Landsat Science Team Meeting — August 9-11, 2022

Meeting Objectives:

1. Update the Landsat Science Team on Landsat 9 operations since launch, commissioning, and checkout including Landsat 8’ status and Landsat 7’s extended science mission
2. Update the Landsat Science Team on forthcoming changes to Landsat Collection 2 Level-2 production and Landsat 9 calibration/validation reprocessing objectives
3. Landsat Science Team will update USGS, NASA, and Landsat project teams on science and applications advancements and accomplishments
4. Landsat Science Team opportunity to participate in the NASA to USGS Landsat 9 Mission Transition Handover
5. Discuss Landsat science initiatives to include data harmonization with other Earth observation missions

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Closed Door Session (Landsat Science Team, USGS and NASA Invitees only)

• Landsat Science Team Exchange – Regrouping after the pandemic, retirements, and the loss of Dr. Tom Loveland (Landsat Science Team)
• Status of ongoing Landsat Collection 2 feedback, data harmonization, and other topic actions (David Roy, MSU; Curtis Woodcock, BU)
• USGS and NASA Sustainable Land Imaging (SLI) Initiatives (Landsat Science Team and USGS/NASA Officials)
• Open discussion on Landsat Collection 2 feedback, data harmonization, and other topics (David Roy, MSU; Curtis Woodcock, BU)

Official Start of Public Proceedings (All)

• Opening remarks (Pete Doucette, USGS)

• Introductions and meeting objectives (Chris Crawford, USGS; Chris Neigh, NASA)

• USGS Landsat management perspective (Tim Newman, USGS)

• Landsat 8/9 Operations update (Keith Alberts, USGS)

• Landsat 7 extended science mission update (Chris Crawford, USGS)

• Upcoming Landsat 9 reprocessing plans / calibration/validation team updates (Chris Engebretson / Cody Anderson, USGS)

• MODIS-Terra decommissioning schedule update request - Landsat atmospheric correction processing impacts (David Roy, MSU; Chris Crawford, USGS)

• Upcoming Landsat Collection 2 Level-2 production changes (Saeed Arab, KBR; Chris Crawford, USGS)

• Day 1 Wrap-up and Dr. Tom Loveland EROS Dedication (David Roy, MSU; Curtis Woodcock, BU)

• Informal team social event in memory of Dr. Tom Loveland and John Dwyer (All)

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

• Landsat Science Team Science Member Presentations (Moderator: Chris Crawford, USGS)

  • Mr. Dave Johnson, USDA-NASS — Entering the golden era for global crop type mapping

  • Dr. Sean Healey, U.S. Forest Service — Forest Service applications: land cover; albedo; and forest biomass

  • Mr. Noel Gorelick, Google — Reflections on a decade of Landsat usage in Earth Engine

  • Mr. Peter Strobl, European Commission — Updates from the Joint Research Centre and Copernicus

  • Dr. Mike Wulder, Canadian Forest Service — Mapping and monitoring with Landsat: Mapping of species for Canada’s forests

  • Dr. Feng Gao, USDA-ARS — Near-real-time monitoring of crop phenology using HLS imagery

  • Dr. Matthew Hansen, University of Maryland — Advancing methods for global land mapping and area estimation

  • Dr. Crystal Schaaf, University of Massachusetts-Boston — Snow-Free and Snow-Covered Landsat Albedos

  • Dr. Ted Scambos, University of Colorado-Boulder — Landsat and the Cryosphere - Global ice flow mapping, thermal applications, and records of ice sheet change

  • Dr. Curtis Woodcock, Boston University — Time series analysis: sensor fusion, disturbance monitoring and land cover change

  • Dr. Martha Anderson, USDA-ARS — On the value of Landsat-scale thermal remote sensing for water and land management

  •  Dr. David Roy et al., Michigan State University — Analysis ready data: enabling analysis of the Landsat archive – past examples and future potential

• Sioux Falls Community Reception (Landsat 9 Transition Time Event Attendees)  — Kirby Science Center/ Washington Pavilion, Downtown Sioux Falls

Thursday, August 11, 2022

• Recognition of Dr. Jim Irons and Dr. Jeff Masek contributions to Landsat  (Curtis Woodcock/David Roy)

• Landsat Science Team Member Presentations, cont. (Moderator: Chris Crawford, USGS) 

  • Charles Morton and Dr. Justin Huntington, Desert Research Institute — Updates on Ensemble Evapotranspiration and Climate - Vegetation Change Assessments for Land and Water Management

  • Dr. Anna Pidgeon and Dr. Volker Radeloff, University of Wisconsin-Madison — Predicting bird biodiversity for the conterminous U.S. with Landsat-derived indices of habitat conditions

  • Dr. Zhe Zhu, University of Connecticut-Storrs — Toward Near Real-time Monitoring and Characterization of Land Surface Change for the Conterminous US: Algorithms and Results

  • Dr. Nima Pahlevan, Science Systems and Applications Inc. (SSAI) at NASA — Landsat/Sentinel-2 for aquatic science and applications: Where are we now and where we want to be?

• Meeting Wrap Up and Conclusion  (Curtis Woodcock/David Roy)

• Landsat 9 Mission Transition Handover Ceremony at EROS (All)

• Adjourn for Post-Landsat 9 Mission Handover Informal Celebration at EROS (All)

• Post-Landsat 9 Mission Transition Handover No Host Social - Downtown Sioux Falls