Satellite data provide an important source of information for characterizing and monitoring land-cover and land-use change. In some regions it is the only feasible way to provide timely and reliable land-cover assessments and identify areas of rapid change. Recent land-cover history also provides a point of departure for modeling land-cover change.

NASA Current Missions For LCLUC Research

NASA currently has sensing systems at high, medium and low resolution, which meet the LCLUC program observation needs. NASA satellite systems supplement operational satellites providing systematic measurements to study long-term trends. For example, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on the EOS Terra (AM) and Aqua (PM) platforms have significantly improved on the capabilities of the operational NOAA/METOP Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR). These coarse resolution data are used to classify and characterize land-cover at the global scale and to detect land-cover change at the regional scale. They also provide daily monitoring of land surface characteristics such as surface temperature, LAI and fire activity, which are often an indicator of land-cover change.

NASA as part of the Integrated Program Office contributed to the design of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument launched in 2011 which provided  a transition from MODIS class observations into the operational domain. Together with MODIS, the VIIRS instrument has continued the long-term data records of vegetation indices, land-cover and fire. The NASA S-NPP Science Team is establishing data continuity between MODIS and VIIRS products. New products derived from VIIRS important for LCLUC science have include the nighttime lights product providing moderate spatial and temporal resolution data to supplement and improve upon the operational Defense Meteorological Satellite Program which has also been used by LCLUC-funded research. Additional products such as finer-resolution active fire products have also been developed with the VIIRS sensor.

Landsat 7 has provided the systematic moderate resolution observations necessary to map and quantify land-cover changes at the local to regional scale for nearly 2 decades. The Landsat class observations are a critical underpinning for LCLUC research. The global acquisition strategy provided increased coverage with multiple cloud-free scenes each year, facilitating land-cover studies around the world. The LCLUC program has been pioneering methods for regional analysis of Landsat class observations setting the stage for periodic continental and global assessments of land-cover change. In this regard, the combination of systematic moderate and high resolution satellite remote sensing provides the opportunity for global scale studies and forms the basis for a global land observing system. Landsat 8 launched in 2013 has been providing improved moderately-fine resolution imagery building upon the success of the previous Landsat missions. It has included more refined bands than Landsat 7, including bands developed for cloud cover and aerosols. All bands have improved radiometric resolution making Landsat-8 sensor more sensitive. 

The NASA Harmonized Landsat Sentinel (HLS) Project in partnership with the LCLUC Program has developed a co-located, normalized Landsat 8 and Sentinel 2 product, which provides increased temporal frequency of moderate resolution coverage. The NASA MuSLI Projects funded by the LCLUC Program are using multiple sources of data to  develop higher-level co-located satellite products for applications such as inundation mapping, burned area mapping, and forest cover mapping. This innovative project integrating moderate to high spatial resolution imagery from multiple NASA and non-NASA satellites.

Over a number of years, NASA has participated with NGA in providing access to fine resolution data through a commercial data archive and the NextView License. Fine spatial resolution data with 1-3m resolution from sensors such as IKONOS, Quickbird, and Worldview have been used by LCLUC PI’s to provide detailed validation of high resolution products. With the increase in commercial fine resolution data, NASA has undertaken an activity to evaluate the utility of commercial data for science through a Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition Program. A number of PI’s in the LCLUC Program are participating in this evaluation.

Experimental measurements of limited duration are needed to better understand processes and to test new sensor technologies. For example, the Earth Observer 1 (EO1) system  provided a test-bed for new sensor technology and spaceborne hyper-spectral remote sensing. Similarly the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) sensor has provided coarse resolution thermal data collocated with MODIS data for improved surface characterization and validation of MODIS thermal products. More recently the ECOSTRESS  thermal instrument on board the International Space Station (ISS) was developed to reduce the cost and risk for the thermal infrared radiometer on the future Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI) mission. HyspIRI is one of the system concepts being considered for the Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) Designated Observable identified by the most recent NASA Decadal Survey. The GEDI instrument also on ISS is providing the first satellite based Lidar data for studying the 3-D Structure of vegetation.

