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USGS2023

Wide-area debris field and seabed characterization of a deep ocean dump site surveyed by autonomous underwater vehicles

Disposal of industrial and hazardous waste in the deep ocean was a pervasive global practice near coastlines in the 20th century. Uncertainty in the quantity, location, and contents of dumped materials at historical disposal sites underscores ongoing risks to marine ecosystems and human health. This study presents analysis of a 150-km2 wide-area sidescan sonar survey conducted in March 2021 with two autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) at an offshore dumpsite in San Pedro Basin, California. Previous camera surveys located 60 barrels and other debris; sediment analysis in the region showed varying concentrations of the insecticidal chemical Dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), for which an estimated 350-700 metric tons was discarded in the San Pedro Basin between 1947 and 1961. A lack of primary historical documents from Montrose Chemical or California Salvage Company that specify the DDT acid waste disposal method has contributed to the ambiguity surrounding whether the dumping method was via bulk discharge or containerized units. Barrels and debris visually detected during previous surveys by Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) Jason and SuBastian and AUV Sentry served as the basis for ground truth testing and object classification using size and acoustic intensity characteristics. Target detection and classification algorithms were developed using image and signal processing techniques that resulted in the identification of over 74,000 debris targets within the survey region. Statistical, spectral, and machine learning techniques are used to characterize seabed variability and for bottom-type classification. These analytical techniques combined with the survey capabilities of AUVs provide a framework for efficient mapping and characterization of uncharted deep-water disposal sites.

California↗

USGS2024

Toward a US framework for continuity of satellite observations of Earth's climate and for supporting societal resilience

There is growing urgency for improved public and commercial services to support a resilient, secure, and thriving United States (US) in the face of mounting decision-support needs for environmental stewardship and hazard response, as well as for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Sustained space-based Earth observations are critical infrastructure to support the delivery of science and decision-support information with local, national, and global utility. This is reflected in part through the United States' sustained support of a suite of weather and land-imaging satellites. However, outside of these two areas, the US lacks an overarching, systematic plan or framework to identify, prioritize, fund, and implement sustained space-based Earth observations to meet the Nation's full range of needs for science, government policy, and societal support. To aid and accelerate the discussion on our nation's needs, challenges and opportunities associated with sustained critical space-based Earth observations, the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) sponsored a multi-week think-tank study to offer ways forward. Based on this study, the KISS study team suggests the establishment of a robust coordination framework to help address US needs for sustained Earth observations. This coordination framework could account for: (a) approaches to identify and prioritize satellite observations needed to meet US needs for science and services, (b) the rapidly evolving landscape of space-based Earth viewing architecture options and technology improvements with increasing opportunities and lower cost access to space, and (c) the technical and programmatic underpinnings required for proper and comprehensive data stewardship to support a wide range of research and public services.

Earth's Future↗

USGS2003

Mapping the seabed and habitats in National Marine Sanctuaries - Examples from the East, Gulf and West Coasts

The National Marine Sanctuary System requires seabed and habitat maps to serve as a basis for managing sanctuary resources and for conducting research. NOAA, the agency that manages the sanctuaries, and the USGS have conducted mapping projects in three sanctuaries (Stellwagen Bank NMS, Flower Garden Banks NMS, and Channel Islands NMS) with an emphasis on collaboration of geologists and biologists from the two agencies and from academic institutions. Mapping of seabed habitats is a developing field that requires the integration of geologic and biologic studies and the use of swath imaging techniques such as multibeam and sidescan sonar. Major products of swath mapping are shaded-relief topographic imagery which shows seabed features in great detail, and backscatter imagery which provides an indication of the types of materials that constitute the seabed. Sea floor images provide an excellent basis for conducting the groundtruthing studies (using video, photo, and sampling techniques) that are required to collect the data necessary for making meaningful interpretative maps of the seabed. The compilation of interpretive maps showing seabed environments and habitats also requires the development of a sea floor classification system that will be a basis for comparing, managing, and researching characteristic areas of the seabed. Seabed maps of the sanctuaries are proving useful for management and research decisions that address commercial and recreational fishing, habitat disturbance, engineering projects, tourism, and cultural resources.

