USGS EarthExplorer
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| USGS EarthExplorer | |
|---|---|
| Name | EarthExplorer |
| Developer | United States Geological Survey |
| Released | 2001 |
| Latest release | ongoing |
| Operating system | Web-based |
| Genre | Geospatial data portal |
USGS EarthExplorer is an online data discovery and delivery platform operated by the United States Geological Survey and hosted by the U.S. Department of the Interior that enables access to remotely sensed imagery and geospatial datasets. It provides catalog search, preview, and bulk download services for collections from agencies and missions including the Landsat program, Sentinel-2, Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The portal serves researchers, planners, and agencies across sectors such as NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Defense, and academic institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University.
Overview
EarthExplorer functions as a discovery tool connecting users to datasets from federal and international providers. It indexes holdings from repositories including the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA Earth Observing System Data and Information System, European Space Agency, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The interface supports search by spatial footprint, temporal range, and metadata filters and integrates with services from platforms such as GlobeLand30, COPERNICUS, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
Data and Collections
The catalogue comprises multi-source imagery and ancillary products from programs and sensors including the Landsat 1, Landsat 8, Landsat 9, Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, MODIS, ASTER, SPOT satellites, Ikonos, QuickBird, Pleiades, TerraSAR-X, RADARSAT, RADAR, AVHRR, VIIRS, ASTER GDEM, and elevation datasets like Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and National Elevation Dataset. Collections also include thematic data from agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Forest Service, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Archive holdings span historical aerial photography, such as collections from the National Archives and Records Administration, and modern high-resolution commercial imagery licensed through partners including Maxar Technologies and BlackSky.
Search and Download Functionality
Users perform spatial queries via map tools, shapefile upload, or coordinates and refine results using filters for sensor, cloud cover, acquisition date, and product level. Preview and browse images leverage quicklook generation and metadata records compliant with standards from the Open Geospatial Consortium and the Federal Geographic Data Committee. Download options include bulk request workflows, direct download for open datasets like Landsat surface reflectance and Sentinel-2 L2A, and order fulfillment for restricted products supplied by commercial vendors such as Airbus and Planet Labs. Authentication and user account management integrate with federal identity systems used by entities like the National Institutes of Health when applicable.
Access, Licensing, and Use Policies
Access policies reflect a mix of open-access and commercial-licensing models. Public-domain datasets from the U.S. Geological Survey and NASA are available under unrestricted use, while third-party imagery is distributed under license agreements with providers such as Maxar Technologies, Airbus Defence and Space, Planet Labs PBC, and BlackSky Global. Users must comply with terms from data owners including attribution, redistribution restrictions, and export-control considerations tied to statutes like the International Traffic in Arms Regulations when applicable. Data stewardship aligns with federal directives from entities like the Office of Management and Budget and the National Science Foundation on data sharing and preservation.
History and Development
The platform evolved from early USGS data distribution efforts and digital catalog projects in the 1990s and 2000s, paralleling missions and initiatives such as the Landsat program modernization, the creation of NASA EOSDIS, and the establishment of the Geospatial One-Stop. Major milestones include integration of free full-scene Landsat delivery, incorporation of ASTER datasets, and later inclusion of Sentinel mission data via partnerships with the European Space Agency. Development has involved collaborations with contractors and institutions including Esri, Google, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Raytheon, and research centers at University of California, Berkeley and University of Colorado Boulder.
Applications and Users
EarthExplorer supports applications in disciplines and operations undertaken by entities such as USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, FEMA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, NASA, academic researchers at Harvard University, University of Oxford, and Imperial College London, as well as commercial users at firms like JPL, Booz Allen Hamilton, AECOM, and Arup. Common uses include land-cover change analysis for programs like Convention on Biological Diversity reporting, disaster response in coordination with International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, agricultural monitoring for Food and Agriculture Organization, urban planning for municipalities including New York City and City of Los Angeles, and archaeological surveys complementing work at institutions like Smithsonian Institution.
Technical Infrastructure and APIs
The service architecture incorporates catalog databases, tiling services, and bulk delivery systems implemented with technologies and standards from Open Geospatial Consortium and ISO. Interoperability features include machine-to-machine access via APIs compatible with OGC WMS, OGC WFS, OGC WCS, and RESTful endpoints used by clients such as QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, GDAL, R Project for Statistical Computing, and Python libraries including Rasterio and Sentinel Hub. Cloud hosting and replication partnerships with Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure enable high-throughput downloads and integration with platforms like Google Earth Engine and Esri ArcGIS Online.