NASA LCLUC research in the microwave part of the Spectrum had been limited by the absence of a current US microwave sensing system until recently. Various SAR systems have been used including airborne platforms such as UAVSAR which can be deployed as a fully polarimetric system with high spatial resolution to any given location in the world. Microwave satellite sensors operated by Europe (e.g. ERS-1/2) and Japan (JERS-1) have also been used by LCLUC PI’s for mapping the extent of wetland areas. Currently NASA collaborates with the European Space Agency for sharing of Sentinel-1 C-Band SAR which is available for public download with a wide array of SAR data from the Alaska Satellite Facility. 

NASA Future Missions For LCLUC Research

Landsat 9 development is currently underway as a partnership between NASA and the USGS to continue the decades-long legacy of Landsat sensors and associated historical record. It will prove useful for land resources mapping, monitoring land cover and land use change consequences including ecosystem function and services with implications on human health, the economy, and society. Landsat system of sensors have helped stakeholders across the world to the better manage farm resources, wildland fire control, drought monitoring, flood mapping, and much more. Landsat 9 is planned for launch in late 2020 and will include the OLI-2 and TIRS-2 science instruments with a design life of 5 years and is in essence a rebuild of Landsat-8 which may allow for a much quicker and safer launch and prolonged lifespan.

NASA is currently developing a SAR system in collaboration with the Indian Space agency. The system is called NASA-ISRO SAR Mission (NISAR) planned for launch in 2020. It will be the first earth orbiting satellite with dual-band frequency (S-band and L-band) SAR with applications for hazard monitoring, global environmental change, and more.

Additional information on NASA’s planned mission details are available here. 

Through the international reach of the LCLUC Program, we have been interacting with the international scientists and Space Agencies to advocate for increased availability of free and open sharing of data from satellites that are relevant to LCLUC research.

NASA Data Sets For LCLUC Research

The unprecedented large volumes of satellite data for land use research have necessitated the development of innovative data processing, delivery and analysis systems. The primary NASA data system (ESDIS) and a number of competed research opportunities such as ACCESS and MEASURES have provided support for data systems development and research going back to the 1990’s. The MODIS production system at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is generating land-cover related products from the daily MODIS and VIIRS instruments. MODIS Land data products at 250m -1km have been reprocessed 5 times, as the algorithms have been improved to provide consistent data records. The SNPP VIIRS Land data products are in their second reprocessing and the science teams are developing MODIS to VIIRS continuity products. VIIRS Land data along with data from Sentinel 3 are available from the LAADS DAAC. Various land data products including MODIS, VIIRS, ASTER are made available through the NASA Land Processes DAAC and the National Snow and Ice Data Center. NASA data for Near Real Time Applications including fire monitoring can be obtained from the Land Atmosphere Near real time Capability for EOS (LANCE). An excellent way to view NASA time-series imagery is through the ESDIS Worldview capability and the Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS). Information on accessing NASA GEDI data can be obtained from the GEDI Home Page at UMD.  GEDI lower level data are available from the LPDAAC and higher order products from the ORNL DAAC. Information on accessing ECOSTRESS data can be found at JPL. Data can be downloaded from the LPDAAC. The entire Landsat archive and a wide range of land data products are available through the USGS Eros Data Center and Landsat Applications Ready Data (ARD) products are under development. Fine spatial resolution available to NASA-funded scientists through the NextView license can be obtained from the NASA NGA Commercial Archive at GSFC.

Harmonized Landsat-8/Sentinel-2 Products

The ESA Sentinel-2 and Landsat products represent the most widely accessible medium-to-high spatial resolution multispectral satellite data. The combination of these products provides a higher temporal resolution data set, with a revisit time of 3-5 days suited to land monitoring. NASA GSFC has developed a Harmonized Landsat Sentinel (HLS) data set with standard processing of the two data sets so they can be used easily in combination.

Global Land Survey

The Landsat Global Land Survey (GLS) data sets were created as a collaboration between NASA LCLUC and the USGS which ended in 2011. Landsat data sets were compiled and processed consistently from 1975 (1972-1983) for several epochs (1990, 2000, 2005, 2010). GLS datasets allowed scientists and data users to have access to a consistent, terrain corrected, coordinated collection of data. These data are available from the USGS Eros Data Center.

