Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Global Visualization Viewer (GloVis)

By Educational Resources

Topics: Remote sensing, satellite imagery, image search, image mosaic 

Length: One class period

Type of Resource Being Described:  USGS Data Site

Introduction:

GloVis stands for the Global Visualization Viewer. Since 2001, GloVis has been a tool for accessing remote sensing data. GloVis hosts only publicly available data. The data sets are all federally created and therefore in the public domain, which means there are no copyright or licensing restrictions. Click on gear icon to access the Configure Layer Tool in the right side corner of the map. Choose between Select A Basemap or Layer Settings. The Select A Basemap option lists layers to choose for display on the map. The Layer Settings give users control over the colors used in the interface. To save your settings, you must be registered and logged into GloVis. Use the Preferences option in the menu on the upper right side of the webpage. General Preferences, Map Preferences, and Map Layer Preferences include multiple options. GloVis is developed in an agile framework that allows for new features to be added on a continuous basis. Please use the Feedback button in the menu to express interest in new features.
Set user-defined filters when searching by going to the Preferences option in the upper right side and check to see that the box next to Advanced Geographic Filters is checked.

Objectives:

  • To obtain imagery for areas of interest from different satellite sensors.
  • Users can mosaic multiple images together in the user interface.

Instructions:

Use this USGS data site to access the  the Global Visualization Viewer.