Seeing a tornado track with Landsat imagery

We have looked at the paths of destruction caused by tornadoes in Google Earth imagery a number of times before. Nearly every one of the tornadoes we have looked at in the US occurred in the months of April or May, which appears to be peak tornado season in the US. Tornadoes can, however, occur at any time of year and due to the unseasonably warm weather the US has been having recently there were several tornadoes just before Christmas.

We came across this story, which says that one of the tornadoes had a record long track for the month of December. Google has not yet released any December imagery so we wondered if it would be visible in Landsat imagery. We used the technique described in this post to get a relatively low resolution Landsat image of the area captured on December 24th, the day after the tornado struck and found we were able to just make out the path of the tornado. We also downloaded the higher resolution version of the Landsat data and processed it with software from GeoSage as described in this post.


We were able to trace out the path of the tornado a distance of around 92 km (57 miles). News reports, however, mention damage to property quite some distance from both ends of the visible track (from Clarksdale, Mississippi to Lutts, Arkansas) reaching at least double that distance.

A section of the track as seen in Landsat 8 imagery. Can you see it?

Keep in mind that Landsat imagery has a resolution of about 30m per pixel. The visible track of the tornado is over a kilometre wide in places.

Shown above is only a part of the visible track. For the full track and two different versions of the Landsat imagery (cropped and compressed to keep the file sizes down) download this KML file. The KML also includes markers relating to some news stories and links to YouTube videos of the tornado or other tornadoes in the vicinity.

About Timothy Whitehead
Timothy has been using Google Earth since 2004 when it was still called Keyhole before it was renamed Google Earth in 2005 and has been a huge fan ever since. He is a programmer working forRed Wing Aerobatx and lives in Cape Town, South Africa.

Source: Google Earth Blog

Finding Where U.S. Forests Have Been Undisturbed for a Quarter Century

Forest in Yellowstone National Park

Dr. Chengquan Huang is a Research Professor in the University of Maryland’s Geographical Sciences Department. This afternoon at the 2015 AGU Fall Meeting, Dr. Huang presented a poster explaining where to find U.S. forests that have been undisturbed for last 25 years. His research relied on Landsat to both find these forests and understand forest disturbance trends in the U.S.

Figure 1. High concentrations of undisturbed forests are distributed mostly in the northeast, north central, and western U.S., often along ecoregion boundaries. Image credit: Huang et al.

Presentation title:Where are the forests in the United States “not disturbed” over a quarter century?

Figure 2. Percent forest remaining undisturbed (PFUD) within a time interval decreased following an exponential decay function in the conterminous U.S. and each of its four regions as the time interval increased. Image credit: Huang et al.

• About 1.7 million square kilometers, or two thirds of 2.6 million square kilometers of forest in the conterminous U.S. did not experience any detectable natural or anthropogenic disturbance during the quarter century between 1986 and 2010 (see figure 1)
• The northern states in the eastern U.S. have the highest percentage of forest remaining undisturbed, while those in the south have the lowest values
• At any given time interval, the percentage of forest remaining undisturbed decreases following an exponential decay function as the time interval increases (see figure 2)
• If forest disturbance rates remain relatively stable over time, the conterminous U.S. would have less than 20% forest remaining undisturbed in 100 years, which would become less than 4% in 200 years
• Management approaches aimed at reducing timber harvest rates in the south and mitigating fire risks in the west are needed in order to maintain higher levels of undisturbed forests.

What insight did you gain from Landsat that would have been impossible to glean otherwise?

• Without Landsat, we wouldn’t be able quantify the amount of forest undisturbed over multiple decades at local, regional, state, and national scales;
• We wouldn’t be able to reveal that the percentage of forest remaining undisturbed at any given time interval decreases following an exponential decay function as the time interval increases, and therefore wouldn’t be able to estimate how much forest would remain undisturbed over multiple centuries.

What are the major implications of your findings?

• Old growth forests (> 100-200 years): mostly in the north and west, very little in the south, may constrain the distribution of species that favor old growth forests;
• Forest carbon stock: because old growth forests typically have higher carbon density than young forests, the south have more potential to increase its forest carbon stock than other forested regions in conterminous U.S.;
• Management approaches aimed at reducing timber harvest rates in the south and mitigating fire risks in the west are needed in order to increase and maintain higher levels of undisturbed forests.