Marine Technology Society Journal↗

USGS1994

Airborne remote sensing for geology and the environment; present and future

In 1988, a group of leading experts from government, academia, and industry attended a workshop on airborne remote sensing sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and hosted by the Branch of Geophysics. The purpose of the workshop was to examine the scientific rationale for airborne remote sensing in support of government earth science in the next decade. This report has arranged the six resulting working-group reports under two main headings: (1) Geologic Remote Sensing, for the reports on geologic mapping, mineral resources, and fossil fuels and geothermal resources; and (2) Environmental Remote Sensing, for the reports on environmental geology, geologic hazards, and water resources. The intent of the workshop was to provide an evaluation of demonstrated capabilities, their direct extensions, and possible future applications, and this was the organizational format used for the geologic remote sensing reports. The working groups in environmental remote sensing chose to present their reports in a somewhat modified version of this format. A final section examines future advances and limitations in the field. There is a large, complex, and often bewildering array of remote sensing data available. Early remote sensing studies were based on data collected from airborne platforms. Much of that technology was later extended to satellites. The original 80-m-resolution Landsat Multispectral Scanner System (MSS) has now been largely superseded by the 30-m-resolution Thematic Mapper (TM) system that has additional spectral channels. The French satellite SPOT provides higher spatial resolution for channels equivalent to MSS. Low-resolution (1 km) data are available from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's AVHRR system, which acquires reflectance and day and night thermal data daily. Several experimental satellites have acquired limited data, and there are extensive plans for future satellites including those of Japan (JERS), Europe (ESA), Canada (Radarsat), and the United States (EOS). There are currently two national airborne remote sensing programs (photography, radar) with data archived at the USGS' EROS Data Center. Airborne broadband multispectral data (comparable to Landsat MSS and TM but involving several more channels) for limited geographic areas also are available for digital processing and analysis. Narrow-band imaging spectrometer data are available for some NASA experiment sites and can be acquired for other locations commercially. Remote sensing data and derivative images, because of the uniform spatial coverage, availability at different resolutions, and digital format, are becoming important data sets for geographic information system (GIS) analyses. Examples range from overlaying digitized geologic maps on remote sensing images and draping these over topography, to maps of mineral distribution and inferred abundance. A large variety of remote sensing data sets are available, with costs ranging from a few dollars per square mile for satellite digital data to a few hundred dollars per square mile for airborne imaging spectrometry. Computer processing and analysis costs routinely surpass these expenses because of the equipment and expertise necessary for information extraction and interpretation. Effective use requires both an understanding of the current methodology and an appreciation of the most cost-effective solution.

Bulletin↗

USGS2025

Development of ‘SedCam’— A close-range remote sensing method of estimating suspended-sediment concentration in small rivers

The adaptation of suspended-sediment surrogate technologies continues to rapidly expand across geomorphology and fluvial sediment monitoring efforts. Over a decade of research and development shows increased reliability and accuracy of in-situ surrogates with reduced program cost as compared to traditional sample-based methods, but environmental fouling and probe damage can be problematic. The SedCam technique is a unique non-contact close-range remote sensing method to estimate suspended-sediment concentration from multispectral imagery of a river surface. In contrast to typical airborne- or satellite-based platforms, SedCam uses broadband sensors with lower spectral resolution (three bands covering wavelengths of 340 to 1100 nm) but greater spatial resolution (0.5 mm pixel size; equivalent to medium to coarse sand) and temporal resolution (15-min intervals during daylight hours). This paper summarizes lessons learned from two studies, utilizing three consumer-grade digital cameras (each with different spectral signatures) at two different rivers (each with different sediment characteristics). >90,000 images and 174 concurrent physical samples represent a collective period of 26 months. A subset of these data pairs supports the development of four regression models. Statistical diagnostics show model error can be <40 % when surface point samples are used, with coefficients of determination ≥0.90. This novel approach shows similar accuracy to other surrogate methods such as instream turbidity. Results of this study indicate that optimizing spectra based on expected suspended-sediment concentration increases model performance.

