From the petroglyphs of ancient societies to the stunning views of our planet from space, humans have endeavored to visualize and accurately map our world. As early geographers recorded the experiences from travelers and merchants, they created lists of places and geographic features. To spatially represent these data, geographers mapped the distances between features from the perspective of the traveler. Maps have aided navigation, settled disputes, and illustrated the extent of an Empire’s power. Beyond these and other utilitarian uses for maps, the desire to discover what was beyond the edges of the map–to venture into the unknown–brought about an Age of Exploration that continues into the 21st century with space exploration. [more]
How Early Astronaut Photographs Inspired the Landsat Program
In the 1960s, NASA was pioneering a new era of human spaceflight—and astronaut photography—that would change Earth observation forever.
At Land’s Edge – Tracking Coastal Ecosystem with Landsat
Discover how Landsat’s 50-year record of Earth helps scientists track the health of coastal ecosystems while providing tools to monitor water quality and reveal changes at the edge of land and sea.
Landsat at Work: Preparing Residents Where Hurricanes Threaten
Landsat-based National Land Cover Database (NLCD) helps predict hurricane wind risk to homes and other structures.
Mapping Reservoirs for Better Water Management
Using data from Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS), researchers developed a new algorithm to better monitor reservoir water levels in the contiguous U.S.
Annual NLCD’s Insights Rely on Long Landsat Record
The Landsat satellite program, with its unparalleled 53-year historic record, can reveal changes through the Annual National Land Cover Database (NLCD).
A New and Improved Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 Dataset
In July, 2025, a team of researchers unveiled the Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) version 2.0 surface reflectance dataset and algorithms.
Deforestation in Paraguay’s Gran Chaco
The Gran Chaco—South America’s second largest forest—is disappearing. Watch decades of forest change, as captured by Landsat satellites.
Remote Sensing Symbiosis: How Government and Commercial Sectors Work Together
As an avid Landsat user and an expert in commercial satellite data, Dr. Francois Smith spoke to how the private and public remote sensing sectors work together.
Celebrating 53 Years Since Landsat 1’s Launch
When the first Landsat satellite launched in 1972, it posed the following question: could we manage our natural resources using remotely–sensed data? The answer, 53 years on, is a resounding “yes.”
