Landsat and LDCM Headlines 2009

On Friday, December 18, 2009, the transmitter on Landsat 5 experienced technical difficulties. There has been no Landsat 5 data acquired since that time. The U.S. Geological Survey Flight Operations team has extensive experience with this transmitter and is currently addressing the situation. Any news or updates will be posted on http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2376.

TerraLook was developed to serve the traditional science communities that have used satellite data for analyzing and monitoring change, as well as science writers, field scientists, resource managers, policy makers, members of the education community and the general public - groups that have a growing need for information but don't have the technical expertise, time to prepare and organize images for visualization, or access to specialized scientific image processing software. TerraLook images are designed for visual interpretation rather than digital analysis. To read more about TerraLook, visit Earth Imaging Journal.

This year's Landsat Ground Station Operators Working Group (LGSOWG#38) meeting was held in Berlin, Germany, September 28–October 5, 2009. The meeting was jointly organized by the USGS and NASA and was hosted by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Participants from 11 countries represented 14 international ground stations and discussed a wide range of programmatic and technical topics.

Presentations included Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 mission status, the Landsat Project’s Web-enabled product distribution statistics, Landsat 4 Thematic Mapper (TM) and Landsat 1-5 Multi-Spectral Scanner (MSS) product development progress, the Global Land Survey Projects, the Landsat Global Archive Consolidation initiative, proposed data validation and exchange modifications, and future development plans. LDCM-related presentations included project and ground system status, ground system and downlink overview, data processing flow, and the LDCM Ground System-to-International Cooperator (IC) interface, including the IC Web Portal. Additionally, the USGS Land Remote Sensing Program provided the attendees with an overview of the future land remote sensing satellite data downlink framework agreement, along with the National Land Imaging initiative’s international vision and goals. A Landsat Science Team update was also presented, providing an update on its working group activities and several key research projects.

Each International Cooperator briefed the group on the status of their systems, addressed their future satellite mission(s) and ground system plans, and provided an overview of their data distribution statistics and business model impacts since the introduction of Landsat web-enabled data. Finally, a representative from the Australian Department of Climate Change capped the meeting with a briefing on the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) Forest Carbon Tracking (FCT) initiative.

ICs in attendance included representatives from the following countries and organizations:

• Australia (GA-NEO)
• Brazil (INPE)
• Canada (CCRS)
• China (CEODE)
• Europe (ESA)
• Germany (DLR)
• Indonesia (LAPAN)
• Japan (RESTEC)
• Mexico (CONABIO)
• Sweden (SSC)
• Thailand (GISTDA)

Figure 1. LGSOWG#38 participants

Understanding the benefits and value of the imagery provided by moderate-resolution satellites, such as Landsat, is essential as future land-imaging initiatives move forward. To identify the importance of these images, USGS researchers are conducting a comprehensive, Web-based survey of nearly 4,000 moderate-resolution imagery users. The survey, initiated by the USGS Land Remote Sensing Program, is the most comprehensive assessment of users and uses of moderate-resolution imagery to date. Survey recipients were selected using a unique "snowballing" method to identify a cross-section of professional users across all sectors (government, academic, private, nonprofit). The survey aims to (1) identify and classify the breadth and depth of the users and uses of moderate-resolution imagery, and (2) understand the importance and value of Landsat imagery in decision making. The study will also summarize the financial impacts on users and their work if Landsat imagery, currently available at no cost, were not available, and assess their willingness to pay for replacement imagery. Results will be relevant to government, academia, and private industry because they will establish a baseline understanding of professional users as well as the value and uses of satellite imagery in their work. In particular, managers in the USGS Land Remote Sensing Program will use these results to support their efforts to ensure data continuity, better serve users, and augment Landsat benefits. The survey will be launched later this month, with results expected in early 2010. http://remotesensing.usgs.gov/

For the first 1.1 million free Landsat scenes, users had to download one scene at a time. The Landsat Project has developed a bulk download tool so users can more easily download entire lists. After uploading a list of Landsat Scene IDs, scenes that are available on-line can be immediately downloaded. For those scenes that need to be processed, a link is provided directly into our EarthExplorer ordering system (there is no charge for processing). GloVis, EarthExplorer, or user-generated Landsat Scene ID lists can be used. Please go to http://landsat.usgs.gov/Landsat_Search_and_Download.php for more information.

On August 17, someone who wanted to see how the Earth looks from 440 miles away in space downloaded the one-millionth Landsat satellite image scene from a U.S. Geological Survey web site at its Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Since the USGS opened its full Landsat archive to user access at no charge last October, the response from across the nation and around the globe has grown exponentially.

"USGS satellite operations and its data archives at EROS enable experts, or any interested member of the public, to see the land objectively with unbiased, consistently calibrated data," said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. "The historical depth and reliability of these earth observations are vital to scientists and land managers across the country and across the Department of the Interior in projects that range from climate change studies and invasive species surveys to the monitoring of drought and assessment of wildfire damage."

One development of particular note is that the very oldest data in the archive, dating to over three decades ago, is being downloaded at unprecedented levels - with land-surface change detection emerging as a primary use of Landsat data.

"The opening of the Landsat archive to free, web-based access is like giving a library card for the world's best library of Earth conditions to everyone in the world," said Adam Gerrand, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Landsat 1 was launched on July 23, 1972, and subsequent Landsat missions have continually acquired land-image data across the globe. Scientists, educators, and the general public use these data for a wide array of activities ranging from supporting disaster relief efforts to making agricultural crop assessments to identifying sites for cell phone towers.

Landsat scenes can be previewed and downloaded through:

http://GloVis.usgs.gov/ or http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov

Additional information on satellites, sensors, data, and the Landsat Program, which is managed by the USGS in partnership with NASA, can be found at: http://landsat.usgs.gov

USGS provides science for a changing world. For more information, visit www.usgs.gov.

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