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LANDSAT Program Update. Ray Byrnes Liaison for Satellite Missions USGS Land Remote Sensing Program National Geospatial Advisory Committee September 24, 2014. Operational Status. Landsat 8
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LANDSAT Program Update Ray Byrnes Liaison for Satellite Missions USGS Land Remote Sensing Program National Geospatial Advisory Committee September 24, 2014
Operational Status • Landsat 8 • Collection increased from approximately 650 to 725 new scenes per day; supports 8-day revisit cycle • Improvements: better signal-to-noise, new bands (coastal blue, cirrus, thermal) • Crisper images; less color saturation • Better resolution of snow and ice-covered regions • Detection of water-column constituents • Better cloud screening • Landsat 7 • Collecting about 475 new scenes per day; about 22% of pixels missing per scene (faulty scan-line corrector) • L7 collection strategy modified to concentrate on continental coverage; L8 capturing continental imagery plus islands & reefs • Sufficient fuel for a few more years of operation; limited subsystem redundancy NGAC Satellite Update – Slide 2
Operational Status • (continued) • Landsat-based Information Products • Standard orthorectified L1T scenes (5.6M downloaded March through August 2014) • LandsatLook (full-resolution JPEGs browse/print images) • New TM/ETM+ surface reflectance Climate Data Record (CDR) product released in Earth Explorer May 2013 • Global 30m Land Cover Forest Gain/Loss product available now through Google Earth Engine • First “provisional” surface temperature products released March 2014 • Burned Area Extent ECV available in “provisional” status Q1 FY15 • Dynamic Surface Water Extent ECV available in “provisional” status Q1 FY15 • New OLI surface temperature CDR Q1 FY15 • Global 30m Land Cover Percent Tree Cover 2010 and validation data available for evaluation via USGS Visualization tool in Q2 FY15 • Fractional Snow Covered Area ECV available in “provisional” status Q4 FY15 • Biomass ECV in early stages of development (modeling and estimation) • For more information, contact John Dwyer (dwyer@usgs.gov) NGAC Satellite Update – Slide 3
Characterization of User Needs • USGS 2013 National Land Imaging Requirements Pilot Project elicited 151 distinct, representative user applications where Landsat data are used routinely to produce consistent services or informational products. See: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2014/1107/ • Government and university application sources elicited include: • Bureau of Indian Affairs • Bureau of Land Management • Bureau of Reclamation • Fish and Wildlife Service • National Park Service • Office of Surface Mining • State Government (Ohio & Western States Evapotranspiration) • Universities (Idaho, Maryland) • U.S. Department of Agriculture (ARS, FAS, FS, FSA, NASS, NRCS, RMA) • USGS • NASA • Six National EO Societal Benefit Areas were addressed: (1) Agriculture & Forestry, (2) Climate, (3) Disasters, (4) Ecosystems, (5) Energy & Mineral Resources, and (6) Water Resources Note: Comparative importance of user applications was not assessed • The need for 8-day revisit or better was identified in 60% of all requirements • The need for thermal IR data was identified in 36% of all requirements
National Plan for Civil Earth Observations • October 2010: Congress directs the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to produce and routinely update a strategic plan for Earth observations • February 2011: OSTP convenes a National Earth Observations (NEO) Task Force, drawn from 11 Federal departments and agencies • 2012: NEO Task Force conducts an assessmentof 362 EO systems (space, air, land, and sea platforms) with regard to their contributions within a framework of 13 societal benefit areas; among 132 satellite systems, Landsat ranks second highest in impact • Highest user impact from loss of any Earth imager; third highest from loss of any system • Medium-resolution observations used in 10 of 13 Societal Benefit Areas (SBAs) • Landsat’s imaging ranked #1 for contributions in Bio-diversity, Eco-Systems, and Energy SBAs • Ranked #2 for contributions in Ag/Forestry, Climate, Human Health, and Water SBAs • April 2013: OSTP releases the National Strategy for Civil Earth Observations, which describes assessment methodology and calls for updates every 3 years • July 2014: OSTP releases the National Plan for Civil Earth Observations; made formal recommendations to support range of EO efforts, including NASA/USGS joint efforts to sustain moderate-resolution, multispectral, satellite-based EO
DOI and USGS Very Involved in U.S. National Plan First-of-its-kind interagency-coordinated Plan Based on government-wide assessment of the Nation’s Earth Observations portfolio Led by OSTP via US Group on Earth Observations, to be revised every three years USGS and NOAA requirements processes used to support EOA-1 Societal Benefit Area Teams http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/NSTC/national_plan_for_civil_earth_observations_-_july_2014.pdf LRS Program – Slide 6
The Status of Sustainability • NASA, with USGS, conducted a Sustainable Land Imaging Architecture Study • The Congress, the Administration, NASA, and the Department of the Interior/USGS all agree on the importance of land-imaging continuity • The Senate is calling for a low-risk, near-term launch of a Landsat 8 rebuild, not to exceed $650M, while non-concurring with foreign-partner or commercial alternatives • The Administration, while committed to a 25-year sustainable system, is stating the Senate solution is premature and that $650M is not feasible for a Landsat 8 rebuild • The USGS is concerned about the need for near-term data continuity • The Landsat 8 thermal sensor design life is exceeded in 2016 • Landsat 7’s fuel supply could expire by 2018; any key component could fail beforehand • 8-day coverage capability is lost with only one Landsat on orbit • The Nation is remarkably close to solving a big problem for users of Landsat data • Long-term picture is promising; short-term questions are in play right now
2014 Guidance to LAG Landsat Advisory Group The LAG is requested to provide advice and recommendations on Landsat-related issues for consideration by the NGAC, including the following: “Review and update the 2012 LAG paper, ‘The Value Proposition for Ten Landsat Applications.’ The 2012 paper documented an estimated $178M to $235M in annual cost savings experienced by federal and state government agencies within ten categories of Landsat data use. Since the 2012 cost savings estimates were compiled by the LAG, the USGS has gathered additional information through a Landsat user survey, a preliminary collection of Landsat-user case studies, and a pilot project on remote sensing user requirements. The USGS will share this information with the LAG to assist in updating the examples used in the 2012 paper, refining the list of user applications within and beyond government agencies, and enhancing the Landsat value summary.”