The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) has a long history as the definitive U.S. land cover product. But the newer Land Change Monitoring, Assessment and Projection (LCMAP) effort takes a longer look back in time.
2023 in Review: EROS Celebrated its 50th, Named a Director
By Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
December 21, 2023
The past year has been exciting and momentous at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center for many reasons. Certainly the biggest came as employees past and present celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Center’s opening in a former farm field in South Dakota to serve as the anchor for the Landsat Program’s data management and, eventually, mission operations.
Read more about the anniversary and other notable events in our EROS Top 10 list for 2023.
1. EROS Turns 50!
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Months of planning and anticipation culminated in 50th anniversary festivities in August that welcomed USGS leadership, global and local partners, alumni, and employees’ families and friends. The EROS rededication ceremony took place August 18, 2023, inside the EROS Auditorium, built as part of the 1990s building addition. Following the speeches, a time capsule gained new items, including an EROS 50th anniversary poster and program.
The following day, EROS bustled with employees on their Saturday off, along with their families and friends, as they streamed through the building exploring exhibits, listening to alumni and science talks and taking tours of EROS. They also sat under a tent outside the original 50-year-old building for a ceremony describing the significance of EROS, in the past and in the future. Hear more from alumni and EROS friends who attended in Eyes on Earth podcast episodes 103 and 104.
2. Pete Doucette Named EROS Director
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After serving as Acting Center Director for two years, Dr. Pete Doucette was named Director of EROS in March 2023. Doucette arrived at EROS in 2019 to serve as the lead for Integrated Science and Applications after leaving the National Land Imaging Program in Reston, Virginia. Doucette reflected on his move to EROS and the future of the center in Eyes on Earth podcast episode 102.
3. Future of Land Cover Science Announced
An announcement in April 2023 outlined the next generation of land cover science at EROS. Combining the best of two key land cover efforts, National Land Cover Database (NLCD) and Land Change Monitoring, Assessment and Projection (LCMAP), the initial release will debut in 2024 as NLCD 2023 with the advantages of NLCD’s robust class structure and LCMAP’s annual time steps and use of the lengthy Landsat archive. Many people within and outside of EROS are working hard to accomplish NLCD 2023’s ambitious goals. Listen to a discussion about this future step in Eyes on Earth podcast episode 107.
4. Hovenweep Arrives
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In June 2023, USGS added a new supercomputer to its lineup to help meet computing demand, and like the High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems Tallgrass and Denali before it, Hovenweep also calls EROS home. Hovenweep is the most powerful computer in the Department of the Interior and open to use by employees of the USGS and other federal agencies.
5. Data Releases Stack Up
EROS scientists produced at least 20 new data releases in 2023. One was the LANDFIRE 2022 Update, part of the transition of LANDFIRE to annual updates. LF 2022 was the first update to include disturbances from just a year before, and portions of the United States and its territories were released incrementally from May to December. Another significant achievement came from NLCD 2021, which marked the last installment of the traditional NLCD products. A Surface Urban Heat Island dataset was updated to include extent, intensity and hotspot data of land surface temperatures for 50 cities across the United States. Find other data releases about exotic annual grasses, rangeland tree canopy cover, LCMAP reference and validation, Landsat cloud truth masking and much more here.
6. Support for Fifth National Climate Assessment
When the U.S. Global Change Research Program released the Fifth National Climate Assessment in November 2023, the Congressionally mandated report that assesses current and future national risks from climate change included some key inputs from EROS. EROS Research Physical Scientist George Xian was selected to fill out the term as Federal Coordinating Lead Author for the report’s Chapter 6, Land Cover and Land-Use Change, after the death of Brad Reed, a USGS scientist and former EROS employee. LCMAP data is foundational to that chapter and also is used in Chapter 7, Forests. Elsewhere in the report, urban heat island information based on land surface temperature from EROS appears in graphic form in the report Overview; Chapter 12, Built Environment, Urban Systems, and Cities; and Appendix 4, Indicators, with EROS scientist and contractor Hua Shi listed as a contributor for the latter two sections.
7. Fact Sheets Roll Out
Fact sheets help the public and data users understand the benefits of EROS work and products. In 2023, a variety of topics were covered in newly released fact sheets. LANDFIRE provided an updated look of its purpose, products and uses. The Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection (RCMAP) project offered similar information. Another fact sheet described Landsat Collection 2 U.S. Analysis Ready Data. And just before the end of the year, a fact sheet debuted outlining urban heat island intensity and change for 50 cities across the United States.
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8. Landsat 7 Sensor Heads to D.C.