Geomorphology↗

USGS2010

Historic and paleo-submarine landslide deposits imaged beneath Port Valdez, Alaska: Implications for tsunami generation in a glacial fiord

During the 1964 M9.2 great Alaskan earthquake, submarine-slope failures resulted in the generation of highly destructive tsunamis at Port Valdez, Alaska. A high-resolution, mini-sparker reflection profiler was used to image debris lobes, which we attribute to slope failures that occurred both during and prior to the 1964 megathrust event. In these reflection profiles, debris lobe deposits are indicated by acoustically opaque units that are separated by undisturbed parallel-layered reflectors. Near-surface debris lobes attributed to the 1964 earthquake include: (1) a debris lobe over 30 m thick that emanates from the fiord-head delta in eastern Port Valdez; and (2) debris flow lobes incorporating large, intact blocks up to 40 m high in western Port Valdez, off the Shoup Glacier moraine. In addition to the near-surface debris lobes, we imaged at least five additional debris lobe deposits buried beneath the 1964 deposit. The debris lobe directly beneath the 1964 deposit has a similar thickness and spatial distribution as the 1964 deposit. However, the older, deeper, debris lobes are thinner, less extensive, and separated by thinner sequences of parallel-layered reflectors. Glacier retreat and concomitant build-up of the fiord-head delta combined with longer time intervals between megathrust events may have resulted in more extensive delta failures and thus thicker debris lobes through time.

Alaska↗

USGS1997

Landsat Data

In the mid-1960's, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) embarked on an initiative to develop and launch the first Earth monitoring satellite to meet the needs of resource managers and earth scientists. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) entered into a partnership with NASA in the early 1970?s to assume responsibility for archiving data and distributing data products. On July 23, 1972, NASA launched the first in a series of satellites designed to provide repetitive global coverage of the Earth?s land masses. Designated initially as the "Earth Resources Technology Satellite-A" ("ERTS-A"), it used a Nimbus-type platform that was modified to carry sensor systems and data relay equipment. When operational orbit was achieved, it was designated "ERTS-1." The satellite continued to function beyond its designed life expectancy of 1 year and finally ceased to operate on January 6, 1978, more than 5 years after its launch date. The second in this series of Earth resources satellites (designated ?ERTS-B?) was launched January 22, 1975. It was renamed "Landsat 2" by NASA, which also renamed "ERTS-1" as "Landsat 1." Three additional Landsats were launched in 1978, 1982, and 1984 (Landsats 3, 4, and 5 ). (See table 1). NASA was responsible for operating the program through the early 1980?s. In January 1983, operation of the Landsat system was transferred to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In October 1985, the Landsat system was commercialized and the Earth Observation Satellite Company, now Space Imaging EOSAT, assumed responsibility for its operation under contract to NOAA. Throughout these changes, the USGS EROS Data Center (EDC) retained primary responsibility as the Government archive of Landsat data. The Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-5555) officially authorized the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive and assigned responsibility to the Department of the Interior. In addition to its Landsat data management responsibility, the EDC investigates new methods of characterizing and studying changes on the land surface with Landsat data.