Source: NASA/Lansat images

Over 150 Landsat Images Provided to the International Charter in September 2015

The International Charter is a system that supplies free satellite imagery to emergency responders anywhere in the world.

The Charter concept is this: a single phone number is made available to authorized parties providing 24/7 contact to a person who can activate the charter. Once activated, a project manager takes charge. The project manager knows what satellite resources are available, how to task them to collect data, and how to quickly analyze the collected data to create impact maps for first responders. These maps, provided to responders for free, often show where the damage is and where crisis victims are, allowing responders to plan and execute relief support.

You can think of the Charter as a one-stop-shop for impact maps—an essential resource, since in many cases satellite data are the only practical method to assess current ground conditions after a disaster.

This month, 164 Landsat scenes were ingested by the USGS Hazard Data Distribution System to provide data for Charter activations including:
+ Fire in Russia
+ Flood in Myanmar
+ Earthquake in Chile
+ Flood in Turkey
+ Flood in Viet Nam

The USGS HDDS also provided 98 Landsat scenes for:
+ Landslide in Alaska
+ Colorado spill
+ Kilauea volcano in Hawaii
+ Indonesian Volcano
+ Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador.
+ Fires in California, Idaho, Washington, and Alaska
In active events:
+ Storm in Georgia

Details from the USGS Hazard Data Distribution System’s RSS feed for Charter activations:On 2015-09-28 05:26:11, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201509_Earthquake_CHL
On 2015-09-28 05:24:15, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Landslide_MMR
On 2015-09-25 04:52:52, 2 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Earthquake_CHL
On 2015-09-24 05:06:49, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Flood_TUR
On 2015-09-14 05:02:11, 6 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-14 04:50:25, 6 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-14 04:44:27, 12 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-11 05:47:34, 3 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-11 05:46:13, 12 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-11 05:45:26, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Landslide_MMR
On 2015-09-11 05:39:10, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Flood_BGD
On 2015-09-11 05:33:55, 3 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-10 04:57:35, 6 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-09 10:15:45, 3 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Flood_BGD
On 2015-09-09 10:08:18, 5 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-08 13:36:00, 4 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Flood_BGD
On 2015-09-08 13:30:09, 9 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Flood_BGD
On 2015-09-08 09:50:13, 8 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-08 08:00:54, 13 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-08 07:21:19, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Flood_TUR
On 2015-09-08 07:01:51, 14 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-04 07:37:52, 6 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-04 07:37:25, 7 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-03 05:13:05, 7 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-03 05:11:37, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Landslide_VNM
On 2015-09-03 05:05:57, 3 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-02 08:06:51, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-02 07:49:10, 5 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-02 07:33:52, 7 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS
On 2015-09-02 07:32:00, 1 LANDSAT-7 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Landslide_VNM
On 2015-09-01 10:48:24, 3 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Landslide_MMR
On 2015-09-01 07:51:08, 6 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_RUS

