USGS - science for a changing world

Maps, Imagery, and Publications

Maps, Imagery, and Publications Hazards Newsroom Education Jobs Partnerships Library About USGS Podcasts/RSS
Remote Sensing Images: Remote Sensing Images are images that are captured by air or space craft for the purpose of mapping or geospatial analysis. The images may be captured on film or digitally.

Note: Downloadable Data Available icon - indicates the availability of downloadable data at no charge.
Aerial Photographs and Images
 

Buy digital format on media: Online | Local center or by phone

Commerical distributors of value added data: Aerial

 

National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP)

 

The National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP), is an interagency Federal effort coordinated by the USGS, which uses NAPP products to revise maps.

 

National High Altitude Photography (NHAP)

 

The National High Altitude Photography (NHAP) program, which was operated from 1980-1989, was coordinated by the U.S. Geological Survey as an interagency project to eliminate duplicate photography in various Government programs.

 

Downloadable Data Available icon Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles (DOQ)

 

Digital images of aerial photos which combine the image characteristics of the photo with the georeferenced qualities of a map (1987 – present).

 

LIDAR: Light Detection and Ranging

 

LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is an optical remote sensing technology that measures properties of scattered light to find range and/or other information of a distant target.

 

CLICK

 

Center for LIDAR Information Coordination and Knowledge

 

LIDAR Data Viewer

 

Interactive viewer with limited download capability

 

Downloadable Data Available icon Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)

 

SCAR is charged with the initiating, developing and coordinating high quality international scientific research in the Antarctic region, and on the role of the Antarctic region in the Earth system.

 

Aircraft Scanners

 

Digital imagery acquired from several multispectral scanners on board NASA ER–2, NASA C–130B, and NASA Learjet aircrafts (1982 – 1995).

 

Historical Photographs

 

Aerial photos from a variety of sources (1939 – present).

 

Commercial Imagery

 

Status Graphics display of commercial imagery available through USGS.

 

USGS Commercial Data Purchases (UCDP) Imagery

 

The UCDP Imagery Collection consists of imagery from several commercial vendors. The UCDP supports the Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy (CRSSP) by providing data to qualified users, primarily U.S. Federal agencies, at no cost for File Transfer Protocol (FTP) downloads or at a nominal cost for media.

Satellite Images
 

Buy digital format on media: Online | Local center or by phone

Commerical distributors of value added data: Satellite

Pricing Information: Specifications, formats and prices

 

Downloadable Data Available icon ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer)

 

High-resolution (15- to 90-meter) multispectral data from the Terra satellite (2000 to present).

 

Downloadable Data Available icon AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer)

 

1-km multispectral data from the NOAA satellite series (1979 to present).

 

Hyperion and Advanced Land Imager (ALI)

 

10- to 30-meter multispectral and hyperspectral data from the Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) Extended Mission (2000 to present).

 

LANDSAT

 

Landsat satellites have been providing multispectral images of the Earth continuously since the early 1970's.

 

Downloadable Data Available icon Landsat ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus)

 

High-resolution (15- to 60-meter) multispectral data from Landsat 7 (1999 to present).

 

Landsat MSS (Multispectral Scanner)

 

80-meter multispectral data from Landsats 1 to 5 (1972 to 1992).

 

Landsat TM (Thematic Mapper)

 

30- to 120-meter multispectral data from Landsat 4 and 5 (1982 to present).

 

LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission)

 

Multispectral data from the proposed Landsat Data Continuity Mission.

 

Downloadable Data Available icon MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)

 

Moderate-resolution (250- to 1000-meter) multispectral data from the Terra Satellite (2000 to present) and Aqua Satellite (2002 to present).

 

SRTM: Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission

 

SRTM data are used to generate a digital topographic map of the Earth's land surface with data points spaced every 1 arc second of latitude and longituded for the United States (approximately every 30 meters).

 

Downloadable Data Available icon SRTM Data

 

Seamless "Finished" United States 1 Arc Second (~30 meters) and Global Coverage 3 Arc Second ( ~ 90 meters)

 

Downloadable Data Available icon SIR-C (Spaceborne Imaging Radar C-band)

 

Imaging radar data (C-band and L-band) from two Space Shuttle missions (1994).

 

Declassified Satellite Images - Category 1

 

Photographic imagery from the CORONA, ARGON and LANYARD satellites (1959 to 1972).

