U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2007–3021

March 2007

The U.S. Geological Survey Land Remote Sensing Program

The fundamental goals of the U.S. 

Geological Survey’s Land Remote Sensing (LRS) Program are to provide the 

Federal Government and the public with 

a primary source of remotely sensed data 

and applications and to be a leader in 

defining the future of land remote sensing, nationally and internationally.

Remotely sensed data provide 

information that enhance the understanding of ecosystems and the capabilities 

for predicting ecosystem change. The 

data promote an understanding of the 

role of the environment and wildlife in 

human health issues, the requirements for 

disaster response, the effects of climate 

variability, and the availability of energy 

and mineral resources. Also, as land 

satellite systems acquire global coverage, 

the program coordinates a network of 

international receiving stations and users 

of the data. It is the responsibility of the 

program to assure that data from land 

imaging satellites, airborne photography, 

radar, and other technologies are available to the national and global science 

communities.

Program Concepts

The program encompasses three 

major components: Remote Sensing 

Missions and Data Acquisition, Longterm Data Preservation and Access, and 

Remote Sensing Research and Data 

Utilization. Each component performs 

specific tasks to accomplish the program’s fundamental mission and primary 

objectives.

Remote Sensing Missions and 

Data Acquisitions

Remote Sensing Missions and 

Data Acquisitions are a primary source 

that provides remotely sensed land data 

from government, commercial, and 

international assets, including data from 

National Technical Means sources. This 

component of the LRS Program coordinates mission requirements with international cooperators, maintains ground 

receiving stations, and implements new 

technologies that support ground data 

reception and processing in preparation 

for archiving.

Long-term Data Preservation and 

Access

Through the Land Remote Sensing 

Policy Act of 1992, Congress directed 

the Secretary of the Interior to establish 

a public-domain archive of satellite data 

of the Earth’s land surface. The resulting National Satellite Land Remote 

Sensing Data Archive, managed by the 

U.S. Geological Survey’s Center for 

Earth Resources Observation and Science (USGS EROS) in Sioux Falls, SD, 

includes scientifically relevant global 

land and coastal observation data captured by various land observing satellites 

and augmented with data from other government, commercial, and international 

sources.

As the national archive’s holdings 

expand, the collection becomes increasingly valuable for researchers working 

to understand natural resources, hazards, 

and long-term changes. The major focus 

of this component is to manage and 

preserve those data so that they remain 

accessible to a broad range of users over 

time. This entails employing state-of-theart transcription and archiving technologies, transferring the archives to new 

media as needed, investigating and implementing advanced media and data storage 

systems for long-term data preservation, 

and exploring new ways to make data 

accessible to customers and cooperators.

Remote Sensing Research and 

Data Utilization

This component advances the use of 

remotely sensed data and remote sensing 

technology throughout the Department 

of the Interior and by its cooperators and 

customers. To accomplish this, the LRS 

Program conducts and sponsors research 

in remotely sensed land data collection, 

access, distribution, and applications 

from current and future data sources. 

Scientists and engineers sponsored by the 

LRS Program are investigating new types 

of satellite systems and sensors, studying 

promising new data sources, developing new data acquisition programs and 

sources, and assessing the potential for 

new data applications. In addition, the 

program is seeking new ways to make 

remotely sensed data products more 

accessible to the land remote sensing user 

community, as well as ways to expand 

and enhance overall use of remotely 

sensed data and remote sensing technology. The LRS Program is also working to 

improve product distribution systems and 

to support new avenues of education and 

outreach, information access and communication, and remote sensing advocacy.

When Hurricane Katrina hit the 

south-central coast of the United States in 

August 2005, Landsat satellite data provided imagery of the affected region. In The National Land Remote Sensing Satellite 

Data Archive at the USGS EROS. 
addition, historical information and aerial 

photography of the Louisiana and Mississippi areas were provided to researches 

and agencies responsible for damage 

assessment and recovery efforts.

In the past five years, major grassland and forest fires have occurred in the 

western United States and Alaska. Aerial 

photography and satellite data were used 

by LRS Program-sponsored researchers 

to evaluate fire areas and to help in the 

planning of preventative measures and 

recovery activities.

The LRS Program supports a global 

user community. Entities that benefit 

from the program include USGS and 

Department of the Interior programs that 

use remotely sensed data; other GovAnalysis, based in part on a Landsat image, illustrating the estimated water depth in the immediate New Orleans region after Hurricane Katrina.

Landsat satellite images of the Sumatra region before and after the December 2004 tsunami.

Pingo fire in Alaska, 2005

ernment agency programs involved in 

remotely sensed data collection, analysis 

and application, land management issues, 

environmental monitoring, and emergency response; the Landsat international 

ground station/archive network; commercial value-added processors; and the 

worldwide user community involved in 

land remote sensing applications.

For more than 35 years, Landsat 

satellites have collected data over the 

planet’s land surface to support global 

research studies. These data constitute the 

longest continuous record of the Earth’s 

land surface as seen from space. The LRS 

Program staff are leaders in planning for 

the Landsat Data Continuity Mission to 

ensure Landsat data continuity.

For example, data from Landsat satellites were important sources of information for assessing the extent of the 2004 

tsunami disaster in southeastern Asia. 

Ready access to satellite observations 

from before, shortly after, and months 

after the tsunami aided disaster management teams in fully understanding the 

impact of the tsunami on populated and 

agricultural areas.

INFORMATION

Information about the Land Remote 

Sensing Program is available at: 

remotesensing.usgs.gov, www.usgs.gov,

eros.usgs.gov, geography.usgs.gov,

www.landimaging.gov, ldcm.nasa.gov.

The following sites on the World 

Wide Web provide additional information about the LRS Program: landsat.

usgs.gov; edcwww.cr.usgs.gov; edcintl.

cr.usgs.gov; edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/archive/

nslrsda/. Or, contact the U.S. Geological Survey, Geography Discipline, Land 

Remote Sensing Program at 703-648-

4567.

For information on other USGS 

products and services, call 1-888-ASKUSGS, or visit the USGS Publications 

Warehouse at pubs.usgs.gov.

For additional information, visit the 

USGS home page at www.usgs.gov.