Fact Sheet↗

USGS2015

Using satellite images to monitor glacial-lake outburst floods: Lago Cachet Dos drainage, Chile

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is monitoring and analyzing glacial-lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in the Colonia valley in the Patagonia region of southern Chile. A GLOF is a type of flood that occurs when water impounded by a glacier or a glacial moraine is released catastrophically. In the Colonia valley, GLOFs originating from Lago Cachet Dos, which is dammed by the Colonia Glacier, have recurred periodically since 2008. The water discharged during these GLOFs flows under or through the Colonia Glacier, into Lago Colonia and then the Río Colonia, and finally into the Río Baker—Chile's largest river in terms of volume of water. This report presents a GeoEye-1 image collected December 1, 2011 and a WorldView-2 image collected September 27, 2013. The 2011 image shows Lago Cachet Dos when the water level was near its maximum extent. The 2013 image shows the drained lake four days after a GLOF event. The images were used to delineate the differences in water surface area prior to, and immediately following, a GLOF event. The imagery shown here highlights the dramatic changes that typically occur during GLOFs from Lago Cachet Dos. The lake area decreased from 4.84 km 2 in 2011 (pre-GLOF) to only 0.30 km 2 in September 2013 (post-GLOF). The water surface lowered approximately 90 m between the pre- and post-GLOF satellite images, yielding a change in volume of approximately 217,000,000 m 3 ; this value is similar to previous estimates (about 200 million m 3 ) of the volume of flood water that flowed down the Río Colonia during some previous GLOFs. During 2008–2013, 14 GLOFs were released from Lago Cachet Dos and created environmental and safety concerns for downstream residents and to infrastructure. If GLOFs and the consequent headward erosion continue, the moraine that creates Lago Cachet Uno could be destabilized and breached, and the two lakes could merge. If the two lakes become connected, the volume of future GLOFs likely would be greater and thus cause longer and (or) more extensive flooding downstream. Additional GLOFs from Lago Cachet Dos are expected in the future, and continued environmental monitoring could provide an early warning system as well as scientific information that could increase our understanding of GLOFs and their consequences. GLOFs occur in glaciated areas around the world and remote sensing technologies can allow researchers to better understand—and potentially predict—future GLOF events.

Colonia valley, Lago Cachet Dos, Patagonia↗

USGS2014

U.S. Geological Survey's ShakeCast: A cloud-based future

When an earthquake occurs, the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeMap portrays the extent of potentially damaging shaking. In turn, the ShakeCast system, a freely-available, post-earthquake situational awareness application, automatically retrieves earthquake shaking data from ShakeMap, compares intensity measures against users’ facilities, sends notifications of potential damage to responsible parties, and generates facility damage assessment maps and other web-based products for emergency managers and responders. ShakeCast is particularly suitable for earthquake planning and response purposes by Departments of Transportation (DOTs), critical facility and lifeline utilities, large businesses, engineering and financial services, and loss and risk modelers. Recent important developments to the ShakeCast system and its user base are described. The newly-released Version 3 of the ShakeCast system encompasses advancements in seismology, earthquake engineering, and information technology applicable to the legacy ShakeCast installation (Version 2). In particular, this upgrade includes a full statistical fragility analysis framework for general assessment of structures as part of the near real-time system, direct access to additional earthquake-specific USGS products besides ShakeMap (PAGER, DYFI?, tectonic summary, etc.), significant improvements in the graphical user interface, including a console view for operations centers, and custom, user-defined hazard and loss modules. The release also introduces a new adaption option to port ShakeCast to the "cloud". Employing Amazon Web Services (AWS), users now have a low-cost alternative to local hosting, by fully offloading hardware, software, and communication obligations to the cloud. Other advantages of the "ShakeCast Cloud" strategy include (1) Reliability and robustness of offsite operations, (2) Scalability naturally accommodated, (3), Serviceability, problems reduced due to software and hardware uniformity, (4) Testability, freely available for new users, (5) Remotely supported, allowing expert-facilitated maintenance, (6) Adoptability, simplified with disk images, and (7) Security, built in at the very high level associated with AWS. The ShakeCast user base continues to expand and broaden. For example, Caltrans, the prototypical ShakeCast user and development supporter, has been providing guidance to other DOTs on the use of the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) database to implement fully-functional ShakeCast systems in their states. A long-term goal underway is to further "connect the DOTs" via a Transportation Pooled Fund (TPF) with participating state DOTs. We also review some of the many other users and uses of ShakeCast. Lastly, on the hazard input front, we detail related ShakeMap improvements and ongoing advancements in estimating the likelihood of shaking-induced secondary hazards at structures, facilities, bridges, and along roadways due to landslides and liquefaction, and implemented within the ShakeCast framework.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2019

