Landsat Legacy

Our Nation’s economic security and environmental vitality rely on continuous monitoring of the Earth’s continents, islands, and coastal regions in order to record, study, and understand land change at local, regional, and global scales. The USGS National Land Imaging (NLI) Program helps meet this need.

Image of the Week

Image of the planet with "Fires in Canada May 2023" written across the top

Smoke filled the skies over western Canada and even much of the United States in May 2023. The source was several wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia.

See this Week's Highlight

Landsat Satellites

Over the course of fifty years, eight Landsat satellites have observed the Earth's surface. View each satellite's history and science including first light images, significant events, and unique science for each satellite.

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More to Explore

Follow these links to learn more about our remote sensing research partnerships, how to access and download data, our image collections, news articles, and more.

Landsat's Legacy

News

September 14, 2023

EROS 50th History: Responding to Disasters

September 11, 2023

Upcoming Webinar to Highlight Landsat

September 7, 2023

Latest in Landsat - September 2023 - Vol. 2 | Issue 9

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Publications

August 23, 2023

Calibration and validation for the Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) mission concept: Recommendations for a multi-sensor system for imaging spectroscopy and thermal imagery

The primary objective of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) mission is to measure biological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical features of the Earth's surface, realizing a key conceptual component of the envisioned NASA Earth System Observatory (ESO). SBG is planned to launch as a two-platform mission in the late 2020s, the first of the

Authors

Kevin R. Turpie, Kimberly Ann Casey, Christopher J. Crawford, Liane S Guild, Hugh H. Kieffer, Guoqing (Gary) Lin, Raymond F. Kokaly, Alok Shrestha, Cody Anderson, Shankar N. Ramaseri Chandra, Robert O. Green, Simon Hook, Constantine Lukashin, Kurt Thome

Core Science Systems Mission Area, National Land Imaging Program, Land Change Science Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

July 25, 2023

Guidelines for calibration of uncrewed aircraft systems imagery

Executive SummaryThis report outlines quality assurance (QA) processes, including radiometric and geometric calibration guidelines, and guidelines for data acquisition and quality control to be followed by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers for acquiring and processing uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) data. These QA processes ensure that UAS data can be used for quantitative analysis and are

Authors

Aparajithan Sampath, Mahesh Shrestha, Michelle While, Victoria Mary Scholl

National Land Imaging Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, EROS CalVal Center of Excellence (ECCOE)

July 19, 2023

ECCOE Landsat quarterly Calibration and Validation report—Quarter 1, 2023

Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Calibration and Validation (Cal/Val) Center of Excellence (ECCOE) focuses on improving the accuracy, precision, calibration, and product quality of remote-sensing data, leveraging years of multiscale optical system geometric and radiometric calibration and characterization experience. The ECCOE Landsat Cal/Val Team

Authors

Md. Obaidul Haque, Rajagopalan Rengarajan, Mark Lubke, Md Nahid Hasan, Ashish Shrestha, Fatima Tuz Zafrin Tuli, Jerad L. Shaw, Alex Denevan, Shannon Franks, Esad Micijevic, Michael Choate, Cody Anderson, Kurt Thome, Ed Kaita, Julia Barsi, Raviv Levy, Jeff Miller

National Land Imaging Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , EROS CalVal Center of Excellence (ECCOE), Memorandums of Understanding (MOU)

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Science

September 18, 2023

Eyes on Earth Episode 103 – EROS 50th: Alumni and Friends, Part 1

This special alumni edition of the Eyes on Earth podcast features stories told by former employees and others about the history and people at EROS.

Core Science Systems Mission Area, National Land Imaging Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

September 18, 2023

Eyes on Earth Episode 103 – EROS 50th: Alumni and Friends, Part 1

This special alumni edition of the Eyes on Earth podcast features stories told by former employees and others about the history and people at EROS.

Learn More

A woman smiles while dressed in a yellow suit with a fire burning in the background

August 28, 2023

Eyes on Earth Episode 102 – LANDFIRE 2022 Update

LANDFIRE, a trusted source for fire-related data, has started releasing key information even faster.

Core Science Systems Mission Area, National Land Imaging Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Wildland Fire Science

August 28, 2023

Eyes on Earth Episode 102 – LANDFIRE 2022 Update

LANDFIRE, a trusted source for fire-related data, has started releasing key information even faster.

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Man standing next to large globe with logos on top

August 14, 2023

Eyes on Earth Episode 101 – EROS 50th: Director Pete Doucette Looks Ahead

In its 50th anniversary year, EROS received a new leader who celebrates the past while embracing the future.

Core Science Systems Mission Area, National Land Imaging Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , EROS History Project

August 14, 2023

Eyes on Earth Episode 101 – EROS 50th: Director Pete Doucette Looks Ahead

In its 50th anniversary year, EROS received a new leader who celebrates the past while embracing the future.

Learn More

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