"The Landsat Program provides the longest continuous space-based record of Earth’s land in existence. Since 1972, Landsat satellites have collected measurements of Earth’s continents and surrounding coastal regions that have enabled people to study forests, food production, water and land use, ecosystems, geology, and more. The long data record allows scientists to evaluate the dynamic changes caused by both natural processes and human practices. The Landsat Program is jointly managed by the U.S. Geological Survey and NASA." Landsat 8 (formerly the Landsat Data Continuity Mission) was launched on February 11, 2013. It joined Landsat 7 orbiting the earth. These satellites continue to deliver visually stunning and scientifically valuable images of our planet. These data allow scientists to assess changes in Earth’s landscape.
Key Strengths:
- Long record and high resolution.
Years of Record
Timestep
Data Time Period Extended?
Domain
Vertical Levels
Suggested Data Citation
“Landsat imagery courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and U.S. Geological Survey” or “USGS/NASA Landsat”
- Nemani,R. et al (2009): Monitoring and forecasting ecosystem dynamics using the Terrestrial Observation and Prediction System (TOPS) . Remote Sensing of Environment 113 (2009) 1497 – 1509
- Running, S.W, et al (2004): A Continuous Satellite-Derived Measure of Global Terrestrial Primary Production. June 2004 / Vol. 54 No. 6 • BioScience
- Zhao, M. et al (2005): Improvements of the MODIS terrestrial gross and net primary production global data set. Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 95, No. 2. (March 2005), pp. 164-176
- Zhao, M and S.W. Running (2010): Drought-induced reduction in global terrestrial net primary production from 2000 through 2009. Science, Vol. 329, No. 5994. (August 2010), pp. 940-3
