A variety of remote sensing systems exist, for which the specification is distributed among a variety of websites from data providers, satellite operators and manufacturers. In order to choose a data product for a given project, a remote sensing data user must be aware of the different products and their applications. The table below gives users an overview of major remote sensing systems and datasets and summarizes their applications and systems.
Data Product | Provider | Orbital Height | Spatial Resolution | Swath Width | Pass Over Time | Date Range of Acquisition | Spectral Coverage | Access and Restrictions | Data Use | Sources |
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NASA/USGS | 705 km Sun-synchronous | 30 m 120 m | 185 km | Every 16 days Equator at ~09h45 (local time) | since March 1, 1984 Note: First Landsat Mission in 1972 | B1: 0.45-0.52 μm (30 m) B2: 0.52-0.60 μm (30 m) B3: 0.63-0.69 μm (30 m) B4: 0.76-0.90 μm (30 m) B5: 1.55-1.75 μm (30 m) B6: 10.4-12.5 μm (120 m) (IR) B7: 2.08-2.35 μm (30 m) | Free access, use and redistribution; | oceanography, aerosols, bathymetry, vegetation types, peak vegetation, biomass content analysis, moisture analysis, thermal mapping, mineral deposit identification | ||
NASA/USGS | 705 km Sun-synchronous | 15 m 30 m 60 m | 183 km | Every 16 days Equator at ~10h00 (local time) | since April 15, 1999 | B1: 0.45-0.515 μm (30 m) B2: 0.525-0.605 μm (30 m) B3: 0.63-0.69 μm (30 m) B4: 0.75-0.90 μm (30 m) B5: 1.55-1.75 μm (30 m) B6: 10.4-12.5 μm (60 m) B7: 2.09-2.35 μm (30 m) B8: 0.52-0.9 μm (15 m) | Free access, use and redistribution; | oceanography, aerosols, bathymetry, vegetation types, peak vegetation, biomass content analysis, moisture analysis, thermal mapping, mineral deposit identification | ||
OLI (B1-B9) TIRS (B10-B11) | NASA/USGS | 705 km Sun-synchronous | 15 m 30 m 60 m 100 m | 185 km | Every 16 days Equator at ~10h00 (local time) | since February 11, 2013 | B1: 0.433–0.453 μm (30 m) B2: 0.450–0.515 μm (30 m) B3: 0.525–0.600 μm (30 m) B4: 0.630–0.680 μm (30 m) B5: 0.845–0.885 μm (30 m) B6: 1.560–1.660 μm (60 m) B7: 2.100–2.300 μm (30 m) B8: 0.500–0.680 μm (15 m) B9: 1.360–1.390 μm (30 m) B10: 10.6-11.2 μm (100 m) (IR) B11: 11.5-12.5 μm (100 m) (IR) | Free access, use and redistribution; | oceanography, aerosols, bathymetry, vegetation types, peak vegetation, biomass content analysis, moisture analysis, cloud cover analysis, thermal mapping, soil moisture estimation | |
Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer | NOAA/USGS | 830–870 km Sun-synchronous | 1090 m | 833 km | Twice daily; entire planet | since May 1998 AVHRR/1 (1978) AVHRR/2 (1981; continuous data since 1981) | B1: 0.58 - 0.68 μm (1.09 km) B2: 0.725 - 1.00 μm (1.09 km) B3A: 1.58 - 1.64 μm (1.09 km) B3B: 3.55 - 3.93 μm (1.09 km) B4: 10.30 - 11.30 μm (1.09 km) B5: 11.50 - 12.50 μm (1.09 km) | Free access, use and redistribution; | cloud and surface mapping, land-water bounds, recognition of snow and ice, sea surface temperatures and cloud cover analysis at night | |
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer | NASA | 705 km Sun-synchronous | 250 m (B1-B2) 500 m (B3-B7) 1000 m (B8-B36) | 2330 km | Daily; equator at ~10h30 and 13h30 (local time) | Terra: December 18, 1999 Aqua: May 4, 2002 | B1: 620 - 670 nm B2: 841 - 876 nm B3: 459 - 479 nm B4: 545 - 565 nm B5: 1230 - 1250 nm B6: 1628 - 1652 nm B7: 2105 - 2155 nm B8: 405 - 420 nm B9: 438 - 448 nm B10: 483 - 493 nm B11: 526 - 536 nm B12: 546 - 556 nm B13: 662 - 672 nm B14: 673 - 683 nm B15: 743 - 753 nm B16: 862 - 877 nm B17: 890 - 920 nm B18: 931 - 941 nm B19: 915 - 965 nm B20: 3.660 - 3.840 μm B21: 3.929 - 3.989 μm B22: 3.929 - 3.989 μm B23: 4.020 - 4.080 μm B24: 4.433 - 4.498 μm B25: 4.482 - 4.549 μm B26: 1.360 - 1.390 μm B27: 6.535 - 6.895 μm B28: 7.175 - 7.475 μm B29: 8.400 - 8.700 μm B30: 9.580 - 9.880 μm B31: 10.780 - 11.280 μm B32: 11.770 - 12.270 μm B33: 13.185 - 13.485 μm B34: 13.485 - 13.785 μm B35: 13.785 - 14.085 μm B36: 14.085 - 14.385 μm | Free access, use and redistribution; | aerosols, land and cloud boundaries and properties, ocean biology, biogeochemistry, atm. water vapour, sea surface and atmospheric temperature, cloud analysis | |
