EarthExplorerUse the USGS EarthExplorer (EE) to search, download, and order satellite images, aerial photographs, and cartographic products. In addition to data from the Landsat missions and a variety of other data providers, EE provides access to MODIS land data products from the NASA Terra and Aqua missions, and ASTER level-1B data products over the U.S. and Territories from the NASA ASTER mission. Registered users of EE have access to more features than guest users.Earth Explorer Distribution DownloadThe EarthExplorer user interface is an online search, discovery, and ordering tool developed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). EarthExplorer supports the searching of satellite, aircraft, and other remote sensing inventories through interactive and textual-based query capabilities. Through the interface, users can identify search areas, datasets, and display metadata, browse and integrated visual services within the interface.The distributable version of EarthExplorer provides the basic software to provide this functionality. Users are responsible for verification of system recommendations for hosting the application on your own servers. By default, this version of our code is not hooked up to a data source so you will have to integrate the interface with your data. Integration options include service-based API's, databases, and anything else that stores data. To integrate with a data source simply replace the contents of the 'getDataset' and 'search' functions in the CWIC.php file.Distribution is being provided due to users requests for the codebase. The EarthExplorer source code is provided "As Is", without a warranty or support of any kind. The software is in the public domain; it is available to any government or private institution.The software code base is managed through the USGS Configuration Management Board. The software is managed through an automated configuration management tool that updates the code base when new major releases have been thoroughly reviewed and tested.Link: https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/

Since 1972, the joint NASA/ U.S. Geological Survey Landsat series of Earth Observation satellites have continuously acquired images of the Earth’s land surface, providing uninterrupted data to help land managers and policymakers make informed decisions about natural resources and the environment.

Landsat is a part of the USGS National Land Imaging (NLI) Program. To support analysis of the Landsat long-term data record that began in 1972, the USGS. Landsat data archive was reorganized into a formal tiered data collection structure. This structure ensures all Landsat Level 1 products provide a consistent archive of known data quality to support time-series analysis and data “stacking”, while controlling continuous improvement of the archive, and access to all data as they are acquired. Collection 1 Level 1 processing began in August 2016 and continued until all archived data was processed, completing May 2018. Newly-acquired Landsat 8 and Landsat 7 data continue to be processed into Collection 1 shortly after data is downlinked to USGS EROS.

Acknowledgement or credit of the USGS as data source should be provided by including a line of text citation such as the example shown below. (Product, Image, Photograph, or Dataset Name) courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey Example: Landsat-8 image courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey

The first generation of U.S. photo intelligence satellites collected more than 860,000 images of the Earth’s surface between 1960 and 1972. The classified military satellite systems code-named CORONA, ARGON, and LANYARD acquired photographic images from space and returned the film to Earth for processing and analysis. The images were originally used for reconnaissance and to produce maps for U.S. intelligence agencies. In 1992, an Environmental Task Force evaluated the application of early satellite data for environmental studies. Since the CORONA, ARGON, and LANYARD data were no longer critical to national security and could be of historical value for global change research, the images were declassified by Executive Order 12951 in 1995. The first successful CORONA mission was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in 1960. The satellite acquired photographs with a telescopic camera system and loaded the exposed film into recovery capsules. The capsules or buckets were de-orbited and retrieved by aircraft while the capsules parachuted to earth. The exposed film was developed and the images were analyzed for a range of military applications. The intelligence community used Keyhole (KH) designators to describe system characteristics and accomplishments. The CORONA systems were designated KH-1, KH-2, KH-3, KH-4, KH-4A, and KH-4B. The ARGON systems used the designator KH-5 and the LANYARD systems used KH-6. Mission numbers were a means for indexing the imagery and associated collateral data. A variety of camera systems were used with the satellites. Early systems (KH-1, KH-2, KH-3, and KH-6) carried a single panoramic camera or a single frame camera (KH-5). The later systems (KH-4, KH-4A, and KH-4B) carried two panoramic cameras with a separation angle of 30° with one camera looking forward and the other looking aft. The original film and technical mission-related documents are maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Duplicate film sources held in the USGS EROS Center archive are used to produce digital copies of the imagery. Mathematical calculations based on camera operation and satellite path were used to approximate image coordinates. Since the accuracy of the coordinates varies according to the precision of information used for the derivation, users should inspect the preview image to verify that the area of interest is contained in the selected frame. Users should also note that the images have not been georeferenced.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Aerial Photography data set includes over 2.5 million film transparencies. Beginning in 1937, photographs were acquired for mapping purposes at different altitudes using various focal lengths and film types. The resultant black-and-white photographs contain less than 5 percent cloud cover and were acquired under rigid quality control and project specifications (e.g., stereo coverage, continuous area coverage of map or administrative units). Prior to the initiation of the National High Altitude Photography (NHAP) program in 1980, the USGS photography collection was one of the major sources of aerial photographs used for mapping the United States. Since 1980, the USGS has acquired photographs over project areas that require photographs at a larger scale than the photographs in the NHAP and National Aerial Photography Program collections.