Landsat data ingested by HDDS for non-charter activations:On 2015-09-29 05:06:06, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Spill_CO
On 2015-09-29 04:32:32, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201509_Fire_CA
On 2015-09-29 04:30:35, 1 LANDSAT-7 scene was ingested for event: 201509_Fire_CA
On 2015-09-28 05:25:35, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Fire_CA
On 2015-09-28 05:20:04, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201507_Volcano_Cotopaxi_ECU
On 2015-09-28 05:17:01, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201409_Volcano_Kilauea_HI
On 2015-09-28 05:17:01, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201409_Volcano_Kilauea_HI
On 2015-09-28 05:15:34, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Fire_CA
On 2015-09-28 05:13:37, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Storm_MI
On 2015-09-28 05:11:19, 1 LANDSAT-7 scene was ingested for event: 201311_Volcano_Indonesia
On 2015-09-28 05:08:58, 1 LANDSAT-7 scene was ingested for event: 201509_Fire_CA
On 2015-09-25 04:54:42, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Landslide_AK
On 2015-09-24 05:06:14, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Spill_CO
On 2015-09-24 05:02:20, 1 LANDSAT-7 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Landslide_AK
On 2015-09-24 05:01:58, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201502_Storm_GA
On 2015-09-24 04:58:46, 1 LANDSAT-7 scene was ingested for event: 201507_Volcano_Cotopaxi_ECU
On 2015-09-23 04:47:30, 1 LANDSAT-7 scene was ingested for event: 201502_Storm_GA
On 2015-09-21 04:04:28, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201409_Volcano_Kilauea_HI
On 2015-09-21 04:00:30, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201409_Volcano_Kilauea_HI
On 2015-09-21 03:56:13, 2 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201409_Volcano_Kilauea_HI
On 2015-09-14 05:08:42, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201509_Fire_CA
On 2015-09-14 04:56:43, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Storm_MI
On 2015-09-14 04:49:40, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201409_Volcano_Kilauea_HI
On 2015-09-14 04:49:40, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201409_Volcano_Kilauea_HI
On 2015-09-14 04:43:18, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201507_Volcano_Cotopaxi_ECU
On 2015-09-14 04:38:18, 1 LANDSAT-7 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Spill_CO
On 2015-09-14 04:37:13, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201409_Volcano_Kilauea_HI
On 2015-09-14 04:37:13, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201409_Volcano_Kilauea_HI
On 2015-09-14 04:35:16, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Spill_CO
On 2015-09-14 04:33:06, 2 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Storm_MI
On 2015-09-14 04:30:53, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Hurricane_Erika_PRI
On 2015-09-14 04:28:46, 2 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Hurricane_Erika_PRI
On 2015-09-10 04:55:27, 2 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Spill_CO
On 2015-09-09 10:31:17, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Landslide_AK
On 2015-09-09 10:09:45, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Fire_CA
On 2015-09-08 10:01:33, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Fire_CA
On 2015-09-08 09:51:30, 1 LANDSAT-7 scene was ingested for event: 201502_Storm_GA
On 2015-09-08 07:12:57, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Fire_AK
On 2015-09-08 07:04:04, 2 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201409_Volcano_Kilauea_HI
On 2015-09-08 07:04:04, 2 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201409_Volcano_Kilauea_HI
On 2015-09-08 07:03:33, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Fire_WA
On 2015-09-08 06:58:20, 4 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Spill_CO
On 2015-09-08 06:52:18, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Storm_MI
On 2015-09-08 06:49:54, 2 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Fire_WA
On 2015-09-08 06:48:49, 1 LANDSAT-7 scene was ingested for event: 201509_Fire_ID
On 2015-09-08 06:44:27, 2 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Fire_CA
On 2015-09-08 06:43:56, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201502_Storm_GA
On 2015-09-08 06:41:54, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201311_Volcano_Indonesia
On 2015-09-08 06:39:46, 1 LANDSAT-7 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Fire_ID
On 2015-09-08 06:32:48, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Hurricane_Erika_PRI
On 2015-09-08 06:31:10, 1 LANDSAT-7 scene was ingested for event: 201507_Volcano_Cotopaxi_ECU
On 2015-09-04 07:19:14, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201409_Volcano_Kilauea_HI
On 2015-09-04 07:19:14, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201409_Volcano_Kilauea_HI
On 2015-09-04 07:12:34, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201506_Storm_Midwest_US
On 2015-09-04 07:10:13, 2 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Fire_WA
On 2015-09-04 07:07:27, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201507_Volcano_Cotopaxi_ECU
On 2015-09-03 05:06:32, 2 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201509_Fire_CA
On 2015-09-03 05:03:07, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201409_Volcano_Kilauea_HI
On 2015-09-03 05:03:07, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201409_Volcano_Kilauea_HI
On 2015-09-03 05:01:31, 2 LANDSAT-7 scenes were ingested for event: 201506_Storm_Midwest_US
On 2015-09-03 04:58:20, 1 LANDSAT-7 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Storm_MI
On 2015-09-03 04:57:41, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201509_Fire_CA
On 2015-09-02 07:47:39, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201506_Storm_Midwest_US
On 2015-09-01 08:01:45, 2 LANDSAT-8 scenes were ingested for event: 201508_Fire_WA
On 2015-09-01 07:54:32, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201311_Volcano_Indonesia
On 2015-09-01 07:49:11, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Fire_AK
On 2015-09-01 07:47:05, 1 LANDSAT-8 scene was ingested for event: 201508_Fire_ID