A bibliometric profile of the Remote Sensing Open Access Journal published by MDPI between 2009 and 2018

Remote Sensing Open Access Journal (RS OAJ) is an international leading journal in the field of remote sensing science and technology. It was first published in the year 2009 and is currently celebrating tenth year of publications. In this research, a bibliometric analysis of RS OAJ was conducted based on 5588 articles published during the 10-year (2009–2018) time-period. The bibliometric analysis includes a comprehensive set of indicators such as dynamics and trends of publications, journal impact factor, total cites, eigenfactor score, normalized eigenfactor, CiteScore, h-index, h-classic publications, most productive countries (or territories) and institutions, co-authorship collaboration about countries (territories), research themes, citation impact of co-occurrences keywords, intellectual structure, and knowledge commutation. We found that publications of RS OAJ presented an exponential growth in the past ten years. From 2010 to 2017 (for which complete years data were available), the h-index of RS OAJ is 67. From 2009–2018, RS OAJ includes publications from 129 countries (or territories) and 3826 institutions. The leading nations contributing articles, based on 2009–2018 data, and listed based on ranking were: China, United States, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Canada, England, Australia, Netherlands, Japan, Switzerland and Austria. The leading institutions, also for the same period and listed based on ranking were: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan University, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing Normal University, The university of Maryland, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, China University of Geosciences, United States Geological Survey, German Aerospace Centre, University of Twente, and California Institute of Technology. For the year 2017, RS OAJ had an impressive journal impact factor of 3.4060, a CiteScore of 4.03, eigenfactor score of 0.0342, and normalized eigenfactor score of 3.99. In addition, based on 2009–2018, data co-word analysis determined that “remote sensing”, “MODIS”, “Landsat”, “LiDAR” and “NDVI” are the high-frequency of author keywords co-occurrence in RS OAJ. The main themes of RS OAJ are multi-spectral and hyperspectral remote sensing, LiDAR scanning and forestry remote sensing monitoring, MODIS and LAI data applications, Remote sensing applications and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). Through author keywords citation impact analysis, we find the most influential keyword is Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), followed, forestry, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), terrestrial laser scanning, airborne laser scanning, forestry inventory, urban heat island, monitoring, agriculture, and laser scanning. By analyzing the intellectual structure of RS OAJ, we identify the main reference publications and find that the themes are about Random Forests, MODIS vegetation indices and image analysis, etc. RS OAJ ranks first in cited journals and third in citing, this indicates that RS OAJ has the internal knowledge flow. Our results will bring more benefits to scholars, researchers and graduate students, who hopes to get a quick overview of the RS OAJ. And this article will also be the starting point for communication between scholars and practitioners. Finally, this paper proposed a nuanced h-index (nh-index) to measure productivity and intellectual contribution of authors by considering h-index based on whether the one is first, second, third, or nth author. This nuanced approach to determining h-index of authors is powerful indicator of an academician’s productivity and intellectual contribution.

Remote Sensing↗

USGS2024

Adaptable plasmonic membrane sensors for fast and reliable detection of trace low micrometer microplastics in lake water