High resolution orthorectified images combine the image characteristics of an aerial photograph with the geometric qualities of a map. An orthoimage is a uniform-scale image where corrections have been made for feature displacement such as building tilt and for scale variations caused by terrain relief, sensor geometry, and camera tilt. A mathematical equation based on ground control points, sensor calibration information, and a digital elevation model is applied to each pixel to rectify the image to obtain the geometric qualities of a map.

A digital orthoimage may be created from several photographs mosaicked to form the final image. The source imagery may be black-and-white, natural color, or color infrared with a pixel resolution of 1-meter or finer. With orthoimagery, the resolution refers to the distance on the ground represented by each pixel.

Landsat 8 Collection 2 Tier 2 calibrated top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance. Calibration coefficients are extracted from the image metadata. See Chander et al. (2009) for details on the TOA computation. Scenes not meeting Tier 1 criteria during processing are assigned to Tier 2. This includes Systematic terrain (L1GT) and Systematic (L1GS) processed scenes, as well as any L1TP scenes that do not meet the Tier 1 specifications due to significant cloud cover, insufficient ground control, and other factors. Users interested in Tier 2 scenes can analyze the RMSE and other properties to determine the suitability for use in individual applications and studies. See more information in the USGS docs.

Landsat 8 Collection 2 Tier 1 보정된 대기 중간 (TOA) 반사율입니다. 보정 계수는 이미지 메타데이터에서 추출됩니다. TOA 계산에 관한 자세한 내용은 Chander et al. (2009)를 참고하세요. 사용 가능한 데이터 품질이 가장 우수한 Landsat 장면은 Tier 1로 분류되며 시계열 처리 분석에 적합한 것으로 간주됩니다. …

การสะท้อนที่จุดสูงสุดของชั้นบรรยากาศ (TOA) ที่ปรับเทียบแล้วของ Landsat 8 Collection 2 ระดับ 1 ระบบจะดึงค่าสัมประสิทธิ์การปรับเทียบจากข้อมูลเมตาของรูปภาพ ดูรายละเอียดเกี่ยวกับการคำนวณ TOA ได้ที่ Chander และคณะ (2009) ฉาก Landsat ที่มีคุณภาพข้อมูลสูงสุดจะอยู่ในระดับ 1 และถือว่าเหมาะสำหรับการวิเคราะห์การประมวลผลอนุกรมเวลา …

GeoEye's OrbView-3 satellite was among the world's first commercial satellites to provide high-resolution imagery from space. OrbView-3 collected one meter panchromatic (black and white) and four meter multispectral (color) imagery at a swath width of 8 km for both sensors. One meter imagery enables more accurate viewing and mapping of houses, automobiles and aircraft, and makes it possible to create precise digital products. Four meter multispectral imagery provides color and near infrared (NIR) information to further characterize cities, rural areas and undeveloped land from space. Imagery from the OrbView-3 satellite complements existing geographic information system (GIS) data for commercial, environmental and national security customers. OrbView-3 orbits 470 km above the Earth in a sun-synchronous polar orbit while collecting imagery of the Earth's surface at one meter resolution in the Panchromatic (black and white) mode, or at four meter resolution in the Multispectral (color) mode with a three day repeat cycle.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center received 179,981 OrbView-3 image segments from GeoEye with no restrictions. The data were delivered in Basic Enhanced (Level 1B) radiometrically corrected format. The product files include satellite telemetry data, rational functions, post-processed Ground Sample Distance (GPS) at nadir data, and sufficient metadata for rigorous triangulation.

The data in this collection were acquired between September 2003 and March 2007, both multispectral (MS) and panchromatic (Pan) sensor.

Aerial imagery is a critical geospatial data component in identyfing, planning, and preparing for the protection of the US and its people. This dataset includes approximately 78,000 square miles of coverage along or near the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic coastline, terminating north of Wilmington, North Carolina. The imagery was collected in 2006 using aircraft to produce a 0.5 meter pixel reso...

Landsat 8 Collection 2 Tier 1 の地上（TOA）反射率が補正されています。キャリブレーション係数は画像メタデータから抽出されます。TOA の計算の詳細については、Chander et al.（2009）をご覧ください。利用可能なデータ品質が最も高い Landsat シーンは Tier 1 に分類され、時系列処理分析に適していると見なされます。…

Landsat 5 TM Collection 2 Tier 2 calibrated top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance. Calibration coefficients are extracted from the image metadata. See Chander et al. (2009) for details on the TOA computation.