Digital Globe | 482 km 450 km Sun-synchronous | 65 cm B/W 2.62 m RGBiR 61 cm B/W 2.44 m RGBiR | 16.8 km – 18 km | Every 2.4-5.9 days, equator at 10h30 (local time) | since October 18, 2001 | B/W: 405-1053 nm R: 430 - 545 nm G: 466 - 620 nm B: 590 - 710 nm NIR: 715 - 918 nm | Data needs to be purchased from DigitalGlobe or a commercial reseller; if imagery is not available in archive, special request can be made | mapping, change detection, planning (engineering, natural resources, urban, infrastructure), land-use, EIA, tourism, military, crop management, environmental monitoring | ||
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite | NOAA | 35 790 km Geostationary | 1 km 4 km 8 km | Pacific Ocean, Americas and Atlantic (160°E to 20°W) | captures and sends data at various intervals; up to 8 per hour in the Continental US | First Mission 1978 | B1 (Visible) (1 km) B2 (Shortwave) (4 km) B3 (Moisture) (8 km (4 km GOES 12/13/14/15)) B4 (Longwave 1) (4 km) B5 and 6 (Longwave 2) (4 km) GOES also has remote sensing equipment to detect space weather. | Free access, use and redistribution; | weather tracking, water vapour analysis, meteorology and atmospheric science | |
Digital Globe | 681 km Sun-synchronous | 80 cm B/W 3.2 m RBGiR | 11.3 km | every 3 days | launch September 24, 1999 | B/W: 445-900 nm B: 445-516 nm G: 506-595 nm R: 632-698 nm NiR: 757-853 nm | Data needs to be purchased from DigitalGlobe or a commercial reseller; if imagery is not available in archive, special request can be made | mapping, change detection, planning (engineering, natural resources, urban, infrastructure), land-use, EIA, tourism, military, crop management, environmental monitoring | ||
Satellite pour l’Observation de la Terre | EADS Astrium | 694 km Sun-synchronous | 2.5 m 5 m 10 m 20 m | 60 km | every 1–3 days | SPOT1 launched in 1986 SPOT6 launched in 2012 | B/W: 0.450-0.745 μm R: 0.625-0.695 μm G: 0.530-0.590 μm B: 0.450-0.520 μm NiR: 0.760-0.890 μm | Data needs to be purchased from EADS Astrium; if imagery is not available in archive, special request can be made | mapping, change detection, planning (engineering, natural resources, urban, infrastructure), land-use, EIA, tourism, military, crop management, environmental monitoring | |
Canadian Space Agency MDA | RADARSAT1 793–821 km RADARSAT-2 798 km RADARSAT Constellation 592,7 km | 8–100 m 3x1m–100x100m 3x1m–100x100m | 45–500 km 18–500 m 5-500 km | 14 (14,92 Constellation) orbits per day; at equator: 6h00 and 18h00 (local) | RADARSAT 1 launched on November 4, 1995 RADARSAT 2 launched on December 14, 2007 RADARSAT Constellation to be launched in 2018 | Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) | Data needs to be purchased from MDA for commercial purposes; available for research through the SOAR partnership from MDA and the Government of Canada | environmental monitoring, ice monitoring, marine surveillance, disaster management, hydrology, mapping, geology, agriculture and forestry | ||
Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectance Radiometer | NASA Government of Japan | 705 km Sun-synchronous | 15–90 m | 60 km | Daily; equator at ~10h30 (local) | since December 18, 1999 (on Terra) | B1: 0.520–0.600 μm (15 m) B2: 0.630–0.690 μm (15 m) B3: 0.760–0.860 μm (15 m) B4: 0.760–0.860 μm (15 m) B5: 1.600–1.700 μm (30 m) B6: 2.145–2.185 μm (30 m) B7: 2.185–2.225 μm (30 m) B8: 2.235–2.285 μm (30 m) B9: 2.295–2.365 μm (30 m) B10: 2.360–2.430 μm (30 m) B11: 8.125–8.475 μm (90 m) B12: 8.475–8.825 μm (90 m) B13: 8.925–9.275 μm (90 m) B14: 10.250–10.950 μm (90 m) B15: 10.950–11.650 μm (90 m) | Data needs to be purchased for commercial purposes; Educational use and NASA-supported research permitted | vegetation, ecosystem dynamics, hazard and disaster monitoring, change detection, earth science, land cover analysis |
A digital elevation model (DEM) is a 3D CG representation of a terrain's surface – commonly of a planet, moon, or asteroid – created from a terrain's elevation data. A "global DEM" refers to a discrete global grid.
The Landsat program is the longest-running enterprise for acquisition of satellite imagery of Earth. On July 23, 1972 the Earth Resources Technology Satellite was launched. This was eventually renamed to Landsat. The most recent, Landsat 8, was launched on February 11, 2013. The instruments on the Landsat satellites have acquired millions of images. The images, archived in the United States and at Landsat receiving stations around the world, are a unique resource for global change research and applications in agriculture, cartography, geology, forestry, regional planning, surveillance and education, and can be viewed through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 'EarthExplorer' website. Landsat 7 data has eight spectral bands with spatial resolutions ranging from 15 to 60 meters ; the temporal resolution is 16 days. Landsat images are usually divided into scenes for easy downloading. Each Landsat scene is about 115 miles long and 115 miles wide.
The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is a Japanese sensor which is one of five remote sensory devices on board the Terra satellite launched into Earth orbit by NASA in 1999. The instrument has been collecting data since February 2000.
Landsat 7 is the seventh satellite of the Landsat program. Launched on April 15, 1999, Landsat 7's primary goal is to refresh the global archive of satellite photos, providing up-to-date and cloud-free images. The Landsat Program is managed and operated by the USGS, and data from Landsat 7 is collected and distributed by the USGS. The NASA World Wind project allows 3D images from Landsat 7 and other sources to be freely navigated and viewed from any angle. The satellite's companion, Earth Observing-1, trailed by one minute and followed the same orbital characteristics, but in 2011 its fuel was depleted and EO-1's orbit began to degrade. Landsat 7 was built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.
NASA WorldWind is an open-source virtual globe. It was first developed by NASA in 2003 for use on personal computers and then further developed in concert with the open source community since 2004. As of 2017, a web-based version of WorldWind is available online. An Android version is also available.
Satellite imagery are images of Earth or other planets collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world. Satellite imaging companies sell images by licensing them to governments and businesses such as Apple Maps and Google Maps.
Landsat 5 was a low Earth orbit satellite launched on March 1, 1984 to collect imagery of the surface of Earth. A continuation of the Landsat Program, Landsat 5 was jointly managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Data from Landsat 5 was collected and distributed from the USGS's Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS).