In freshwater environments, low-micrometer microplastics (LMMPs) have captured significant attention due to their prevalence and toxicity. Yet, rapid detection of LMMPs (1–10 μm) at the single-particle level within complex freshwater matrices remains a hurdle. We developed an adaptable plasmonic membrane sensor for fast detection of individual LMMPs in eutrophic lake waters. The plasmonic membrane sensor functions both as a membrane filter and as a sensor for LMMP collection and analysis. Among the four types of membrane sensors, polycarbonate track-etch (PCTE) membrane sensors exhibit superior imaging quality for LMMPs due to their flat and homogeneous surfaces. Besides the significantly improved imaging contrast and reduced background interferences, the Raman intensity of LMMPs is enhanced by 48% ± 25% on PCTE membrane sensors compared to unmodified membranes. The increased Raman intensities of a chemical probe with an increasing gold layer thickness and a decreasing membrane pore size suggest a surface-enhanced Raman scattering effect from the membrane sensors. The membrane sensors achieve a detection limit of 1 μg/L and an ultrafast scanning time of 0.01 s for individual LMMPs across natural eutrophic lake water. The developed membrane sensors offer an adaptable tool for the swift and reliable detection of individual LMMPs in complex environmental matrices.

Environmental Science and Technology↗

USGS1999

Using imaging spectroscopy to map acidic mine waste

The process of pyrite oxidation at the surface of mine waste may produce acidic water that is gradually neutralized as it drains away from the waste, depositing different Fe-bearing secondary minerals in roughly concentric zones that emanate from mine-waste piles. These Fe-bearing minerals are indicators of the geochemical conditions under which they form. Airborne and orbital imaging spectrometers can be used to map these mineral zones because each of these Fe-bearing secondary minerals is spectrally unique. In this way, imaging spectroscopy can be used to rapidly screen entire mining districts for potential sources of surface acid drainage and to detect acid producing minerals in mine waste or unmined rock outcrops. Spectral data from the AVIRIS instrument were used to evaluate mine waste at the California Gulch Superfund Site near Leadville, CO. Laboratory leach tests of surface samples show that leachate pH is most acidic and metals most mobile in samples from the inner jarosite zone and that leachate pH is near-neutral and metals least mobile in samples from the outer goethite zone.

Environmental Science & Technology↗

USGS2012

State of the art satellite and airborne marine oil spill remote sensing: Application to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill

The vast and persistent Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill challenged response capabilities, which required accurate, quantitative oil assessment at synoptic and operational scales. Although experienced observers are a spill response's mainstay, few trained observers and confounding factors including weather, oil emulsification, and scene illumination geometry present challenges. DWH spill and impact monitoring was aided by extensive airborne and spaceborne passive and active remote sensing. Oil slick thickness and oil-to-water emulsion ratios are key spill response parameters for containment/cleanup and were derived quantitatively for thick (> 0.1 mm) slicks from AVIRIS (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer) data using a spectral library approach based on the shape and depth of near infrared spectral absorption features. MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) satellite, visible-spectrum broadband data of surface-slick modulation of sunglint reflection allowed extrapolation to the total slick. A multispectral expert system used a neural network approach to provide Rapid Response thickness class maps. Airborne and satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) provides synoptic data under all-sky conditions; however, SAR generally cannot discriminate thick (> 100 μm) oil slicks from thin sheens (to 0.1 μm). The UAVSAR's (Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle SAR) significantly greater signal-to-noise ratio and finer spatial resolution allowed successful pattern discrimination related to a combination of oil slick thickness, fractional surface coverage, and emulsification. In situ burning and smoke plumes were studied with AVIRIS and corroborated spaceborne CALIPSO (Cloud Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation) observations of combustion aerosols. CALIPSO and bathymetry lidar data documented shallow subsurface oil, although ancillary data were required for confirmation. Airborne hyperspectral, thermal infrared data have nighttime and overcast collection advantages and were collected as well as MODIS thermal data. However, interpretation challenges and a lack of Rapid Response Products prevented significant use. Rapid Response Products were key to response utilization—data needs are time critical; thus, a high technological readiness level is critical to operational use of remote sensing products. DWH's experience demonstrated that development and operationalization of new spill response remote sensing tools must precede the next major oil spill.