Source: Landsat Science

Klyuchevskaya Erupts!

acquired October 20, 2013    download large image (5 MB, JPEG, 5530x3687)
acquired October 20, 2013    download GeoTIFF file (31 MB, TIFF)

acquired October 20, 2013    download large image (14 MB, JPEG, 11060x7373)

acquired October 20, 2013    download GeoTIFF file (96 MB, TIFF)


Located on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, Klyuchevskaya (also spelled Kliuchevskoi) is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. More than 100 flank eruptions have occurred at the stratovolcano in the past 3,000 years, according to Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program. Twelve confirmed eruptions have occurred since 2000.

Klyuchevskaya has been erupting since August 15, 2013, though the intensity of activity surged in October. TheKamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) reported a thick plume of ash and steam streaming from the summit on October 11. Subsequent days brought explosive eruptions, lava fountains, and volcanic tremors. At times, the ash plume rose from the summit (elevation 5 kilometers, or 16,000 feet) up to 7.5 to 10 kilometers (24,000 to 32,000 feet).

When the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 flew over in the afternoon on October 20, multiple lava flows streamed down Klyuchevskaya northern and western flanks. The top, false-color image above shows heat from the flows in shortwave-infrared, near-infrared, and green light. Ash, water clouds, and steam appear gray, while snow and ice are bright blue-green. Bare rock and fresh volcanic deposits are nearly black. In the wider natural-color (red, green, blue) image, snow and clouds are white, the ash plume is light gray, and forests (with trees tall enough to stand above the snow cover) are dark brown.

While the most explosive activity had subsided by October 20,, lava flows continue and Klyuchevskaya remains seismically active. Follow KVERT for ongoing, daily updates. See more Klyuchevskaya imagery in our Natural Hazards section.

References
Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (2013, October 21) Kamchatka and the Northern Kuriles volcanoes: Erupting or Restless. Accessed October 24, 2013.
Smithsonian Institution/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report (2013, October 22) Activity for the week of 16 October–22 October. Accessed October 24, 2013.
Eruptions Blog, Wired magazine (2013, October 24) Kliuchevskoi Accessed October 24, 2013.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Robert Simmon, using Landsat data from the USGS Earth Explorer. Caption by Adam Voiland and Robert Simmon.Instrument(s): Landsat 8 - OLI

Source

Landsat Program: Satellite Imagery Data and Bands

Imagine being able to look back forty years at any given place – at any given time – and see how it’s changed. How much would you pay for that?

The Landsat program is an archive of Earth images. It is a series of satellites that have become a national treasure.

There’s a commitment to Landsat data to ensure there’s continuity. This is why Landsat-8 has been named the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM).

A Landsat scene collected at this moment may have little value. But 100 years from now, there might be a burning question at a given place. This information exists and it’s for the world to access.

Today, you can take a picture back in time from Landsat-1 since 1972. If this doesn’t blow your mind, I don’t know what would.

The Landsat Program Timeline: Landsat-1 to Landsat-9
There’s been 8 Landsat satellites. One of them didn’t make it in orbit but the other seven satellites did. Landsat-9 is planned in 2023.
It all began with Landsat-1 in 1972.

Its name changed from Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS), to Landsat. Landsat-8 is called the Landsat Data Continuity Mission.

Landsat-1It all began with Landsat-1 in 1972. Landsat-1 paved the way as being the 1st Earth observation satellite of the Landsat program - the longest space-based Earth observation program on the planet.

Landsat-21975 marked the launch of the 2nd Landsat mission. Landsat-2 was equipped with a Return Beam Vidicon (RBV) and a Multispectral Scanner (MSS) - green, red and two NIR bands (60 m resolution).

Landsat-3Landsat-3 was nearly identical to its predecessors. Landsat-3 was the first satellite of the Landsat program to be equipped with a thermal band, which shortly failed after launch.

Landsat-4Landsat-4 added the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor with 7 spectral bands - blue, green, red, NIR-1, NIR-2, thermal and mid-infrared at 30 meter resolution.