Global Geo-Referenced Field Photo Library

Land use and land cover change studies at regional to global scales require large numbers of field sites for algorithm development and accuracy evaluation. Rapid development in integration of digital camera, hand-held GPS device, computer and internet make it possible for both scientific communities and citizens to collect and share geo-referenced field photos.  The Global Geo-Referenced Field Photo Library, developed at the Earth Observation and Modeling Facility of University of Oklahoma, offers the capacity for users to upload, query (by themes and geographically), and download geo-referenced field photos in the library. It offers interactive capacity for users to interpret and classify field photos into relevant land cover types and builds photo-based land cover database.  The users can use both photos and associated databases to carry out land use and land cover analysis in a geographical information system. The users who provide field photos can decide whether individual photos are to be shared or not. This tool and the resultant photo library will enable our NASA LCLUC communities to share their field photos, and promote the NASA LCLUC effort in remote sensing.

Very High-Resolution Satellite Data Access

A number of commercial companies such as Planet Labs and Maxar/DigitalGlobe have been acquiring remote sensing very high-resolution (VHR) data useful for LU/CC applications. VHR observations increase our capabilities to extract land-cover/use information with greater detail. Planet’s constellation consists of over 150 satellites providing spectral observations daily with PLANETSCOPE (RGB and NIR), RAPIDEYE (RGB, red edge and NIR), and SKYSAT (RGB, NIR, and PAN) satellites with 3m, 5m, and 0.8m resolutions respectively. Currently, DigitalGlobe operates four satellites: GeoEye-1, WorldView-1, -2, and -3. The combination of GeoEye-1, which can revisit any point on Earth once every three days, and the WorldView constellation makes the frequency of Digital Globe VHR data useful for short-term LU/CC monitoring at 1-m resolution (or higher for panchromatic bands). The commercial data currently distributed by NASA are available under different scientific use licenses and various access portals. The Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) program evaluates and procures data from commercial vendors that advance NASA’s Earth science research and applications activities. Currently, data acquired during the evaluations of Planet, Maxar (formerly DigitalGlobe, Inc.), and Spire Global are available. More Info: https://earthdata.nasa.gov/esds/csdap/commercial-datasets

ESRI 2020 Global Land Cover Map

Esri releases high-resolution (10-meter), 2020 global land cover map. The map was built using European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and developed using a new machine learning workflow teaming with new Esri Silver Partner Impact Observatory, as well as long-time partner Microsoft. The product is available in ArcGIS Online as a map service. It is also available for download and viewing. To explore the new 2020 Global Land Cover Map, visit livingatlas.arcgis.com/landcover.

ESRI 2020 Global Land Cover Map

NASA's Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Program requires that all software developed through research and technology awards (i.e., Research Opportunities in Earth and Space Science [ROSES] or unsolicited proposals) or other government-funded development is to be made available to the public as Open Source Software (OSS). This includes all software developed with ESDS funding used in the production of data products, as well as software developed to discover, access, analyze, visualize, and transform NASA data. This policy does not apply to commercial off-the-shelf software. 
For more information please visit: https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/engage/open-data-services-and-software/esds-open-source-policy

Below are links to the official LCLUC Program brochures. Within the brochures are general background information regarding the program, highlighted science projects, and recent goals and initiatives.

Download: 2013_NASA_LCLUC_brochure.pdf (3 mb)

Download: 2009_NASA_LCLUC_brochure.pdf (3 mb)

Download: 2006_NASA_LCLUC_brochure.pdf (64 mb)

LCLUC science research projects at NASA often have practical applications which are suited to further development under the NASA Applied Sciences Program. The focus of the Appliied Sciences Program is to establish direct societal benefits from NASA research with operational data and information users. The program addresses applications of national priority emphasizing partnerships with agencies with an operational mandate e.g. USDA, USFS, FIMA, EPA, NPS, and international organizations e.g. UNFAO, UNDP and UNEP. Recently partnerships have been expanded to the private sector and non-governmental organizations. NASA applied sciences focus areas include aspects of agriculture, disasters, ecological forecasting, health and air quality, water resources, wildland fires. The approach is to enable the assimilation of remote sensing data and Earth Science model outputs to serve as inputs to decision support systems. Through a process of benchmarking, verification and validation the enhancement to the decision support system is documented and a pathway developed for the operational transition. Current LCLUC-related Applied Sciences projects include the use of remote in forest management, fire risk mapping, invasive species monitoring, flood inundation, crop yield forecasting and famine early warning.

