# Presentation: 310693

## Landsat Science Team Meeting
Fort Collins, Colorado

January 6, 2009

**Fort Collins, Colorado**
**January 6, 2009**

**Landsat Data Gap ****Implementation Plan**

## Discussion Agenda

**Briefly review the findings of the Landsat Data Gap Study Team – Phase 1**
**Discuss “Landsat Data Gap Implementation Plan” – Phase 2**
**Science Team Input**
**Discussion**

## Landsat Data Gap Study Team (LDGST)

**Across civil agency LDGST formed to analyze potential strategies to continue to provide global land observations similar to Landsat**
- Landsat data flow might be disrupted before LDCM in ~2012:
- Landsat 5 limited lifetime/coverage and degraded Landsat 7 operations
- Either or both satellites could fail at any time interrupting a 36+ yr time series of global land observations
**LDGST Technical and Policy/Implementation Groups**
- Evaluate options and scenarios to assess gap-filler data alternatives
- Develop operational plan and agreements to receive, ingest, archive, and distribute data from alternative, Landsat-like satellite systems
- Develop data gap implementation plan and recommendation – **Current Emphasis**
**Data Characterization Working Group (DCWG)**
- Technical group from USGS EROS, NASA GSFC, and NASA SSC to evaluate ResourceSat-1 and CBERS-2 data and others – on going work.

## LDGST Baseline Specifications – Phase 1

**LDCM data specification has been vetted by science and applications communities to support the range of Landsat applications.**
**Obtaining data identical to and in similar volume as LDCM from existing systems **_**is not possible.**_
**Acceptable specifications were derived to support basic global change research given available sources of Landsat-like data.**
-  Global mapping of land-cover.
-  Long-term analysis of land-cover change.
** ****Analysis incorporated OSTP Landsat User Survey Responses.**
- Users require Landsat-like data (global coverage, moderate resolution, spectral coverage).
- Many users already considering alternate sources of data following Landsat 7 Scan Line Corrector anomaly.

## Gap-filler Baseline Data Specifications

## Systems Considered in Phase 1

- CBERS – 2, 2A, 3, 4 (China & Brazil)
- RapidEye – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (Germany)
- DMC – Algeria, Nigeria, UK, China
- Terra/ASTER (METI & NASA)
- High-resolution U.S. commercial systems
- IKONOS
- QuickBrid
- OrbView-3
- SPOT – 4, 5 (France)
- ALOS  (JAXA)
- EO-1/ALI (NASA & USGS)

**Systems Considered in Phase 1**

## LDGST Phase 1 - Conclusions

**The Landsat Program is unique**
- Single source of systematic, global land observations
**Data quality of potential candidate systems is unverified, however, based on **_**preliminary**_** analysis**
- India’s ResourceSat and CBERS are the leading candidates for reducing the impact of a Landsat data gap
**Receiving and archiving data from new source(s) - Challenges**
- Different formats, storage media, metadata
**Analysis/Applications of data from new source(s)**
- Mosaicing and co-registering data from multiple sources with different spatial resolutions, registration accuracy, and scene sizes
- Differentiating land cover change from multiple sources
- Developing new methodologies and algorithms incorporating data from multiple sources

## LDGST Phase 1 - Conclusions

- Designed to identify gap-filler solutions - LDGST baseline specifications
- Many responses, all international systems - AWiFS validated as leading capability
**Continue data characterization and cross-calibration**
**Develop systematic approach to new mission/data evaluations **
- Assess expected mission capabilities (pre-launch)
- Validate mission, data and science utility (post launch)
- Perform initial and ongoing cross-calibration sensor testing
- Proactively establish contracts and agreements for data acquisition
- Develop infrastructure to receive, manage and distribute data
**Further investigate other global and regional coverage candidates to better define technical capabilities, costs of data, and accessibility (****SPOT, Rapid Eye****, U.S. commercial firms, etc.)**

**LDGST Phase 1 - Conclusions**

## Landsat Data Gap Plan -- Phase 2

**Landsat Data Gap Implementation Plan**
_**Objectives**_
- Detailed implementation plan which will identify cost, data licensing, and data access and archiving implications for integrating new data gap missions into the USGS existing operational framework
- Reaffirm, with the Landsat Science team, data requirements for operational and scientific purposes
- Continue calibration and validation studies given the advent of new capabilities, i.e., RapidEye.