Landsat-5Landsat-5 operated for nearly 30 years, holding the world record for longest Earth-observing satellite mission in history. Landsat-5 images are consistent with its predecessor.

Landsat-6Landsat-6 failed to reach orbit in 1993. It was set to carry the Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM) which added a 15 meter resolution panchromatic band.

Landsat-7Landsat-7 consists of blue, green, red, NIR-1, NIR-2, thermal and mid-infrared bands at 30m resolution and a 15m panchromatic band (Enhanced Thematic Mapper ETM+)

Landsat-8Landsat-8 added an Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) sensors. These sensors combine to generate 11 total spectral bands at 15, 30 and 100 m resolutions.

Landsat-9NASA and USGS have started planning the launch of Landsat 9 with a launch year of 2023. Landsat-9 will extend the Earth-observing program to half a century.

Landsat Satellite Band Designations
Landsat has persistently enhanced the number of spectral bands and spatial resolution over the years.

From Landsat-1 to 3, the multispectral scanner collected data in four bands at 60 meter resolution. But over time, spectral and spatial resolution has gradually sharpened. Landsat-8 collects 11 spectral bands varying from 15 meter to 100 meter resolution.

Here are the Landsat satellite band designations:

Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager & Thermal Infrared Sensor

Band Number Description Wavelength Resolution

• Band 1 Coastal / Aerosol 0.433 to 0.453 µm 30 meter
• Band 2 Visible blue 0.450 to 0.515 µm 30 meter
• Band 3 Visible green 0.525 to 0.600 µm 30 meter
• Band 4 Visible red 0.630 to 0.680 µm 30 meter
• Band 5 Near-infrared 0.845 to 0.885 µm 30 meter
• Band 6 Short wavelength infrared 1.56 to 1.66 µm 30 meter
• Band 7 Short wavelength infrared 2.10 to 2.30 µm 60 meter
• Band 8 Panchromatic 0.50 to 0.68 µm 15 meter
• Band 9 Cirrus 1.36 to 1.39 µm 30 meter
• Band 10 Long wavelength infrared 10.3 to 11.3 µm 100 meter
• Band 11 Long wavelength infrared 11.5 to 12.5 µm 100 meter

Operational Land Imager (OLI) generates 9 spectral bands (Band 1 to 9) and is onboard Landsat-8. OLI images can discriminates vegetation types, cultural features, biomass and vigor, etc.

Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) consists of 2 thermal bands with a spatial resolution of 100 meters. TIRS measures Earth’s thermal energy particularly useful for tracking how land and water are being used.

Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper

Band Number Description Wavelength Resolution

• Band 1 Visible blue 0.45 to 0.52 µm 30 meter
• Band 2 Visible green 0.52 to 0.60 µm 30 meter
• Band 3 Visible red 0.63 to 0.69 µm 30 meter
• Band 4 Near-infrared 0.76 to 0.90 µm 30 meter
• Band 5 Near-infrared 1.55 to 1.75 µm 30 meter
• Band 6 Thermal 10.4 to 12.3 µm 60 meter
• Band 7 Mid-infrared 2.08 to 2.35 µm 30 meter
• Band 8 Panchromatic 0.52 to 0.90 µm 15 meter

Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) is a sensor equipped on Landsat-7. It generates 8 spectral bands in blue, green, red, NIR and mid-infrared (MIR). Bands 1-5 and 7 have 30 meter resolution. The panchromatic (band 8) has 15 m resolution. The thermal band has 60 meter resolution.

Landsat-5 & 4 Thematic Mapper

Band Number Description Wavelength Resolution

• Band 1 Visible blue 0.45 to 0.52 µm 30 meter
• Band 2 Visible green 0.52 to 0.60 µm 30 meter
• Band 3 Visible red 0.63 to 0.69 µm 30 meter
• Band 4 Near-infrared 0.76 to 0.90 µm 30 meter
• Band 5 Short-wave infrared 1.55 to 1.75 µm 30 meter
• Band 6 Thermal 10.4 to 12.3 µm 120 meter
• Band 7 Short-wave infrared 2.08 to 2.35 µm 30 meter

Thematic Mapper (TM) was a high-resolution scanner on Landsat satellites (Landsat 4 and 5). It collected images in visible, near infrared, mid infrared and thermal bands with a spatial resolution of 30 meters.

