Unique cartographic characteristics of ERTS

The ERTS television sensing system has unique cartographic advantages over aircraft and satellite film systems. These are longer life combined with greater coverage, transmission of data in near real time, orthogonality, excellent geometric precision for planimetric mapping, suitability for automation (because of the basically continuous image on a mathematically definable map projection), radiometric fidelity, and the extension of sensing capability to near-infrared wavelengths.