U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2005–3117

October 2005

U.S. Geological Survey Aids Federal Agencies in Obtaining 

Commercial Satellite and Aerial Imagery

Printed on recycled paper

Implementation of the Commercial Remote Sensing 

Space Policy 

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a leading U.S. Federal 

civil agency in the implementation of the civil aspects of the 

Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy (CRSSP). The 

USGS is responsible for collecting inter-agency near-term 

requirements, establishing an operational infrastructure, and 

supporting the policy and other Federal agencies by:

Collecting Federal civil agency remote sensing data 

requirements to help support funding strategies and 

procurement options. The CRSSP Imagery-Derived 

Requirements (CIDR) entry tool is designed to collect and 

provide query and report capabilities on near-term land remote 

sensing data requirements of U.S. Federal civil agencies. This 

priority effort is part of the CRSSP implementation and will 

assist agencies in leveraging resources in areas of common 

interest. The requirements information gathered and provided 

will be used to:

• Generate a civil agency requirements database to 

facilitate partnerships among and within agencies. 

• Serve as documented evidence for potential 

funding initiatives. 

• Satisfy user requirements with existing data 

sources where possible. 

• Provide the commercial satellite and aerial industries with 

a snapshot of civil agency needs; allow industry to respond 

with accurate and specific data and services.

Developing an infrastructure to store, manage, and distribute 

previously acquired commercial remote sensing data. The 

USGS Commercial Data Purchases (UCDP) Imagery Collection 

consists of imagery from several commercial vendors. The 

UCDP Imagery Collection is located at the USGS Center for 

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) and supports 

the CRSSP by providing data to qualified users, primarily U.S. 

Federal agencies, at no cost for File Transfer Protocol (FTP) 

downloads or at a nominal cost for media. Commercial vendor 

licensing may restrict access to imagery, and license restrictions 

may vary for each individual image. However, users have the 

option to request license upgrades for imagery not currently 

licensed for their Federal agency. The Commercial Remote 

Sensing Data Contracts (CRSDC), available through the USGS, 

handles the license upgrades and enables qualified Federal 

users to order or download and use a copy of the imagery for a 

nominal fee.

The CIDR tool allows Federal agencies to enter their remote sensing 

data requirements for upcoming years. This information will be 

analyzed to find intersections in data requirements and assist users 

with similar requirements in collaborating on potential purchases. 

Commercial satellite and aerial vendors may also use the CIDR tool and 

its information to assist in their data acquisition scheduling for known 

geographic areas of interest.

DigitalGlobe: QuickBird-2 

03/09/2002, San Diego, CA 

(Multispectral)

Space Imaging: IKONOS-2 

11/11/2003, Galveston, TX 

(Panchromatic)

ORBIMAGE: OrbView-3 

03/05/2004, Anchorage, AK 

(Panchromatic)

Copies of imagery can be 

ordered or downloaded from 

http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov. 

The only processing 

parameters available for 

the imagery are those from 

the original purchase. 

(e.g., If an IKONOS image 

was originally purchased 

from Space Imaging as a 

“Standard Ortho” product, 

UTM projection, WGS84 

datum, with GeoTiff format, 

those are the only 

parameters available.)
Providing an interface for acquiring commercial remote 

sensing data from commercial vendors. The USGS Commercial 

Remote Sensing Data Contracts (CRSDC) provides Federal, 

State, and local government agencies access to a broad range 

of commercially available remotely sensed, high-resolution, 

airborne, and satellite data for both new acquisitions and 

existing “off-the-shelf” data. These data include orthorectified, 

panchromatic, natural color, multispectral, infrared, radar, and 

aerial photography. 

The USGS has negotiated advantageous terms on behalf of 

purchasing organizations, including highly competitive pricing, 

discounts, and the most flexible and least restrictive licensing 

arrangements offered to date by the commercial satellite and 

aerial industries. 

These contracts directly support the CRSSP by providing a 

centralized mechanism for civil agencies to acquire commercial 

remote sensing products from various commercial vendors.

For more information:

USGS Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy (CRSSP) 

Home Page

• http://crssp.usgs.gov

CRSSP Imagery-Derived Requirements (CIDR) Entry Tool 

• http://cidr.cr.usgs.gov

USGS Commercial Data Purchases (UCDP) Imagery Collection

• http://edc.usgs.gov/products/satellite/ucdp.html

USGS Commercial Remote Sensing Data Contracts (CRSDC) 

• http://geodatacontracts.er.usgs.gov/crsdc/index.html

Customer Service:

U.S. Geological Survey, Center for 

 Earth Resources Observation and Science

47914 252nd Street

Sioux Falls, SD 57198-0001

Phone: (605) 594-6151

Toll Free: (800) 252-4547 

TDD: (605) 594-6933

Fax: (605) 594-6589

Email: crssp@usgs.gov 

Business hours: Monday through Friday, 

8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. central time