Landsat-3, 2 & 1 Multispectral Scanner

Band Number Description Wavelength Resolution

• Band 4 Visible green 0.5 to 0.6 µm 60 meter
• Band 5 Visible red 0.6 to 0.7 µm 60 meter
• Band 6 Near infrared 0.7 to 0.8 µm 60 meter
• Band 7 Near infrared 0.8 to 1.1 µm 60 meter

Multispectral Scanner (MSS) collected data in green, red and two near-infrared bands with a 60 meter pixel size. The swath width was 185 km with 18 day repeat coverage.

More Information: USGS Landsat Band Designations

How to Download Landsat Imagery

It’s almost too good to be true. Not only does Landsat data span over 40 years, but it’s also global and freely available. It doesn’t get much better than this.

How can you get your hands on Landsat data?
The USGS has developed a simple, intuitive webmap interface called the USGS Earth Explorer. Users can create their area of interest and search through 40 years of Landsat data.

Here’s how to do it:

Create an account for the USGS Earth Explorer. (Don’t worry it’s free and painless.)
Enter a place-name, coordinates or draw an area of interest in the search criteria tab
Filter Landsat Archive, Landsat CDR, Landsat Legacy or Landsat MRLC imagery in the Data Sets tab.
Filter cloud cover, spacecraft or day/night in the Additional Criteria tab.
Ensure the footprint and date are sufficient and download Landsat data
Where can I download Landsat-1 data?
All of the Landsat program data since 1972 can be explored and downloaded from the USGS Earth Explorer

History & Future of Landsat: Landsat-1 to Landsat-9
From Landsat-1 to 8, the Landsat program has been a collaborative effort betweenNASA (who is generally responsible for the launch) and the US Geological Survey (USGS) (who is generally in charge of operating, receiving and archiving the data.)

Landsat launch sites have always been the Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Landsat-1

Landsat-1 was never meant to be named Landsat-1. It was actually 

first named Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS). But we now call it Landsat-1. In 1972, Landsat-1 paved the way as being the first Earth observation satellite of the Landsat program – which is THE longest running space-based Earth observation program on the planet.

Launch date: July 23, 1972
Deactivated: January 6, 1978
What was the name of the island discovered by Landsat-1 in Canada?
It was named “Landsat Island” shortly after it was found by Landsat-1. It was found off the northeast coast of Labrador during analysis of Landsat-1 imagery.

Landsat-2

Landsat-2 was the second mission of the Landsat program and was launched on January 22, 1975. It was equipped with a Return Beam Vidicon (RBV) and a Multispectral Scanner (MSS). The MSS collected data in green, red and two near-infrared bands. The swath width was 185 km with 18 day repeat coverage.

Launch date: January 22, 1975
Deactivated: February 25, 1982
What is the resolution of Landsat-1 imagery?
The green, red and near-infrared bands have a resolution of 60 meters representing a single pixel.

Landsat-3

Landsat-3 was the first satellite of the Landsat program to beequipped with a thermal band. Although, this instrument failed shortly after the launch, Landsat-3 was able to collect multispectral data in green, red and two near-infrared bands. In total, it took Landsat-3 about 18 days to scan the entire Earth.

Launch date: March 5, 1978
Deactivated: March 31, 1983
Are there any differences between Landsat-1/2 and Landsat-3?
Yes. The key difference is that Landsat-3 had a thermal band. The thermal band malfunctioned during the start of the mission.

Landsat-4

Landsat-4 is the fourth mission of the Landsat program and was the first satellite in the Landsat program to incorporate theThematic Mapper (TM) sensor. The Landsat TM sensor gathers seven bands of data. This is superior to the four bands of data collected from the multispectral scanner in Landsat-1, 2 and 3. In addition to the three additional bands, spatial resolution has also improved. Bands 1–5 and 7 each have a spatial resolution of 30 meters. Band 6 (Thermal infrared band) has a maximum spatial resolution of 120 meters. It took Landsat-4 approximately 16 days with a 185 km swath to scan the entire surface of the Earth.

