National Land Imaging Program

Finding connections and a sense of community help make work more fulfilling. But a feeling of belonging can be harder for some people to find than others. A remote-sensing-focused Twitter group is trying to do something about that.

Satellite Orbital Space Flight Operations Center setting up at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center in South Dakota

On a ranking of states using water for irrigation, seeing California at the top probably wouldn’t surprise you. But would you expect Idaho to follow right behind?

The value of Landsat satellite imagery to the U.S. and global economies has increased notably in recent years. Landsat imagery provided an estimated $3.45 billion in economic benefits to users worldwide in 2017, compared to worldwide benefits of $2.19 billion in 2011. 

The USGS Earthshots website, managed by the Communication & Outreach department at the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, shows the value of observing the Earth with satellites at a level that (we hope) non-scientists can understand.

The extensive rangelands across the Western United States are threatened by invasive grasses, climate change, and altered fire regimes that can disturb the landscape. The largely semi-arid lands are also important for the survival of species that need undisturbed sagebrush ecosystems to thrive.

A river meanders serenely through the northern prairie, waters flowing eastward. The scene’s simplicity belies the complex nature of how the water is used—especially when the river flows from one country to another and back.

Landsat satellites exist to provide information—millions of images’ worth of information—about the Earth’s surface.

Fort Collins Science Center scientists had multiple presentations and poster submissions, as well as one award, at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting 2020. The Meeting was the largest worldwide virtual conference in the Earth and space sciences, with over 20,000 attendees. 

South Dakota’s first foray into orbital space flight operations is unfolding at the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center near Sioux Falls as work begins there on a backup Landsat Multi-Satellite Operations Center (bLMOC).

The year of 2020 will be remembered largely for the global coronavirus pandemic, and with good reason: The impact was worldwide, sustained and continues into the new year.