It takes a lot of computing power and storage. But as the computers get more powerful and the storage is there, you're going to see local governments actually starting to use the satellite imagery as background to answer their questions. You'll have users accessing it, rather than just researchers and special-interest kinds of people. The Landsat uses two types of sensors that detect reflected radiant energy from the Earth in differing wavelengths to record 115x115-mile areas. One type of sensor collects data in seven spectral bands and provides a resolution of 99 feet.
Images are available in digital form only.
The other sensor's resolution is 264 feet. These images cover areas 1,612 feet wide with a resolution of under a half mile. They are available in digital form only.