# Presentation: 896742

**U.S. Land Imaging Needs &**
**Long-Term Continuity**

**Future of Land Imaging**
**Interagency Working Group**
**(FLI-IWG)**
- U.S. Group on Earth Observations
- Committee on Environment and Natural Resources
-    National Science and Technology Council
-       Executive Office of the President

**Washington, DC**

## Origins of the Future of Land Imaging

- Beginning in January 2006, a Future of Land Imaging Interagency Working Group (FLI IWG) began to meet weekly to explore future U.S. options for acquiring Landsat-type data
- A Landsat instrument would no longer be flown on NPOESS, the earlier approach to making land imaging operational
- A single free-flyer satellite, like Landsat 8, is _not_ an operational solution
- NSTC was commissioned to develop a plan to achieve programmatic stability
- What began as an examination of management alternatives to ensure sustained Landsat-type imaging became a broader and deeper discussion about the failed policy history of Landsat
- A call to establish a National Land Imaging Program, hosted by the U.S. Department of the Interior, emerged from these discussions

- April 20, 2006

## 1972  U.S. launched first Landsat (ERTS-A 23 July 1972)
1979  Attempted, but failed, to commercialize Landsat
1992  Land Remote Sensing Policy Act
Suspended commercialization attempts and authorized Landsat 7
Adopted the Landsat Data Availability Policy
International “Open Skies”
Non-Discriminatory User Access
Provided for Commercial Licensing, Advanced Technology, and Applications Research Programs
2003  Attempted, but failed, to establish a Public-Private 		   Partnership for Landsat Data Continuity

- 1979  Attempted, but failed, to commercialize Landsat
- 1992  Land Remote Sensing Policy Act
- Suspended commercialization attempts and authorized Landsat 7
- Adopted the Landsat Data Availability Policy
- International “Open Skies”
- Non-Discriminatory User Access
- Provided for Commercial Licensing, Advanced Technology, and Applications Research Programs
- 2003  Attempted, but failed, to establish a Public-Private 		   Partnership for Landsat Data Continuity

**U.S. Land Imaging Policy History**

- April 20, 2006

## FLI-IWG Guidance

**Why does the U.S. need moderate-resolution land imagery?**
**What are the key societal benefits of moderate resolution land imaging?**
**What are the options for acquiring these capabilities or data?**
**How should U.S. land imaging be managed and governed?**

**FLI-IWG Guidance**

- April 20, 2006

## Key Proposal

- “It is proposed that the U.S. establish a National Land Imaging Program led by the U.S. Department of the Interior to ensure U.S. leadership in _**all areas**_ of civil land imaging and land science, including the _**development and operation of all U.S.-owned operational space assets dedicated to civil land imaging**_ purposes, and that the U.S. pursue a strategy of collaborating with its international partners and other U.S. and foreign commercial entities to augment U.S capabilities to the level required to meet _**U.S. operational needs**_.“

- April 20, 2006

## The required characteristics of satellite imaging:
Accurate spectral and spatial information
Precise geo-referenced data for mapping and monitoring 
Scaleable geospatial information across global, hemispheric, continental, regional, and local geographies

Data calibrated to a national standard over time -- for measuring natural and societal changes to the Earth’s surface

Frequent synoptic coverage of the entire Earth

- Accurate spectral and spatial information
- Precise geo-referenced data for mapping and monitoring
- Scaleable geospatial information across global, hemispheric, continental, regional, and local geographies
- Data calibrated to a national standard over time -- for measuring natural and societal changes to the Earth’s surface
- Frequent synoptic coverage of the entire Earth

**WHAT IS REQUIRED... ?**

- April 20, 2006

## WHAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED... ? 

- Continuity of the U.S. Land Data Record _*shall be*_ maintained
- ... but Landsat _*will not*_ constrain future U.S. Land Imaging capabilities and designs
- Alternatives should meet the Landsat Data Continuity Standard while addressing additional U.S. needs
- Greater spatial or spectral resolution
- Greater frequency of coverage and “steerable” imaging
- Consider Multi-purpose Imaging Systems (Radar, Lidar,  Microwave, Hyperspectral, Magnetics, Airborne,* in-situ*)

- April 20, 2006

## Land Imaging is Important Because ...

**Observations of Earth’s geology, hydrology, climatology, ecology, oceanography, and other natural systems... and human structures and systems...**

- ... **Directly Benefits Society**
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Land Use Planning and Management
- Water Resource Management
- Emergency / Disaster Management
- Coastal Zone Management
- Ecological Forecasting
- National / Homeland Security support
- Transportation Management and Infrastructure Planning

