Remote sensing satellite and data overview

Last updated

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.

Summary Table

Data Product

Provider

Orbital Height

Spatial Resolution

Swath Width

Pass Over Time

Date Range of Acquisition

Spectral Coverage

Access and Restrictions

Data Use

Sources

Landsat 5 TM

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

[1] [2]

Landsat 7 ETM+

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

[1] [2]

Landsat 8

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

[1] [2] [3]

AVHRR/3

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

[4] [5] [6]

MODIS

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

[7] [8]

QuickBird

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

[9] [10] [11]

GOES

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

[12] [13] [14]

Ikonos

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

[11] [15]

SPOT

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

[11] [16] [17]

RADARSAT

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

[18] [19]

ASTER

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

[20] [21] [22]

Sources

  1. 1 2 3 NASA. Technical Details. Landsat Science. [Online] September 18, 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/?p=5081.
  2. 1 2 3 USGS. Frequently Asked Questions about the Landsat Missions. USGS Landsat Missions. [Online] August 29, 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://landsat.usgs.gov/tools_faq.php.
  3. —. Landsat 8. [Online] 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2013/3060/pdf/fs2013-3060.pdf.
  4. —. Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Sensor Characteristics. Global Land 1-KM AVHRR Project. [Online] June 23, 2008. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://edc2.usgs.gov/1KM/avhrr_sensor.php.
  5. NOAA. Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer - AVHRR. NOAA Satellite Information System. [Online] March 28, 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://noaasis.noaa.gov/NOAASIS/ml/avhrr.html.
  6. United States Department of the Interior. AVHRR. National Atlas. [Online] January 14, 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://nationalatlas.gov/articles/mapping/a_avhrr.html.
  7. NASA. Specifications. MODIS Web. [Online] [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/about/specifications.php.
  8. USGS/NASA. MODIS Overview. LP DAAC. [Online] August 19, 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/modis_overview.
  9. Satellite Imaging Corporation. QuickBird Satellite Imagery and Satellite System Specifications. Satellite Imaging Corporation. [Online] 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://www.satimagingcorp.com/satellite-sensors/quickbird.html.
  10. DigitalGlobe. QuickBird - Data Sheet. DigitalGlobe. [Online] [Cited: September 19, 2013.] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-19. Retrieved 2013-10-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link).
  11. 1 2 3 GeoImage. Satellite Overview. GeoImage. [Online] 2012. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://www.geoimage.com.au/satellites/satellite-overview.
  12. 12. NOAA. GOES - Introduction. NOAA CLASS. [Online] [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://www.class.ngdc.noaa.gov/data_available/goes/index.htm.
  13. NASA. Overview of the GOES Mission. GOES I-M DataBook. 1st Revision. Greenbelt : NASA, 1996.
  14. —. Three Classes of Orbit. NASA Earth Observatory. [Online] [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/OrbitsCatalog/page2.php.
  15. DigitalGlobe. IKONOS - Data Sheet. DigitalGlobe. [Online] June 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://www.digitalglobe.com/sites/default/files/DG_IKONOS_DS.pdf.
  16. EADS Astrium. Astrium GEO-Information Services SPOT International Price List. EADS Astrium. [Online] 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://www2.astrium-geo.com/files/pmedia/public/r146_9_pricelist_spot_en_2012.pdf.
  17. —. Technical Information about the SPOT Satellites. EADS Astrium. [Online] 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://www.astrium-geo.com/en/191-spot-technical-information.
  18. Canadian Space Agency. Satellite Characteristics. Canadian Space Agency. [Online] January 21, 2011. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/radarsat/radarsat-tableau.asp#r1.
  19. MDA. Geospatial Services International. MDA Essential Information Solutions. [Online] 2012. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://gs.mdacorporation.com/.
  20. USGS/NASA. ASTER Data Access Policies. LP DAAC. [Online] August 19, 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/aster_policies.
  21. —. ASTER Overview. LP DAAC. [Online] August 19, 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/aster_overview.
  22. NASA. Aster. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. [Online] July 9, 2004. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/eos.asp.

Related Research Articles

Digital elevation model

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.

Landsat program

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.

Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer

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 earth observation satellite

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 open-source virtual globe developed by NASA

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 imagery of the Earth or another astronomical object taken from an artificial satellite

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

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 Wikimedia disambiguation page

RADARSAT is a Canadian remote sensing Earth observation satellite program overseen by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The program has consisted of:

Shuttle Radar Topography Mission research effort to generate a digital topographic database of Earth

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.

Advanced very-high-resolution radiometer

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 American weather satellite

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

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 American Earth observation satellite

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.

Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite

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

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.