EROS’ loss became the Smithsonian’s gain when the Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) instrument was carefully crated up in March 2023 from its prominent spot in the atrium and trucked east to its new home in the National Air and Space Museum. The instrument, an engineering model of the version currently in orbit imaging Earth, had been in place at EROS since the early 2000s but now will help educate museum visitors about remote sensing and Earth observation.
9. Daily Walk-in Tours Resume
The Covid-19 pandemic closed the EROS facility for a time, sending most employees to work from home and canceling tour opportunities. When employees came back to the building, staff-guided tours soon returned by appointment only. But in May 2023, EROS once again began offering staff-guided tours at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. weekdays, open to any visitors dropping in, with self-guided tours welcome anytime from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Learn more about visiting EROS here.
10. Third Shoemaker Award in a Row
EROS Communications & Outreach gained a new government lead this year, Michelle Bouchard, and also its third-in-a-row Shoemaker Award for Communications Excellence, this time in the 2022 Small Print Product Category for a selection of fact sheets that relate Landsat Program benefits to different states. This followed the 2020 Audio/Visual Product Award for the Eyes on Earth podcast series and the 2021 Graphic Product Award for a “Denver Urban Wildlife Refuge” display.
Related Content
View videos and listen to Eyes on Earth podcast episodes related to 2023 events at USGS EROS.
USGS EROS: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence
For 50 years, the people of EROS have overcome difficulties and celebrated triumphs together, always centered on providing a perspective of the Earth that helps us better understand its condition. This video, timed with the 50th anniversary celebration at EROS in August of 2023, explores the center's history.
Eyes on Earth Episode 107 – EROS 50th: Land Cover, Part 2
The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) has a long history as the definitive U.S. land cover product. But the newer Land Change Monitoring, Assessment and Projection (LCMAP) effort takes a longer look back in time.
Eyes on Earth Episode 106 – EROS 50th: Land Cover, Part 1
Several decades ago, USGS EROS employees were pioneers in land cover mapping—turning satellite imagery into a record of what covers the land, from farmland to forest to urban areas. National and global datasets with a variety of uses resulted from these efforts.
Several decades ago, USGS EROS employees were pioneers in land cover mapping—turning satellite imagery into a record of what covers the land, from farmland to forest to urban areas. National and global datasets with a variety of uses resulted from these efforts.
Eyes on Earth Episode 104 – EROS 50th: Alumni and Friends, Part 2
At the USGS EROS 50th anniversary events on August 17-19, 2023, a special effort was made to include alumni who had worked at the center, especially those from the earliest years of EROS’ existence. This episode of Eyes on Earth is the second to highlight their stories, with emphasis on science, technology, and EROS’ international outlook.
At the USGS EROS 50th anniversary events on August 17-19, 2023, a special effort was made to include alumni who had worked at the center, especially those from the earliest years of EROS’ existence. This episode of Eyes on Earth is the second to highlight their stories, with emphasis on science, technology, and EROS’ international outlook.
Eyes on Earth Episode 103 - EROS 50th: Alumni and Friends, Part 1
At the USGS EROS 50th anniversary events on August 17-19, 2023, a special effort was made to include alumni who had worked at the center, especially those from the earliest years of EROS’ existence. This episode of Eyes on Earth highlights their stories, with emphasis on EROS’ history and its dedicated employees.
At the USGS EROS 50th anniversary events on August 17-19, 2023, a special effort was made to include alumni who had worked at the center, especially those from the earliest years of EROS’ existence. This episode of Eyes on Earth highlights their stories, with emphasis on EROS’ history and its dedicated employees.
Eyes on Earth Episode 101 – EROS 50th: Director Pete Doucette Looks Ahead
EROS Center Director Pete Doucette has been at EROS for a fairly short stretch of the center’s 50-year history, but his passion for the mission of EROS and its opportunities in the future are clear in this episode of Eyes on Earth.
EROS Center Director Pete Doucette has been at EROS for a fairly short stretch of the center’s 50-year history, but his passion for the mission of EROS and its opportunities in the future are clear in this episode of Eyes on Earth.
Eyes on Earth Episode 100 – EROS 50th: Our Legacy
As USGS EROS turns 50 this month, our Eyes on Earth podcast also marks a big moment: Episode 100. To celebrate, we bring together some treasured moments from previous episodes in which people inside and outside of EROS share their thoughts on EROS and its role in the world of remote sensing, including as keeper of all Landsat satellite data.
As USGS EROS turns 50 this month, our Eyes on Earth podcast also marks a big moment: Episode 100. To celebrate, we bring together some treasured moments from previous episodes in which people inside and outside of EROS share their thoughts on EROS and its role in the world of remote sensing, including as keeper of all Landsat satellite data.
