Historical Landsat data comparisons: illustrations of land surface change
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Abstract
The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) EROS Data Center (EDC) has archived two decades of Landsat data, providing a rich collection of information about the dynamics of the Earth's land surface. Major changes to the surface features of the planet can be detected, measured, and studied using Landsat data. The effects of desertification, deforestation, pollution, cataclysmic volcanic activity, and other natural and anthropogenic events can be examined by resource scientists using data acquired from the Landsat series of Earth-observing satellites. The availability of a nearly uninterrupted flow of information from the Landsats, in a consistent data format, gives researchers an important tool for studying surface changes over time.
This booklet provides an overview of the Landsat program and shows the application of the data to monitor changes occurring on the surface of the Earth. To show changes that have taken place within the last 20 years or less, image pairs were constructed from the Landsat multispectral scanner (MSS) and thematic mapper (TM) sensors. Landsat MSS data provide a historical global record of the land surface from the early 1970's to present. Landsat TM data provide land surface information from the early 1980's to present.
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Unnumbered Series |
| Title | Historical Landsat data comparisons: illustrations of land surface change |
| DOI | 10.3133/70048800 |
| Year Published | 1990 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Description | 37 p. |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |