Important Landsat Websites
Landsat 8 officially began normal operations on May 30, 2013, when the leadership for satellite operations transferred from NASA to the U.S. Geological Survey. With the hand-off, the name of the satellite changed from the Landsat Data Continuity Mission to Landsat 8. The USGS now manages the satellite flight operations team within the Mission Operations Center, which remains located at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
The U.S. Geological Survey is responsible for Landsat 5 and 7 satellite operations, Landsat data archival, and data distribution. Here, you can find technical documentation of calibration files, definitive ephemeris, data acquisition, international ground stations, image processing and more.
Landsat 7 Science Data Users Handbook
This is essential reading for Landsat data users. Everything you need to know about Landsat data can be found here. Note: The Landsat 7 Handbook is out of date. A revised version to bring the information up to date will be developed and posted when complete. Please see the USGS Landsat site at https://lta.cr.usgs.gov/EEHelp/ShapeFiles for current information on Landsat 7 ETM+ data and data products.
Land-Cover and Land-Use Change Program
The Land-Cover and Land-Use Change Program (LCLUC) Program was initiated as a cross-cutting scientific research theme within NASA’s Earth Science Division. LCLUC focuses on developing interdisciplinary science with a high level of societal relevance. An end goal is to apply LCLUC scientific findings to natural resource management questions, starting with agricultural land use change.
