-induced and natural disasters. This response consists of satellite tasking and acquisitions, satellite image registrations, disaster-extent maps analysis and creation, base image provision and support, Web-based mapping services for product delivery

Landscape pattern and composition metrics are potential indicators for broad-scale monitoring of change and for relating change to human and ecological processes. We used a probability sample of 20-km × 20-km sampling blocks to characterize landscape composition and pattern in five US ecoregions: the Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain, Southeastern Plains, Northern Piedmont, Piedmont, and Blue Ridge Mo

South Florida experienced a significant change in land usage during the twentieth century, including the conversion of natural wetlands into agricultural land for the cultivation of winter vegetable, sugar cane and citrus crops. This movement of agriculture from more northerly areas was intended partly to escape the risk of damaging winter freezes. Here we present evidence from a case study using

Effective May 5, 2003, Landsat-5 (L5) Thematic Mapper (TM) data processed and distributed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation System (EROS) Data Center (EDC) will be radiometrically calibrated using a new procedure and revised calibration parameters. This change will improve absolute calibration accuracy, consistency over time, and consistency with Landsat-7 (L7) Enhan

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to procure data from a privately-owned and commercially-operated remote sensing system for the next Landsat Mission, the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM).Data requirements are documented in an LDCM Data Specification. The specifications require delivery of data covering 250 Landsat scenes on a daily basis. The data are to be acqu