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Landsat Collections Legacy Samples

By Landsat Missions

Landsat Collections Legacy Samples preserve a selection of data from previous Landsat Collections. These samples provide essential benchmarks for researchers, ensuring historical data remains available for comparison and can be used to evaluate quality improvements across collections.

Sample products for Landsat Collection 1 (2016-2021) are available. 

View Digital Object Identifiers
 

Purpose of Legacy Samples

A subset of Landsat 1-8 Collection 1 products have been selected and retained to support science quality assessment, data processing algorithm chain testing, and cross-collection comparisons. Landsat Level-1 products, U.S. Analysis Ready Data (ARD), and operational Level-3 products are included in the Collection 1 Legacy Samples. 

Note: Landsat Collection 1 products were removed from public access in December 2022. These Collection 1 Legacy Samples are intended for software testing and cross-collection comparison only. Please use Landsat Collection 2 products for current scientific studies. 
 

Location Selection Rationale 

The locations of these samples were selected based on atmospheric and surface conditions – most notably, at proven instrumented reference test sites where regular in-situ calibration measurements are available. Coastal and inland water locations, as well as areas of recurring data anomalies were also included. Additionally, random samples were selected to represent a proportional ratio to the total available products from each Landsat sensor. 

The following criteria were established for inclusion in the Landsat Collection 1 Legacy Samples dataset: 

  • Represent a percentage of data from each satellite sensor
  • Ensure global distribution as evenly as possible
  • Include validation products that enable regeneration of satellite calibrations required to maintain a record for cross-collection comparisons (e.g. geometric and radiometric accuracy, atmospheric compensation)
  • Include products that cross the Antemeridian (+/-180-degree Longitude), products designated for future U.S. ARD testing, and products in areas known to cause ground systems issues so they can be identified and addressed during future ground system software development
  • Include random products for testing system bulk processing
    Legacy Samples Product Overview 

The Landsat Collection 1 Legacy Samples dataset includes the following products from Landsat 1 through Landsat 8, spanning data acquired from July 1972 to December 2021. 
 

Level-1 Products

A total of 11,351 Landsat Level-1 scene-based products (less than 0.1 % of the entire USGS Landsat Collection 1 Level-1 archive) were selected for this sample dataset. The characteristics of the products selected based on the rationale described above include: 

  • About 30% are from known and potential satellite Calibration/Validation site areas, as well as areas used for cloud validation/cloud masks development
  • About 15% are from sites known to cause issues with ground systems
  • The remaining 55% are randomly selected daytime, on-nadir scenes with less than 30% cloud cover
Media
a map displaying the Level-1 products included in Landsat Collection 1 Legacy Samples
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
This map displays the location of the Level-1 products included in the Landsat Collection 1 Legacy Samples. 
Media
a graph showing the number of products per sensor included in the Landsat Collection 1 Legacy Samples
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
This graphic displays the number of Level-1 products included in the Landsat Collection 1 Legacy Samples by Landsat sensor and timeframe. 

U.S. Analysis Ready Data (ARD)

U.S. ARD products are organized into tiles, which are uniform units bounded by static corner points in a defined grid system. Since tile-based products are useful for time-series analysis, one tile was selected to provide an entire data 'stack' for additional testing and research. Landsat Collection 1 U.S. ARD products were generated from Landsat 4-5 TM, Landsat 7 ETM+, and Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS data. 

  • Over 70% of the 4,574 U.S. ARD products selected contain data from one Conterminous U.S. (CONUS) tile west of Denver, Colorado. (H011V009).
  • The remaining 30% included areas that will be used for future U.S. ARD product testing. 
Media
map displaying the U.S. analysis ready data (ARD) tiles included in the Landsat Collection 1 Legacy Samples
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
This map displays the U.S. Analysis Ready Data (ARD) tile-based products included in the Landsat Collection 1 Legacy Samples. 

Level-3 Science Products

Collectively, over 12,000 Level-3 science products are included in Landsat Collection 1 Legacy Samples. Level-3 science products are generated from Landsat 4-5 TM, Landsat 7 ETM+, and Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS data, are tiled using the U.S. ARD grid system, and cover the following geographic areas: 

  • Burned Area (BA): CONUS
  • Dynamic Surface Water Extent (DSWE): CONUS, Alaska, and Hawaii
  • Fractional Snow Covered Area (fSCA): Western U.S. and Alaska
Media
a map displaying the Level-3 science products used in the Landsat Collection 1 Legacy Samples
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
These maps display the Level-3 science products included in the Landsat Collection 1 Legacy Samples. 

Data Access

Landsat Collection 1 Legacy Sample datasets can be downloaded from EarthExplorer. They are listed at the bottom of the Landsat - Landsat Legacy section of the EarthExplorer Data Sets tab. 
 

Documentation

The following Landsat Collection 1 webpages each include documents that contain details about the Landsat Collection 1 products that were distributed from 2016-2021. Note: The information displayed on each webpage is provided AS REFERENCE ONLY. 

Digital Object Identifiers/Citation Information

Please cite the Landsat Collection 1 Legacy Samples datasets in the following manner: 

Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. (2020). Landsat 8-9 Operational Land Imager/Thermal Infrared Sensor Level-1 Sample, Collection 1 [dataset]. U.S. Geological Survey. https://doi.org/10.5066/P13VHFE7

Landsat 7 ETM+
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. (2020). Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus Level-1 Sample, Collection 1 [dataset]. U.S. Geological Survey. https://doi.org/10.5066/P1DUKNQV

Landsat 4-5 TM
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. (2020). Landsat 4-5 Thematic Mapper Level-1 Sample, Collection 1 [dataset]. U.S. Geological Survey. https://doi.org/10.5066/P1H6R2QN

Landsat 1-5 MSS
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. (2020). Landsat 1-5 Multispectral Scanner Level-1 Sample, Collection 1 [dataset]. U.S. Geological Survey. https://doi.org/10.5066/P1MF68OJ

Landsat 4-8 U.S. ARD
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. (2020). Landsat 4-8 U.S. Analysis Ready Data ARD Sample, Collection 1 [dataset]. U.S. Geological Survey. https://doi.org/10.5066/P13NEQFA           

Landsat 4-8 Level-3 Burned Area (BA)
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. (2018). Landsat Level-3 Burned Area Sample, Collection 1 [dataset]. U.S. Geological Survey. https://doi.org/10.5066/P13TZQRL

Landsat 4-8 Level-3 Dynamic Surface Water Extent (DSWE)
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. (2018). Landsat Level-3 Dynamic Surface Water Extent Sample, Collection 1 [dataset]. U.S. Geological Survey. https://doi.org/10.5066/P144DULV

Landsat 4-8 Level-3 Fractional Snow Covered Area (fSCA)
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. (2018). Landsat Level-3 Fractional Snow Covered Area Sample, Collection 1 [dataset]. U.S. Geological Survey. https://doi.org/10.5066/P1ASEDRK

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