USGS National Center for Earth Resources Observation & Science
(EROS)
Other_Citation_Details:
Originally, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
was responsible for operating the Landsat satellites through the early
1980s. In January 1983 operations of the Landsat system were transferred
to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In
October 1985 the Landsat system was commercialized. After that date, all
Landsat commercial rights became the property of Space Imaging, with
exclusive sales rights to all U.S. thematic mapper (TM) data. Throughout
these changes, the USGS retained primary responsibility as the
Government's long-term archive of Landsat data. As of July 1, 2001,
Space Imaging relinquished their commercial right to Landsat data. The
Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-555) officially
authorized the government and assigned responsibility to the Department
of Interior delegated down to the USGS.
The idea of a civilian Earth resources satellite was conceived in the
Department of Interior in the mid-1960s. The National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) embarked on an initiative to develop and
launch the first Earth monitoring satellite to meet the needs of resource
managers and Earth scientists. The USGS entered into a partnership with
NASA in the early 1970s to assume responsibility for the archive
management and distribution of Landsat data products. On July 23, 1972,
NASA launched the first in a series of satellites designed to provide
repetitive global coverage of the Earth's land masses. Designated
initially as the Earth Resources Technology Satellite-A (ERTS-A), it used
a Nimbus-type platform that was modified to carry sensor systems and data
relay equipment. When operational orbit was achieved, it was designated
ERTS-1. The second in this series of Earth resources satellites
(designated ERTS-B) was launched January 22, 1975. It was renamed Landsat
2 by NASA, which also renamed ERTS-1 to Landsat 1. Three additional
Landsats were launched in 1978, 1982, and 1984 (Landsats 3, 4, and 5
respectively). Each successive satellite had improved sensor and
communications capabilities. NASA was responsible for operation of the
Landsats until the early 1980s. In January 1983 operations of the Landsat
system were transferred to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration. The Landsat system was commercialized in 1985 and became
the property of Space Imaging EOSAT (later, Space Imaging) who maintained
responsibility until July 1, 200l when control was returned to the federal
government.
Purpose:
The USGS National Center for Earth Resources Observation & Science
(EROS) has managed the Landsat data archive since the launch of Landsat 1.
This archive provides a rich collection of information about the Earth's
land surface. Major characteristics and changes to the surface of the
planet can be detected, measured, and analyzed using Landsat data. The
effects of desertification, deforestation, pollution, cataclysmic volcanic
activity, and other natural and anthropogenic events can be examined using
data acquired from the Landsat series of Earth-observing satellites. The
information obtainable from the historical and current Landsat data play a
key role in studying changes to the Earths surface. Landsat data have been
used by government, commercial, industrial, civilian, and educational
communities in the US and worldwide. They are being used to support a wide
range of applications in such areas as global change research,
agriculture, forestry, geology, resources management, geography, mapping,
water quality, and oceanography. The types of changes that can be
identified include agricultural development, deforestation, natural
disaster, urbanization, and the development and degradation of water
resources.
Supplemental_Information:
Landsat data is available from the USGS. In addition to its Landsat
data management responsibility, the USGS investigates new methods of
characterizing and studying changes on the land surface with Landsat data.
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information: Range_of_Dates_Times:
Currentness_Reference: ground condition
Status:
Progress: In work
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: As requested and scheduled
Landsat TM data are also collected by a series of foreign receiving
stations (i.e., Landsat Ground Stations Working Group (LGSOWG) participants)
and are available from several distribution sites including: Argentina ,
Australia , Brazil , Canada , China , Ecuador , ESA , Japan , Indonesia ,
South Africa , and Thailand .
Security_Information:
Security_Classification_System: none
Security_Classification: unclassified
Security_Handling_Description: none
Native_Data_Set_Environment: Oracle
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator:
USGS National Center for Earth Resources Observation & Science
(EROS)
Publication_Date: 19720723
Title: Land Satellite (LANDSAT) Multispectral Scanner (MSS)
The identification of features is provided by the distinct
electromagnetic energy it emits, reflects, or otherwise transmits. This is
called the spectral signature. Other signatures such as tone (lightness or
darkness), texture (surface roughness or smoothness), pattern, shadow,
shape, and size are as important. Thus, through the use of the thematic
mapper sensor, such elements as water features, soils, and vegetation can
be identified and distinguished from each other. Landsats 4 and 5 carry
both the MSS and the thematic mapper (TM) sensors; however, routine
collection of MSS data was terminated in late 1992. The orbit was
established at an altitude of 705 km, providing a 16-day, 233-orbit cycle
with a swath overlap that varies from 7 percent at the Equator to nearly
84 percent at 81 degrees north or south latitude. These satellites were
also designed and operated to collect data over a 185 km swath. The MSS
and TM sensors primarily detect reflected radiation from the Earth's
surface in the visible and near-infrared (IR) wavelengths, but the TM
sensor provides more radiometric information than the MSS sensor. A
panchromatic band 8 was added for Landsat 7, with a resolution of 15
meters. Band 6 now has high gain and low gain bands. There are three
on-board calibrators (two solar, one internal), which provide an absolute
accuracy of 5/dl> excluding band 6.
Logical_Consistency_Report:
All of the Landsats have been in sun-synchronous orbits with equatorial
crossing times ranging from 8:30am for Landsat 1, 9:00am for Landsat 2, to
9:45am for Landsat 5. The Landsat system provides for global data between 81
degrees north latitude and 81 degrees south latitude. Landsat 7 data are
collected from a nominal altitude of 705 kilometers in a near-polar,
near-circular, sun-synchronous orbit at an inclination of 98.2 degrees,
imaging the same 183-km swath of the Earth's surface every 16 days.
