The Landsat system

Abstract

To this point the discussion has focused entirely on conventional aerial photo-interpretation techniques and for good reason — the bulk of remote sensing data used by land planners is acquired from conventional aerial photos. There is one other system whose products have proved to be of value, particularly when information is needed over large areas. Landsat is an earth-orbiting satellite system which acquires multispectral data of the earth’s surface on a continuous basis. Since the program’s inception in 1972, Landsat (actually five separate satellites) has acquired the equivalent of millions of frames of information and continues to do so. Landsat data have already become important for geologic exploration, crop production estimates and rangeland management.