Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

This page lists the most recent peer-reviewed USGS scientific papers, reports, fact sheets, and other publications about Landsat. 

Filter Total Items: 92

Four years of Landsat-7 on-orbit geometric calibration and performance Four years of Landsat-7 on-orbit geometric calibration and performance

Unlike its predecessors, Landsat-7 has undergone regular geometric and radiometric performance monitoring and calibration since launch in April 1999. This ongoing activity, which includes issuing quarterly updates to calibration parameters, has generated a wealth of geometric performance data over the four-year on-orbit period of operations. A suite of geometric characterization...
Authors
D.S. Lee, James C. Storey, M.J. Choate, R. W. Hayes

On-orbit performance of the Landsat-7 ETM+ radiometric calibrators On-orbit performance of the Landsat-7 ETM+ radiometric calibrators

The Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) incorporates two new devices to improve its absolute radiometric calibration: a Full Aperture Solar Calibrator (FASC) and a Partial Aperture Solar Calibrator (PASC). The FASC is a diffuser panel, typically deployed once per month. Initial FASC absolute calibration results were within 5% of the pre-launch calibrations. Over time, the...
Authors
Brian L. Markham, J. L. Barker, E. Kaita, J. Seiferth, Ron Morfitt

Landsat TM and ETM+ thermal band calibration Landsat TM and ETM+ thermal band calibration

Landsat-5 has been imaging the Earth since March 1984, and Landsat-7 was added to the series of Landsat instruments in April 1999. The Landsat Project Science Office and the Landsat-7 Image Assessment System have been monitoring the on-board calibration of Landsat-7 since launch. Additionally, two separate university teams have been evaluating the on-board thermal calibration of Landsat...
Authors
J. A. Barsi, J. R. Schott, F. D. Palluconi, D. L. Helder, S.J. Hook, B. L. Markham, G. Chander, E. M. O’Donnell

Data specifications for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission Data specifications for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to procure data from a privately-owned and commercially-operated remote sensing system for the next Landsat Mission, the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM).Data requirements are documented in an LDCM Data Specification. The specifications require delivery of data covering 250 Landsat scenes on a daily basis. The data are...
Authors
J. R. Irons, N.J. Speciale, McCuistion J. Douglas, J. G. Masek, B. L. Markham, James C. Storey, D. E. Lencioni, R. E. Ryan

Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus radiometric calibration Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus radiometric calibration

Landsat-7 is currently being built and tested for launch in 1998. The Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensor for Landsat-7, a derivative of the highly successful Thematic Mapper (TM) sensors on Landsats 4 and 5, and the Landsat-7 ground system are being built to provide enhanced radiometric calibration performance. In addition, regular vicarious calibration campaigns are being...
Authors
B. L. Markham, Wayne C. Boncyk, D. L. Helder, J. L. Barker

Landsat TM memory effect characterization and correction Landsat TM memory effect characterization and correction

Before radiometric calibration of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data can be done accurately, it is necessary to minimize the effects of artifacts present in the data that originate in the instrument's signal processing path. These artifacts have been observed in downlinked image data since shortly after launch of Landsat 4 and 5. However, no comprehensive work has been done to...
Authors
D. Helder, W. Boncyk, R. Morfitt

A technique for the reduction of banding in Landsat Thematic Mapper Images A technique for the reduction of banding in Landsat Thematic Mapper Images

The radiometric difference between forward and reverse scans in Landsat thematic mapper (TM) images, referred to as "banding," can create problems when enhancing the image for interpretation or when performing quantitative studies. Recent research has led to the development of a method that reduces the banding in Landsat TM data sets. It involves passing a one-dimensional spatial kernel...
Authors
Dennis L. Helder, Bruce K. Quirk, Joy J. Hood
Was this page helpful?