 

Declassified Satellite Images - Category 2

 

Photographic imagery from KH-7 Surveillance and KH-9 Mapping system (1963 to 1980).

 

Commercial Imagery

 

Commercial imagery available through the USGS/EROS

 

USGS Commercial Data Purchases (UCDP) Imagery

 

The UCDP Imagery Collection consists of imagery from several commercial vendors. The UCDP supports the Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy (CRSSP) by providing data to qualified users, primarily U.S. Federal agencies, at no cost for File Transfer Protocol (FTP) downloads or at a nominal cost for media.

 

Commercial Remote Sensing Data Contracts (CRSDC)

 

To search and order commercial imagery data available from aerial or satellite vendors (through the USGS)

Remote Sensing Resources
 

Aerial Photographs and Satellite Images

 

An online edition of the popular booklet that discusses some characteristics of aerial photographs and satellite images and the types of images that are available from the USGS.

 

Understanding Color-Infrared Photographs

 

Satellites and high-altitude aircraft equipped to record scenes of the Earth use both visible and invisible parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Near-infrared light is invisible to the human eye, but adding it to these images allows scientists to "see" the surface of the Earth in other than natural colors. The result is "color-infrared" photography.

 

Looking for an Old Aerial Photograph

 

Suggestions on how to locate and obtain a wide variety of historical, remotely sensed photgraphs and images from a number of sources.

 

Understanding False-Color Composites

 

Satellites and high-altitude aircraft equipped to record scenes of the Earth use both visible and invisible parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Near-infrared light is invisible to the human eye, but adding it to these images allows scientists to "see" the surface of the Earth in other than natural colors.

 

Declassified Intelligence Satellite Photographs

 

More than 800,000 high-resolution photos taken between 1959 through 1972 were made available by Executive Order of the President. These photos extend the record of changes in the land surface another decade back in time from the advent of the Landsat earth-observing satellite program.

 

Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy (CRSSP)

 

This policy provides guidance for: (1) the licensing and operation of U.S. commercial remote sensing space systems; (2) United States Government use of commercial remote sensing space capabilities; (3) foreign access to U.S. commercial remote sensing space capabilities; and (4) government-to-government intelligence, defense, and foreign policy relationships involving U.S. commercial remote sensing space capabilities.

Other Image Collections
 

Downloadable Data Available icon North American Landscape Characterization (NALC)

 

North American Landscape Characterization (NALC) data consists of Landsat Multi-Spectral Scanner (MSS) time-series triplicates that were acquired in 1973, 1986, and 1991 (+/- one year).

 

TerraLook

 

The Tri-Decadal Global Landsat Orthorectified data sets provide a pre-selected global coverage of the Earth’s surface at three epochs of time (circa 1975, 1990 and 2000), which can be combined to create a time series of images. The ASTER data set is a very large archive (from 2000 to the present) of satellite images from which you may derive TerraLook images.

 

Downloadable Data Available icon Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics 2001 (MRLC2001)

 

Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics 2001 (MRLC 2001) is a collection of terrain-corrected Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) scenes that have been acquired by the MRLC Consortium.

 

NASA Landsat Data Collection (NLDC)

 

Selected MSS and TM scenes (Landsats 1-5) from the NASA Landsat Data Collection (1975 to present).

 

Downloadable Data Available iconTri-Decadal Global Landsat Orthorectified Overview

 

An overview of the Tri-Decadal Global Landsat Orthorectified data collection, with links to single scene and mosaic data products

Image Galleries
 

USGS Video and Image Gallery

 

The USGS Video and Image Gallery is our one-stop collection of videos, photography, and other imagery. All items in this gallery are considered public domain.

 

Downloadable Data Available icon EROS Image Gallery

 

"Earth as Art" - images from aerial photography and satellites

 

Global Change

 

Landsat and other satellite images that show global change

 

Astrogeology Images

 

Maps and images of other planets

 

Mars Orbiter Images

 

Pictures from the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Orbiter Camera

 

Space Acquired Photography 

 

Photos taken from the International Space Station (ISS), Shuttle, Skylab, Gemini, and Apollo missions (1965 – present).

 
   

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

Take Pride in America logo USA.gov logo U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod/aerial.html
Page Contact Information: Ask USGS
Page Last Modified: Tuesday, 09-Dec-2008 13:42:14 EST