RADARSAT is a Canadian remote sensing Earth observation satellite program overseen by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The program has consisted of:
The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is an international research effort that obtained digital elevation models on a near-global scale from 56°S to 60°N, to generate the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of Earth prior to the release of the ASTER GDEM in 2009. SRTM consisted of a specially modified radar system that flew on board the Space Shuttle Endeavour during the 11-day STS-99 mission in February 2000, based on the older Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR), previously used on the Shuttle in 1994. To acquire topographic data, the SRTM payload was outfitted with two radar antennas. One antenna was located in the Shuttle's payload bay, the other – a critical change from the SIR-C/X-SAR, allowing single-pass interferometry – on the end of a 60-meter (200-foot) mast that extended from the payload bay once the Shuttle was in space. The technique employed is known as interferometric synthetic aperture radar. Intermap Technologies was the prime contractor for processing the interferometric synthetic aperture radar data.
Earth Satellite Corporation (EarthSat), an American company, was a pioneer in the commercial use of Earth observation satellites. Founded in 1969, EarthSat was first headquartered in Washington, D.C., and later moved its offices to Bethesda, Maryland, and finally to Rockville, Maryland, in the late 1980s. In 2001, EarthSat was acquired by MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) of Vancouver, British Columbia. In August 2005, EarthSat was incorporated as MDA Federal Inc., the U.S. operation of MDA Geospatial Services.
The Advanced Very-High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instrument is a space-borne sensor that measure the reflectance of the Earth in five spectral bands that are relatively wide by today's standards. AVHRR instruments are or have been carried by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) family of polar orbiting platforms (POES) and European MetOp satellites. The instrument scans several channels; two are centered on the red (0.6 micrometres) and near-infrared (0.9 micrometres) regions, a third one is located around 3.5 micrometres, and another two the thermal radiation emitted by the planet, around 11 and 12 micrometres.
NOAA-19, designated NOAA-N' prior to launch, is the last of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's POES series of weather satellites. NOAA-19 was launched on February 6, 2009.
NOAA-15 is one of the NASA-provided TIROS series of weather forecasting satellite run by NOAA. It was launched on May 13, 1998, and is currently semi-operational, in a sun-synchronous orbit, 807 km above the Earth, orbiting every 101 minutes. It hosts the AMSU-A and AMSU-B instruments, the AVHRR and High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS/3) instruments, as well as a Space Environment Monitor (SEM/2). It also hosts Cospas-Sarsat payloads.
Landsat 8 is an American Earth observation satellite launched on February 11, 2013. It is the eighth satellite in the Landsat program; the seventh to reach orbit successfully. Originally called the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM), it is a collaboration between NASA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, provided development, mission systems engineering, and acquisition of the launch vehicle while the USGS provided for development of the ground systems and will conduct on-going mission operations.
The Alaska Satellite Facility is a data processing facility and satellite-tracking ground station within the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The facility’s mission is to make remote-sensing data accessible Its work is central to polar processes research including wetlands, glaciers, sea ice, climate change, permafrost, flooding and land cover such as changes in the Amazon rainforest.
The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is a sensor designed and manufactured by the Raytheon Company on board the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership and NOAA-20 weather satellites. VIIRS is one of five key instruments onboard Suomi NPP, launched on October 28, 2011. VIIRS is a whiskbroom scanning radiometer that collects imagery and radiometric measurements of the land, atmosphere, cryosphere, and oceans in the visible and infrared bands of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" is a non-binding charter which provides for the charitable and humanitarian retasked acquisition of and transmission of space satellite data to relief organizations in the event of major disasters. Initiated by the European Space Agency and the French space agency CNES after the UNISPACE III conference held in Vienna, Austria in July 1999, it officially came into operation on November 1, 2000 after the Canadian Space Agency signed onto the charter on October 20, 2000. Their space assets were then, respectively, ERS and ENVISAT, SPOT and Formosat, and RADARSAT.
JPSS-2, or Joint Polar Satellite System-2, is the second of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's latest generation of U.S. polar-orbiting, non-geosynchronous, environmental satellites called the Joint Polar Satellite System. JPSS-2 is to be launched in 2022 and join NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP in the same orbit. Circling the Earth from pole-to-pole, it will cross the equator about 14 times daily, providing full global coverage twice a day.