Latest in Landsat - August 2023 - Vol. 2 | Issue 8
This issue highlights the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The articles showcase the 50-year journey of how EROS came to be middle America's 'Science in a Cornfield'. Research scientists continue to develop new and improve science products.
EROS 50th History, 1966-1979: How Sioux Falls Ingenuity Secured the Center
“We’ll give the land.”
When a member of the Sioux Falls business community blurted out that promise in Washington, D.C., in early 1970, it tipped the scales in the city’s favor: Sioux Falls, South Dakota, would be the future home of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.
EROS 50th History, 1980-1999: Through Uncertainty to a Firm Footing
Mount St. Helens erupted May 18, 1980, spewing ash into the atmosphere, flattening forests for miles and killing 57 people.
When the ash settled, Landsat captured the aftermath. And the archive at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center proved its value once again, with vivid before and after images showing the extent of the devastation.
EROS 50th History, 2000-2023: Data and Science Surge
As a new millennium dawned, the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center looked forward to a future full of new data and new science.
Go Back in History with EROS
This month the USGS EROS Center celebrates 50 years of science and data. Check out new podcasts about our rich history!
Eyes on Earth Episode 97 – EROS 50th: Earth As Art
In addition to their scientific value, many satellite images are simply intriguing to look at. Some might even remind you of actual famous works of art!
Landsat: Celebrating 50 Years (Extended Edition)
50 years of teamwork. 50 years of innovation. 50 years of resilience. In 1966, Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall announced his vision to create a program aimed at gathering facts about the natural resources of the Earth from Earth orbiting satellites. It was a bold proclamation. It was also an idea that worked and continues to work 50 years on.
Eyes on Earth Episode 95 – EROS 50th: Landsat Science Team
Landsat Science Teams have advocated for the best data possible for the wide variety of remote sensing users around the world.
Moon Intrusion Forces Reprocessing of Landsat 9, Landsat 8 Scenes
The USGS/NASA Landsat Calibration and Validation Team (CVT) has recently identified additional Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 scenes that were impacted by the presence of the Moon in the calibration data.
Thirty-seven Landsat 9 and 342 Landsat 8 Level-1 scenes were reprocessed on July 17 and July 18, 2023.
Eyes on Earth Episode 99 – EROS 50th: Interns Who Stayed
EROS has always welcomed interns to work and learn at the center—and many of them have stayed on over the years, some for decades!
Landsat 9 Reprocessing Changes Thermal Data
While conducting standard Landsat Collection 2 Level-1 Landsat product validation, the USGS Calibration/Validation Team at the EROS Center discovered that a corrupt Bias Parameter File (BPF) was applied to Landsat 9 Level-1 data that were acquired on June 30th and July 1st, 2023.
Landsat Scene Downloads from USGS EROS — 2008 to present
This graphic displays the millions of downloads of Landsat Level-1 data from the USGS EROS Center since the Landsat archive was made available for download at no charge in 2008. As of March 2024, over 201 million Level-1 data have been downloaded. View more statistics on the Landsat Project Statistics page.
Landsat Science Products Overview
Explore an overview of the Landsat Science Products.
Landsat 7 Extended Science Mission Scenes
Number of scenes acquired by the Landsat 7 Extended Science Mission from May 5, 2022 - January 19, 2024. The Landsat 7 satellite was launched in 1999, and data from the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensor onboard acquired data on the World Reference System-2 (WRS-2) for over 20 years before being lowered from the standard 705 kilometers (km) orbit to 697 km in April of 2022. After…