Launch date: July 16, 1982
Deactivated: December 14, 1993
What is the Thematic Mapper?
The Thematic Mapper (TM) on Landsat-4 revolutionized the Landsat satellite. Instead of three spectral bands collected by Landsat-1/2/3’s multispectral sensor, Landsat 4’s Thematic Mapper collects seven. The sharpened pixels (30m image resolution) on Landsat-4 has also greatly increased. This gives scientists a better understand of Earth’s features.
What is the resolution of Landsat-4 imagery?
The green, red, blue, mid-infrared and near-infrared bands have a resolution of 30 meters. The thermal band is coarser (120m).

Landsat-5

I don’t think there is anyone who can explain why Landsat-5 was so durable. Landsat-5 is recognized in the Guinness World Records for the longest operating Earth observation satellite in history operating for nearly 30 years. With a three-year design life, no one could have imagined its longevity a quarter of a century after. Landsat-5 collected imagery for major events including Chernobyl, the devastating tsunami in South Asia, devastating snowstorms in Quebec, the Birmingham Tornado in 1998 and deforestation in tropical regions.

Launch date: March 1, 1984
Deactivated: June 5, 2013
Is it true that the Landsat-5 mission was the longest running satellite in space?
Yes. Landsat-5 was launched in 1984 and deactivated in 2013. Incredibly, this makes almost 30 years in orbit – a Guinness World Record.
What are the spectral bands and resolution of Landsat-5?
The blue, green, red, mid-infrared and near-infrared bands have a resolution of 30 meters. The thermal band is a 120 meter resolution.

Landsat-6
Unfortunately, Landsat-6 was the only satellite in the Landsat program that failed to reach orbit. A press release from NOAA attributes a ruptured manifold to be the primary reason for its failure. This rupture prevented fuel from reaching the satellites stabilizing engines. Landsat-6 was supposed to scan the Earth with the upgraded version of TM – Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM). This would add a 15 meter panchromatic band. The other 7 spectral bands remained 30 meters ground resolution.
What were the technical details of Landsat-6?
More information on this satellite is available at NASA’s National Space Science Data Center: Landsat-6
What happened to Landsat-6?
NOAA attributed the failure to a ruptured manifold. This rupture prevented fuel from reaching the satellites stabilizing engines.

Landsat-7

Landsat-7 is the 7th satellite of the Landsat program. Landsat-7’s primary instrument is the Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+). ETM+ added a panchromatic band with 15 m ground resolution (band 8). Landsat-7 continues to capture visible (reflected light) bands in the spectrum of blue, green, red, near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) with 30m spatial resolution (bands 1-5, 7). Landsat-7 also has a thermal infrared channel with 60m spatial resolution (band 6). In May 2003, there was a mechanical failure in the Scan Line Corrector (SLC). Landsat-7 images resulted in partially missing data because of the SLC failure.

Launch date: April 15, 1999
Deactivated: Remains in orbit
What is the Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) on Landsat-7?
The Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) added a panchromatic band which spans the entire visible spectrum. The panchromatic band has 15 meter resolution pixels.
What are the effects of the malfunction in the Scan Line Corrector (SLC)?
Approximately 20% of Landsat-7 images will be missing as a result of the SLC malfunction.

Landsat-8

Landsat-8 has also been named the Landsat Data Continuity Mission because the continuity of observations of Earth from space is a critical part of the science of land use and climate change of our transforming planet. Landsat-8 was launched on February 11, 2013 from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Landsat-8’s primary two sensors are the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS). These two instruments combine to generate 11 total spectral bands. Seven of the eleven spectral bands are basically consistent with ETM+ found on Landsat-7. Landsat-8 bands are coastal, blue, green, red, NIR, SWIR-1, SWIR-2 and cirrus. These 8 bands have a ground resolution of 30 meters. The panchromatic band spans a larger spectral range and has a resolution of 15 meters. Two new bands (band 10 & 11) from TIRS are long wavelength infrared. These bands have a coarser resolution of 100 meters.