Réflectance au niveau de l'atmosphère (TOA) calibrée de la collection 2 de Landsat 8, niveau 1 Les coefficients de calibrage sont extraits des métadonnées de l'image. Pour en savoir plus sur le calcul de la TOA, consultez Chander et al. (2009). Les scènes Landsat dont la qualité des données est la plus élevée sont placées dans le niveau 1 et sont considérées comme adaptées à l'analyse du traitement des séries temporelles. …

This joint NASA/USGS program provides the longest continuous space-based record of Earth’s land in existence. Every day, Landsat satellites provide essential information to help land managers and policy makers make wise decisions about our resources and our environment. Data is provided for Landsats 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 (excludes Landsat 6).As of June 28, 2023 (announcement), the previous single SNS topic arn:aws:sns:us-west-2:673253540267:public-c2-notify was replaced with three new SNS topics for different types of scenes.

Declassified satellite images provide an important worldwide record of land-surface change. With the success of the first release of classified satellite photography in 1995, images from U.S. military intelligence satellites KH-7 and KH-9 were declassified in accordance with Executive Order 12951 in 2002. The data were originally used for cartographic information and reconnaissance for U.S. intelligence agencies. Since the images could be of historical value for global change research and were no longer critical to national security, the collection was made available to the public. Keyhole (KH) satellite systems KH-7 and KH-9 acquired photographs of the Earth’s surface with a telescopic camera system and transported the exposed film through the use of recovery capsules. The capsules or buckets were de-orbited and retrieved by aircraft while the capsules parachuted to earth. The exposed film was developed and the images were analyzed for a range of military applications. The KH-7 surveillance system was a high resolution imaging system that was operational from July 1963 to June 1967. Approximately 18,000 black-and-white images and 230 color images are available from the 38 missions flown during this program. Key features for this program were larger area of coverage and improved ground resolution. The cameras acquired imagery in continuous lengthwise sweeps of the terrain. KH-7 images are 9 inches wide, vary in length from 4 inches to 500 feet long, and have a resolution of 2 to 4 feet. The KH-9 mapping program was operational from March 1973 to October 1980 and was designed to support mapping requirements and exact positioning of geographical points for the military. This was accomplished by using image overlap for stereo coverage and by using a camera system with a reseau grid to correct image distortion. The KH-9 framing cameras produced 9 x 18 inch imagery at a resolution of 20-30 feet. Approximately 29,000 mapping images were acquired from 12 missions. The original film sources are maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Duplicate film sources held in the USGS EROS Center archive are used to produce digital copies of the imagery.

This data release contains Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) imagery from three data collection campaigns (flights) over the Pepperwood Preserve in Sonoma County, California. Each child item contains: 1) Orthophoto, 2) Thermal, 3) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), 4) L-band microwave brightness temperature (Tb), 5) Estimated soil moisture, and 6) Digital elevation model from orthoimagery. The overall footprint varies depending on the flight, and the third flight in May 2023 contains an additional set of high-resolution Tb and calculated soil moisture maps for a smaller footprint. The first two flights were performed using a BlackSwift S2, which is a fixed-wing UAS with a 3-meter wingspan, and the third flight was performed using a BlackSwift E2 multirotor UAS, which contained the same instruments as the S2. All files are raster (*.tif) files that can be visualized and edited by geospatial software including ArcGIS, QGIS, Python, and R. The spatial resolution of each raster is dependent on the instrument, type of UAS, and the UAS altitude during data collection. The UAS equipment was operated by personnel from BlackSwift Technologies, LLC, and data were provided to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The USGS, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), created a series of geospatial products using historic aerial imagery and Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry methods. A point cloud dataset (.laz) of the South Cow Mountain Recreational Area was generated from stereo historical aerial imagery acquired in by the BLM in 1977. The aerial imagery was downloaded from the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Data Center's USGS Single Aerial Frame Photo archive and the point cloud was created using USGS guidelines. Photo alignment, error reduction, and dense point cloud generation followed guidelines documented in Over, J.R., Ritchie, A.C., Kranenburg, C.J., Brown, J.A., Buscombe, D., Noble, T., Sherwood, C.R., Warrick, J.A., and Wernette, P.A., 2021, Processing coastal imagery with Agisoft Metashape Professional Edition, version 1.6— Structure from motion workflow documentation: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2021–1039, 46 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20211039. Photo-identifiable points, selected as synthetic ground-control points, followed guidelines documented in Sherwood, C.R.; Warrick, J.A.; Hill, A.D.; Ritchie, A.C.; Andrews, B.D., and Plant, N.G., 2018. Rapid, remote assessment of Hurricane Matthew impacts using four-dimensional structure-from-motion photogrammetry https://doi.org/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-18-00016.1 Additional post-processing of the 1977 dense point cloud, using Iterative Closest Point (ICP) analysis, was used to improve the alignment with the 2015 LiDAR point cloud. The ICP analysis is explained in Low, K.L., 2004. Linear least-squares optimization for point-to-plane ICP surface registration. Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina, 4(10), pp.1-3. http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~lowkl/publications/lowk_point-to-plane_icp_techrep.pdf Data were processed using photogrammetry to generate a three-dimensional point cloud that identifies pixels of an object from multiple images taken from various angles and calculates the x, y, and z coordinates of that object/pixel. The point cloud was processed to create a digital surface model of the study area (57.3 cm resolution). Finally, source images were stitched together based on shared pixels and orthogonally adjusted to the digital surface model to create a high resolution (approximately 18.3 cm) orthoimage for the study area.