- April 20, 2006

## U.S. Land Imaging Operational Needs

- 	-- Agriculture, Forestry, and Sustainable Development
- 	-- Water Resource Assessment and Management
- 	-- Energy Resource and Mineral Wealth Assessment 	and Management
- 	-- Foreign Agricultural Assessment
- 	-- Insurance Risk Management
- Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
- 	-- Land Use Change
- 	-- Climate Variability and Change
- 	-- Habitat and Wetlands Management and Ecological 	Forecasting
- 	-- Sea Ice, Glaciation, and Snow Pack Assessment
- 	-- Erosion Control and Hydrological Assessment
- 	-- Deforestation, Desertification, and Salinization
- 	-- Urban and Rural Geography and Human Ecology

- Civil Operations and Applications
- 	-- Land Use Planning and Management
- 	-- Resource Conservation and Management
- 	-- Wildfire, Coastal Zone, and Flood Plain Assessment
- 	-- Natural Disasters Mitigation and Response
- 	-- Human Health and Well-Being
- 	-- Physical Infrastructure Assessment and Operation
- 	-- Navigation and Transportation Planning and 	Management
- 	-- Property Valuation and Assessment
- National Security
- 	-- Intelligence and Information Gathering
- 	-- Homeland Security
- 	-- U.S. Military Operations
- 	-- Health and Productivity of the U.S. Aerospace 	Industry
- Treaty and Legal Compliance
- 	-- Boundary Control
- 	-- Property Rights and Assessment
- 	-- International Conventions and Treaty Management
- 	-- Tax Base Assessment
- 	-- Land Use Regulation

**U.S. Land Imaging Operational Needs**

- Societal Management
- Human and Natural System Interaction
- Security and Compliance

- April 20, 2006

## How will U.S. Data Requirements be Met?

- Solutions should be flexible and focus on fulfilling U.S. national needs for U.S. and global land imaging source data
- In the near-term, U.S. Land Imaging needs will be met by sustaining Landsat 5 & 7 to their End-of-Life, developing a follow-on Landsat satellite (Government owned and operated), and looking for alternatives to fill any “gap”
- In the meantime, transition to management by a U.S. National Land Imaging Program would begin – with full authority to acquire space systems and data to fulfill U.S. Land Imaging needs on behalf of the U.S. Government
- Planning for the next generation of Land Imaging Satellite Systems would commence as soon as possible
- Informed by GEOSS and IEOS Desires, Needs, and Specifications
- Guided by U.S. Operational Land Imaging Requirements
- Augmented, Integrated, and Supported through Collaboration with Other Space-Faring Nations
- Adaptive / Receptive to Commercial Sources of Data and Information

- April 20, 2006

## NLIP Management Characteristics

**Focused Federal Leadership for the U.S. Land Imaging Community**
**Unified planning and operations responsibility**
**Coordination responsibility for: **
**Determining U.S. land imaging needs**
**Primary Source data acquisition and distribution**
**Technology R&D and system acquisition**
**Broker-agent for U.S. Civil Government and commercial sources of data**
**Single U.S. point-of-contact for International partnerships and arrangements**
**Point-of-accountability for performance**
**Flexibility as technical, fiscal, and political variables change**
**Above all else, “Ensure availability, access, and ease of use of land imaging data for the Nation”**

- April 20, 2006

## Why the Department of the Interior?

- The role the Department played in furthering the interests of U.S. land imaging through the creation and sponsorship of the Landsat program since the early years of space flight.
- The Department’s distinguished reputation as manager of the Nation’s land imagery assets through the U.S. National Land Remote Sensing Data Archive.
- The Department’s leadership in managing U.S. public lands and the territorial interests of the U.S. since 1849, including oversight of U.S. land management and land use planning, managing the civil geospatial programs and interests of the U.S., and conducting a program of land science in support of the Nation.
- The draft National Space Policy that assigns to the Department the responsibility to “...collect, archive, process, and distribute land surface data to the United States Government and other users and determine operational requirements for land surface data.”

- April 20, 2006

## NLIP Powers and Duties

- Manage the operational land imagery needs of the Nation, including the acquisition and operation of U.S.-owned land imaging assets and facilities.
- Achieve the widest beneficial use of civil operational land imaging consistent with the economic, scientific, security, and foreign policy interests of the United States.
- Lead U.S. efforts to negotiate and ensure U.S. access to imagery data and products from any and all U.S. and international sources.
- Assure that land imagery data and information are available throughout the U.S. for all public and private purposes.
- Promote and expand the range of uses of land imagery and related products to meet public needs.
- Carry out an advanced technology program.

- April 20, 2006

## * The program will also be advised by a Federal Advisory Committee composed of U.S. Non-Federal Users and Suppliers.

- April 20, 2006