Remote Sensing of Environment↗

USGS2025

Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Version 4 product user guide

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is a multispectral imager that was launched on board the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Observing System (EOS) Terra Platform on December 18, 1999, and has been observing and collecting Earth observations for over 25 years. ASTER covers a wide spectral region from visible to thermal infrared, including 14 spectral bands with high spatial, spectral, and radiometric resolution. The spectral band passes are shown in Table 1.1. The wide spectral region is covered by three telescopes, (1) three Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer (VNIR) bands with a spatial resolution of 15 meters (m), (2) six Short Wave Infrared Radiometer (SWIR) bands with a spatial resolution of 30 m and (3) five Thermal Infrared Radiometer (TIR) bands with a spatial resolution of 90 m. Each of the three subsystems has a nadir-pointing telescope, and the VNIR subsystem has an additional backward pointing telescope that is used to see backward in the near infrared spectral band (band 3B) to obtain stereo coverage. Each ASTER acquisition (scene) covers an area of 60 x 60 km. ASTER is a partnership between NASA, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan, and Japan Space Systems (J-spacesystems). The Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) ingests, archives, processes, and distributes ASTER data.

Book↗

USGS2011

A working environment for digital planetary data processing and mapping using ISIS and GRASS GIS

Since the beginning of planetary exploration, mapping has been fundamental to summarize observations returned by scientific missions. Sensor-based mapping has been used to highlight specific features from the planetary surfaces by means of processing. Interpretative mapping makes use of instrumental observations to produce thematic maps that summarize observations of actual data into a specific theme. Geologic maps, for example, are thematic interpretative maps that focus on the representation of materials and processes and their relative timing. The advancements in technology of the last 30 years have allowed us to develop specialized systems where the mapping process can be made entirely in the digital domain. The spread of networked computers on a global scale allowed the rapid propagation of software and digital data such that every researcher can now access digital mapping facilities on his desktop. The efforts to maintain planetary missions data accessible to the scientific community have led to the creation of standardized digital archives that facilitate the access to different datasets by software capable of processing these data from the raw level to the map projected one. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been developed to optimize the storage, the analysis, and the retrieval of spatially referenced Earth based environmental geodata; since the last decade these computer programs have become popular among the planetary science community, and recent mission data start to be distributed in formats compatible with these systems. Among all the systems developed for the analysis of planetary and spatially referenced data, we have created a working environment combining two software suites that have similar characteristics in their modular design, their development history, their policy of distribution and their support system. The first, the Integrated Software for Imagers and Spectrometers (ISIS) developed by the United States Geological Survey, represents the state of the art for processing planetary remote sensing data, from the raw unprocessed state to the map projected product. The second, the Geographic Resources Analysis Support System (GRASS) is a Geographic Information System developed by an international team of developers, and one of the core projects promoted by the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo). We have worked on enabling the combined use of these software systems throughout the set-up of a common user interface, the unification of the cartographic reference system nomenclature and the minimization of data conversion. Both software packages are distributed with free open source licenses, as well as the source code, scripts and configuration files hereafter presented. In this paper we describe our work done to merge these working environments into a common one, where the user benefits from functionalities of both systems without the need to switch or transfer data from one software suite to the other one. Thereafter we provide an example of its usage in the handling of planetary data and the crafting of a digital geologic map. ?? 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2022