## Phase 2 Near-term Data Gap Actions

**Data Gap Land Imaging options – Pursue all three:****  **
**CBERS** - establishes a low cost capability -- starting with U.S. coverage
**ResourceSat-IRS** remains the best technical Landsat data gap solution
**SPOT** is a viable dataset for remote sensing science and adds enhanced resolution -- starting with U.S. coverage
**Document current accessibility to these three data sources (cost, licensing, product formats, etc.)**
**Document all resources needed to operationally implement access to these data via most feasible method **
**Continue characterization, calibration, and validation of new data sources – RapidEye, etc.**

## Phase 2 Programmatic Challenges 

**Schedule and business models**
- Direct Reception or Data Pipe or Data Buy
**International policy / relations**
- CBERS may be problematic
**Data policy / Licensing**
- Less restrictive SPOT and IRS licensing to be negotiated
**Data compatibility**
- SPOT, CBERS and AWiFS all viable – with known Landsat compatibility/calibration concerns
**Funding**
- Base funds for “functional” responsibilities vs. funding missions – key!
**Further investigation and planning needed**
- On-going mission evaluations – RapidEye, Sentinel-2, etc.

## Science Team Input

**Confirm and validate preferences for pursuing SPOT, CBERS, or IRS data**
- Agree with the plan on pursuing these data?
- Can we prioritize the 3?
- Are there ways the Landsat Science Team can support our work externally?
**Can we do our science/applications with a mixed bag of data instead of just Landsat.  **
- How do you use multi-resolution data from different sources in doing our jobs?
- Mosaicing and co-registering data from multiple sources with different spatial resolutions, registration accuracy, and scene sizes
- Differentiating land cover change from multiple sources
- Developing new methodologies and algorithms incorporating data from multiple sources

## Science will greatly influence USGS actions in pursuit of operational data gap sources.DISCUSSION

## BACK-UP SLIDES

## Technical Report

**Report Sections**
-  Background and Sensor overview
-  Data Characterization
-  Science Utility
-  Mission Assessment
-  Many Appendixes

- Provisional report available:
- _http://calval.cr.usgs.gov/LDGST.php_

## Comparison of Capabilities with Requirements 

**Comparison of Capabilities with Requirements **

- *Data quality is acceptable if verified to meet acceptable specifications for radiometric and geographic accuracy and band-to-band registration

## Alternative Comparisons

**Alternative Comparisons**

**Note:  Scene size comparison only; not actual orbital paths or operational acquisitions.  High-resolution scenes too small to illustrate here. **

## SPOT, CBERS, IRS and Landsat

| Satellite | Resolution
(meters) | Swath
(km) | Inclination
(degrees) | Repeat
Coverage
(effective) | Altitude
(km) | Descending
Node | Launch
Date | Downlink
Rate
(Mbps) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SPOT-4 | 20 | 2 × 60 | 98.7 | 26* | 832 | 10:30 | 3/24/1998 | 1 × 50 |
| SPOT-5 | 10m MS,
20m SWIR | 2 × 60 | 98.7 | 26* | 822 | 10:30 | 5/4/2002 | 2 × 50 |
| CBERS_2B | 20 | 113 | 98.5 | 26 | 778 | 10:30 | 9/19/2007 | 1 × 53 |
| Landsat-5 | 30 | 185 | 98.2 | 16 | 705 | 10:00 | 3/1/1984 | 1 × 85 |
| Landsat-7 | 30 | 185 | 98.2 | 16 | 705 | 10:00 | 4/15/1999 | 2 × 150 |
| IRS-P6
(AWiFS) | 56 | 740 | 98.69 | 5 | 817 | 10:30 | 10/17/2003 | 1 × 105* |

- *  Both SPOT Sensors are targetable ± 27° across track, effectively lowering repeat coverage for emergency response, etc.
- **  IRS-P6 data stream includes data from both AWiFS sensor and LISS-III sensor

## Slide 19