This data set contains high-resolution QuickBird imagery and geospatial data for the entire Barrow QuickBird image area (156.15° W - 157.07° W, 71.15° N - 71.41° N) and Barrow B4 Quadrangle (156.29° W - 156.89° W, 71.25° N - 71.40° N), for use in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing software. The original QuickBird data sets were acquired by DigitalGlobe from 1 to 2 August 2002, and consist of orthorectified satellite imagery. Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)-compliant metadata for all value-added data sets are provided in text, HTML, and XML formats.

Accessory layers include: 1:250,000- and 1:63,360-scale USGS Digital Raster Graphic (DRG) mosaic images (GeoTIFF format); 1:250,000- and 1:63,360-scale USGS quadrangle index maps (ESRI Shapefile format); an index map for the 62 QuickBird tiles (ESRI Shapefile format); and a simple polygon layer of the extent of the Barrow QuickBird image area and the Barrow B4 quadrangle area (ESRI Shapefile format).

Unmodified QuickBird data comprise 62 data tiles in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Zone 4 in GeoTIFF format. Standard release files describing the QuickBird data are included, along with the DigitalGlobe license agreement and product handbooks.

The baseline geospatial data support education, outreach, and multi-disciplinary research of environmental change in Barrow, which is an area of focused scientific interest. Data are provided on four DVDs. This product is available only to investigators funded specifically from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Office of Polar Programs (OPP), Arctic Sciences Section. An NSF OPP award number must be provided when ordering this data. Contact NSIDC User Services at nsidc@nsidc.org to order the data, and include an NSF OPP award number in the email.

Landsat 5 TM Collection 2 Tier 1 DN values, representing scaled, calibrated at-sensor radiance. Landsat scenes with the highest available data quality are placed into Tier 1 and are considered suitable for time-series processing analysis. Tier 1 includes Level-1 Precision Terrain (L1TP) processed data that have well-characterized radiometry and are inter-calibrated across the different Landsat sensors. The georegistration of Tier 1 scenes will be consistent and within prescribed tolerances [<=12 m root mean square error (RMSE)]. All Tier 1 Landsat data can be considered consistent and inter-calibrated (regardless of sensor) across the full collection. See more information in the USGS docs.

These polygon features represent digitization of the glacier margins for the 37 named glaciers of Glacier National Park (GNP) and two glaciers on U.S. Forest Service’s Flathead National Forest land, derived from 2015 satellite imagery. The polygons represent only the main body portion of each glacier as it appeared in 2015 satellite imagery. Disconnected patches are not included as this dataset represents only the main body features of the named glaciers in GNP and environs. Polygons were digitized from WorldView imagery acquired on the following source dates: 20150822, 20150912, 20150915, 20150925 (World View 01 satellite). Initial digitization was completed by Melissa Brett, PSU graduate student. This set of polygons represents revisions based on supplemental imagery (20140825, 20141019, 20160915 - WorldView-01, oblique images in USGS collection, GoogleEarth collection), and local knowledge and interpretation by Dan Fagre and Lisa McKeon (USGS) in February - August, 2016. A Wacom Pro digital tablet was used by USGS staff to trace outlines and make revisions to the PSU margins. Glaciers were digitized at 1:2000 scale, with lowest off-nadir image chosen when multiple WorldView images were available for the same day. File attributes list specific photos used in analysis, including documentation of the off-nadir angle to determine imagery used. Since multiple images in time series contribute to this analysis, if previous image showed perennial snow that was absent from the glacier (bedrock visible), then that portion was deemed "seasonal/perennial snow" in subsequent photos and not included in the digitization of 2015 glacier margins.