Fifty years of Landsat science and impacts

Since 1972, the Landsat program has been continually monitoring the Earth, to now provide 50 years of digital, multispectral, medium spatial resolution observations. Over this time, Landsat data were crucial for many scientific and technical advances. Prior to the Landsat program, detailed, synoptic depictions of the Earth's surface were rare, and the ability to acquire and work with large datasets was limited. The early years of the Landsat program delivered a series of technological breakthroughs, pioneering new methods, and demonstrating the ability and capacity of digital satellite imagery, creating a template for other global Earth observation missions and programs. Innovations driven by the Landsat program have paved the way for subsequent science, application, and policy support activities. The economic and scientific value of the knowledge gained through the Landsat program has been long recognized, and despite periods of funding uncertainty, has resulted in the program's 50 years of continuity, as well as substantive and ongoing improvements to payload and mission performance. Free and open access to Landsat data, enacted in 2008, was unprecedented for medium spatial resolution Earth observation data and substantially increased usage and led to a proliferation of science and application opportunities. Here, we highlight key developments over the past 50 years of the Landsat program that have influenced and changed our scientific understanding of the Earth system. Major scientific and programmatic impacts have been realized in the areas of agricultural crop mapping and water use, climate change drivers and impacts, ecosystems and land cover monitoring, and mapping the changing human footprint. The introduction of Landsat collection processing, coupled with the free and open data policy, facilitated a transition in Landsat data usage away from single images and towards time series analyses over large areas and has fostered the widespread use of science-grade data. The launch of Landsat-9 on September 27, 2021, and the advanced planning of its successor mission, Landsat-Next, underscore the sustained institutional support for the program. Such support and commitment to continuity is recognition of both the historic impact the program, and the future potential to build upon Landsat's remarkable 50-year legacy.

Remote Sensing of Environment↗

USGS1998

North American landscape characterization project: The production of a continental scale three-decade Landsat data set

The North American Landscape Characterization (NALC) project is a component of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Landsat Pathfinder program. Pathfinder projects are focused on the investigation of global change utilizing current remote sensing technologies. The NALC project is a cooperative effort between the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and NASA to make Landsat data available to the widest possible user community for scientific research and general public interest. The NALC project is principally funded by the EPA Office of Research and Development and the USGS's Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Data Center (EDC). The objectives of the NALC project are to produce standardized remote sensing data sets, develop standardized analysis methods, and derive standardized land cover change products for a large portion of the North American continent (the conterminous United States and Mexico) (Lunetta and Sturdevant, 1993). The standard product is the NALC “triplicate”;, consisting of co‐registered Landsat multispectral scanner data for the years 1973, 1986, and 1991 (plus or minus one year), plus co‐registered 3 arcsecond digital terrain elevation data. Processing began with the 1986 scene, which was precision corrected (with full terrain correction) to a 60 meter Universal Transverse Mercator base. Automated cross‐correlation procedures were used to co‐register the 1970's and 1990's data to the 1980's base, and independent verifications of registration quality were performed on all triplicate components. The pertinent metadata were compiled in a relational database, which includes WRS2 path/rows, scene ID's, image dates, solar azimuth and elevation, verification RMSE's, and the number of verification control points. NALC triplicate data sets are being used for a number of applications, including the analysis of urbanization patterns, dynamics of climatic fluctuations, deforestation studies, and vegetation classification and mapping. These data are being distributed through the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Information Management System (IMS) at a cost of $15(U.S.) for each triplicate.

Geocarto International↗

USGS1998

Mapping the global land surface using 1 km AVHRR data

The scientific requirements for mapping the global land surface using 1 km advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) data have been set forth by the U.S. Global Change Research Program; the International Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP); The United Nations; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); the Committee on Earth Observations Satellites; and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mission to planet Earth (MTPE) program. Mapping the global land surface using 1 km AVHRR data is an international effort to acquire, archive, process, and distribute 1 km AVHRR data to meet the needs of the international science community. A network of AVHRR receiving stations, along with data recorded by NOAA, has been acquiring daily global land coverage since April 1, 1992. A data set of over 70,000 AVHRR images is archived and distributed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) EROS Data Center, and the European Space Agency. Under the guidance of the IGBP, processing standards have been developed for calibration, atmospheric correction, geometric registration, and the production of global 10-day maximum normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) composites. The major uses of the composites are for the study of surface vegetation condition, mapping land cover, and deriving biophysical characteristics of terrestrial ecosystems. A time-series of 54 10-day global vegetation index composites for the period of April 1, 1992 through September 1993 has been produced. The production of a time-series of 33 10-day global vegetation index composites using NOAA-14 data for the period of February 1, 1995 through December 31, 1995 is underway. The data products are available from the USGS, in cooperation with NASA's MTPE program and other international organizations.

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