Completeness_Report:
The Landsat platforms operate from a sun-synchronous, near-polar orbit
imaging the same 185 km (115 miles) ground swath ever 16 days. Thematic
mapper (TM) data are received directly from Landsats by a network of
worldwide ground stations.
Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:
The thematic mapper (TM) is an advanced, multispectral scanning,
Earth resources sensor designed to achieve higher image resolution,
sharper spectral separation, improved geometric fidelity, and greater
radiometric accuracy and resolution than the MSS sensor. TM Data are
scanned simultaneously in seven spectral bands. Band 6 scans thermal
(heat) infrared radiation. Radiometric range of bands and resolution for
the TM sensor (from Landsat 4 Data Users Handbook, 1984, USGS): Landsats
4-5 Wavelength (micrometers) Resolution (meters) Band 1 0.45-0.52 30
Band 2 0.52-0.60 30 Band 3 0.63-0.69 30 Band 4 0.76-0.90 30 Band 5
1.55-1.75 30 Band 6 10.40-12.50 120 Band 7 2.08-2.35 30
Vertical_Positional_Accuracy:
Vertical_Positional_Accuracy_Report:
The wavelength range for the TM sensor is from the visible (blue),
through the mid-IR, into the thermal-IR portion of the electromagnetic
spectrum. Sixteen detectors for the visible and mid-IR wavelength bands
in the TM sensor provide 16 scan lines on each active scan. Four
detectors for the thermal-IR band provide four scan lines on each active
scan. The TM sensor has a spatial resolution of 30 meters for the
visible, near-IR, and mid-IR wavelengths and a spatial resolution of 120
meters for the thermal-IR band.
Lineage:
Source_Information:
Source_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: U.S. Geological Survey
Publication_Date: 19720723
Title:
Land Satellite Multispectral Scanner (Landsat MSS)
The EDC Landsat processing system is the National Landsat Archive
Production System (NLAPS) System. A Model 107 Digital Cassette Recording
System incremental (DCRSi) cassette drive is used to supply serial image
data to the NLAPS. The Modular Multi-Satellite Preprocessor (MMSP)
receives the serial TM-A (radiometrically corrected) or TM-R
(radiometrically and geometrically corrected) data from the DCRSi
cassette drive. Data resampling begins after the completion of satellite
orbit model generation/refinement and radiometric calibration. Data
resampling consists of three distinct components; coarse resampling
table generation, resampling table densification, and two-dimensional
convolution resampling. Coarse table generation consists of calculating
relationships between product line/pixel values at a set of grid-points
and the corresponding line/pixel values in the raw data. Table
densification consists of interpolating similar relationships between
the remaining product line/pixel values and the corresponding raw data
line/pixel values. Table densification also includes performing a number
of corrections to the interpolation to account for various inaccuracies
in the raw data.
Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: TM
Process_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization:
USGS National Center for Earth Resources Observation &
Science (EROS)
00 percent - This number represents the aggregate cloud cover for all
four quadrants of the image.
Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:
Indirect_Spatial_Reference:
A Landsat TM scene has an instantaneous field of view (IFOV) of 30
square meters in bands 1 through 5 and band 7, band 6 has an IFOV of 120
square meters on the ground. The resolution of the TM sensor is shown below:
Band 1 - 30 Band 2 - 30 Band 3 - 30 Band 4 - 30 Band 5 - 30 Band 6 - 120
Band 7 - 30
The characteristics of the TM bands were selected to maximize their
capabilities in detecting and monitoring different types of Earth
resources. For example, TM band 2 can detect green reflectance from
healthy vegetation, and band 3 of TM is designed for detecting chlorophyll
absorption in vegetation. TM band 4 is ideal for near-IR reflectance peaks
in healthy green bathymetric mapping along coastal areas and is useful for
soil-vegetation differentiation and for distinguishing forest types. The
two mid-IR red bands on TM (bands 5 and 7) are useful for vegetation and
soil moisture studies and discriminating between rock and mineral types.
The thermal-IR band on TM (band 6) is designed to assist in thermal
mapping, and for soil moisture and vegetation studies
Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
U.S. Department of the Interior, 1992, United States Geological Survey
Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization:
USGS National Center for Earth Resources Observation & Science
(EROS)
Online Ordering: Once you have filled out and submitted the online
ordering form found at <http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov>
, it is forwarded to Customer Services at the USGS National Center for
Earth Resources Observation & Science (EROS) via the Earth Explorer
system. The USGS uses a secure credit card server that will encrypt your
sensitive information. Mail Ordering: First obtain the ordering
information from Earth Explorer. Mail this information, along with your
payment (check or purchase/money order), to any Earth Science Information
Center. A full list of these offices can be found at: <http://mapping.usgs.gov/esic/esic_index.html>
Resource_Description: LANDSAT_TM
Distribution_Liability:
Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer
system at the USGS, no warranty expressed or implied is made by the USGS
regarding the use of the data on any other system, nor does the act of
distribution constitute any such warranty. The USGS will warrant the
delivery of this product in computer-readable format and will offer
appropriate adjustment of credit when the product is determined unreadable
by correctly adjusted computer input peripherals, or when the physical
medium is delivered in damaged condition. Requests for adjustment of credit
must be made within 60 days from the date of this shipment from the order
site.
Online Ordering: Once you have submitted the order online via the
EarthExplorer system at <http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov>
, it is forwarded to Customer Services at the USGS National Center for Earth
Resources Observation & Science (EROS). You may pay for an order with a
credit card, check or purchase/money order. The USGS uses a secure credit
card server that will encrypt your sensitive information. Mail Ordering:
First obtain the ordering information from EarthExplorer. Mail this
information, along with your payment (check or purchase/money order), to any
Earth Science Information Center. A full list of these offices can be found
at: <http://mapping.usgs.gov/esic/esic_index.html>