Launch Date: February 11, 2013
Deactivated: Remains in orbit
What are the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) sensors on Landsat-8?
These two instruments combine to generate 11 total spectral bands. These bands consist of the following: coastal, blue, green, red, NIR, SWIR-1, SWIR-2, cirrus, panchromatic and 2 long wavelength bands.
Why was Landsat-8 originally named the Landsat Data Continuity Mission?
Landsat 8 officially began normal operations on May 30, 2013, when the leadership for satellite operations transferred from NASA to the U.S. Geological Survey. With the hand-off, the name of the satellite changed from the Landsat Data Continuity Mission to Landsat 8.nasa.gov

Landsat-9
NASA and USGS are working on Landsat 9 for an expected launch in 2023. The launch of Landsat-9 will extend Landsat program’s record length to half a century. Because Landsat provides consistent images of the Earth, Landsat-9 will largely replicate its predecessor Landsat 8.

Expected Launch Date: 2023
What spectral bands and other details are there on Landsat-9?
Landsat-9 will consist of optical and thermal sensors comparable to the OLI and TIRS instruments.

Landsat Program Uses and Applications
Landsat along with GPS and weather satellites have been deemed the three most critical types of Earth orbiting satellites by the White House. This is because they’re used for civil applications to grow the economy and in research.

We are just starting to understand the value of Landsat when scientists examine the retreat of mountain glaciers. This may have not been understood 40 years ago.

But it’s not only environmental change is making an impact:
Insurance companies use Landsat to understand seeded crops and fight insurance fraud.
Firefighters assess the severity of wildfires to better concentrate efforts.
Ecologists track deforestation in South America’s rainforests.
Water managers monitor irrigation of crops in the United States
Urban planners watch the growth of cities worldwide.

Landsat offers a chance like no other to better understand data-driven industries and natural resource science.

Agricultural, forestry, geology, hydrology, geography, cartography, environment, climatology, oceanography and meteorology – Landsat plays a role in all of these sectors and more.

Read more:
100 Earth-Shattering Remote Sensing Applications & Uses
Landsat Uses and Applications


Other InformationWhat is the Landsat program website?
The official Landsat Program website is NASA’s Landsat Satellite Program webpage.

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Mapbox’s Landsat-live project: Maps with the most up-to-date Satellite imagery

By Muthukumar Kumar



The Landsat program from USGS/NASA is certainly the most iconic Earth Observation program ever. Not only does it provide the longest continuous space-based record of Earth but the Landsat program also democratized access to satellite imagery, enabling researchers across the world to use latest satellite imagery for various Remote sensing and GIS studies. (Read more: Landsat 8 Captures dramatic details of the Earth; will push the Earth – Monitoring Envelope).

Although Landsat satellite imagery have been available for the public for a while now, we haven’t had a project that can be considered as the OpenSatelliteImagery project, well until now. Mapbox has changed that with Landsat-live, a geoawesome project that utilizes the latest Landsat 8 data is publicly available on Amazon Web Service via the Landsat on AWS Public Data Set.

Chicago March 11, 2015 (Landsat 8 imagery via Mapbox Landsat-live)

With every pixel captured within the past 32 days, Landsat-live features the freshest imagery possible around the entire planet. – Camilla Mahon, Mapbox blog

Finally, a project that lets us understand how the planet changes in weeks, instead of the picture perfect – sunny, green satellite imagery that we are so used to by now thanks to Google Earth and other similar projects. Mapbox’s Landsat-live is going to help showcase the big gap between how we perceive the world in our maps with satellite imagery overlays and how it actually is. And of course, Mapbox choose to overlay the satellite imagery with OpenStreetMap data.

Chennai, India

With a 30 meter resolution, a 16 day revisit rate, and 10 multispectral bands, this imagery can be used to check the health of agricultural fields, the latest update on a natural disaster, or the progression of deforestation. – Camilla Mahon, Mapbox blog

Besides the Earth Observation projects that Landsat-live would make possible, I am sure it is not going to be long before someone decide to create the next Geoguessr with this project. Satguessr – the Landsat-live based Geography game! maybe we should Anyone interested in the idea?


Five years from now, real-time maps might be as ubiquitous as YouTube videos—but for now, they feel as futuristic as movies might have to Victorians. – Charlie Loyd, Mapbox toCitylabs


Mapbox’s Landsat-live project showcases the Landsat program in the kind of spotlight, it deserves.

P.S: @Mapbox: maybe you guys can think about adding a timeline functionality for the Landsat-live service! It would be all the awesome to see how things have changed in the last few satellite revisit periods.

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