Eyes on Earth Episode 86 - Tours at EROS
The USGS EROS Center is the home of the Landsat satellite archive. This data center and science center located on a former farm near Sioux Falls, SD, is one of the largest civilian archives of land imaging in the world.
The USGS EROS Center is the home of the Landsat satellite archive. This data center and science center located on a former farm near Sioux Falls, SD, is one of the largest civilian archives of land imaging in the world.
Related Content
View videos and listen to Eyes on Earth podcast episodes related to 2023 events at USGS EROS.
USGS EROS: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence
For 50 years, the people of EROS have overcome difficulties and celebrated triumphs together, always centered on providing a perspective of the Earth that helps us better understand its condition. This video, timed with the 50th anniversary celebration at EROS in August of 2023, explores the center's history.
Eyes on Earth Episode 107 – EROS 50th: Land Cover, Part 2
The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) has a long history as the definitive U.S. land cover product. But the newer Land Change Monitoring, Assessment and Projection (LCMAP) effort takes a longer look back in time.
The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) has a long history as the definitive U.S. land cover product. But the newer Land Change Monitoring, Assessment and Projection (LCMAP) effort takes a longer look back in time.
Eyes on Earth Episode 106 – EROS 50th: Land Cover, Part 1
Several decades ago, USGS EROS employees were pioneers in land cover mapping—turning satellite imagery into a record of what covers the land, from farmland to forest to urban areas. National and global datasets with a variety of uses resulted from these efforts.
Several decades ago, USGS EROS employees were pioneers in land cover mapping—turning satellite imagery into a record of what covers the land, from farmland to forest to urban areas. National and global datasets with a variety of uses resulted from these efforts.
Eyes on Earth Episode 104 – EROS 50th: Alumni and Friends, Part 2
At the USGS EROS 50th anniversary events on August 17-19, 2023, a special effort was made to include alumni who had worked at the center, especially those from the earliest years of EROS’ existence. This episode of Eyes on Earth is the second to highlight their stories, with emphasis on science, technology, and EROS’ international outlook.
At the USGS EROS 50th anniversary events on August 17-19, 2023, a special effort was made to include alumni who had worked at the center, especially those from the earliest years of EROS’ existence. This episode of Eyes on Earth is the second to highlight their stories, with emphasis on science, technology, and EROS’ international outlook.
Eyes on Earth Episode 103 - EROS 50th: Alumni and Friends, Part 1
At the USGS EROS 50th anniversary events on August 17-19, 2023, a special effort was made to include alumni who had worked at the center, especially those from the earliest years of EROS’ existence. This episode of Eyes on Earth highlights their stories, with emphasis on EROS’ history and its dedicated employees.
At the USGS EROS 50th anniversary events on August 17-19, 2023, a special effort was made to include alumni who had worked at the center, especially those from the earliest years of EROS’ existence. This episode of Eyes on Earth highlights their stories, with emphasis on EROS’ history and its dedicated employees.
Eyes on Earth Episode 101 – EROS 50th: Director Pete Doucette Looks Ahead
EROS Center Director Pete Doucette has been at EROS for a fairly short stretch of the center’s 50-year history, but his passion for the mission of EROS and its opportunities in the future are clear in this episode of Eyes on Earth.
EROS Center Director Pete Doucette has been at EROS for a fairly short stretch of the center’s 50-year history, but his passion for the mission of EROS and its opportunities in the future are clear in this episode of Eyes on Earth.
Eyes on Earth Episode 100 – EROS 50th: Our Legacy
As USGS EROS turns 50 this month, our Eyes on Earth podcast also marks a big moment: Episode 100. To celebrate, we bring together some treasured moments from previous episodes in which people inside and outside of EROS share their thoughts on EROS and its role in the world of remote sensing, including as keeper of all Landsat satellite data.
As USGS EROS turns 50 this month, our Eyes on Earth podcast also marks a big moment: Episode 100. To celebrate, we bring together some treasured moments from previous episodes in which people inside and outside of EROS share their thoughts on EROS and its role in the world of remote sensing, including as keeper of all Landsat satellite data.
Eyes on Earth Episode 86 - Tours at EROS
The USGS EROS Center is the home of the Landsat satellite archive. This data center and science center located on a former farm near Sioux Falls, SD, is one of the largest civilian archives of land imaging in the world.
The USGS EROS Center is the home of the Landsat satellite archive. This data center and science center located on a former farm near Sioux Falls, SD, is one of the largest civilian archives of land imaging in the world.
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