NASA Near real-time data (LANCE)

NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE) makes Earth Observing System (EOS) data from ten NASA instruments available within three hours of satellite observation. This is to meet the timely needs of applications such as numerical weather and climate prediction; forecasting and monitoring natural hazards, ecological/ invasive species, agriculture, and air quality; providing help with disaster relief; and homeland security. LANCE users span a variety of communities interested in a range of applications. Users come from both the civilian and military sectors, from government and non-government agencies and from universities and other research institutions. Near real time data can be viewed using NASA’s Worldview capability.

The NASA Direct Readout Program: Providing A Bridge Between NASA Direct Broadcast Earth Science Missions And The Direct Readout User Community

NASA's Direct Readout Laboratory (DRL) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is the implementation arm of NASA's Direct Readout Program. The DRL acts as the bridge between Earth science remote sensing missions such as Terra, Aqua, and the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP), and the Direct Readout (DR) community. The DRL encourages communication and maintains an open-door policy with the commercial and research and development sectors. This process provides the DRL with critical information on DR systems currently in use, and the needs of the DR community.

Global Fire Information For Resource Management

NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) distributes Near Real-Time (NRT) active fire data within 3 hours of satellite observation from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and NASA's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).Transitioning from a research to an operational system with an emphasis on Protected Areas The Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) aims to transition NASA funded research results and observations to operational partners to support decision making for management of Protected Areas (PAs) worldwide. Specifically, a Web GIS provides active fire, burned areas and NASA imagery to protected area managers around the World in easy to use formats for decision making. The information will be delivered through web based interactive maps and email and text message alerts. The operational partners in this project are the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and Conservation International (CI).

Each orange dot in this FIRMS Fire Map image of Africa and Madagascar from July 23, 2019, represents a hotspot detected over the past 24 hours by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua Earth observing satellites. Image courtesy of NASA FIRMS.

NASA Global Agricultural Monitoring

The NASA Applies Sciences Harvest Program builds on a significant investment in research and analysis. Algorithms developed by the MODIS instrument teams are used for monitoring crop phenology. Soil moisture products developed from satellite data are used to help monitor crop condition. Methods for agricultural land use classification are used for mapping crop type and area. Methods are being developed for crop yield estimation from field to national scales and research into  monitoring agricultural land use change are included within the NASA LCLUC Program. The Harvest program is NASA’s contribution to the international GEO Global Agricultural Monitoring Program (GEOGLAM)

Global Forest Monitoring

NASA research and development on forest monitoring and change detection provides the basis for the Global Forest Watch. Global Forest Watch (GFW) which is run by the World Resources Institute, enables users to create custom maps, analyze forest trends, subscribe to alerts, or download data for their local area or the entire world. Users can also contribute to GFW by sharing data and stories from the ground via GFW’s crowdsourcing tools, blogs, and discussion groups. Special “apps” provide detailed information for companies that wish to reduce the risk of deforestation in their supply chains, users who want to monitor fires across Southeast Asia, and more. GFW serves a variety of users including governments, the private sector, NGOs, journalists, universities, and the general public.

With the ongoing and sometimes dramatic changes in regional economies, demographics and extreme weather events, land-cover and land-use change will continue to be an important topic for environmental change research. The LCLUC program will continue to develop a unique role for NASA in utilizing its satellite assets for the study of LCLUC in the U.S. and around the World. The scientific outreach aspect of the program for NASA data and science is significant.

The NASA LCLUC program will continue to explore the development and application of new remote sensing systems to better characterize land cover and new techniques and methods to extract information from remotely sensed data. The NASA LCLUC program will continue to foster the incorporation of social processes in LCLUC models and the interaction between social and physical scientists. The program will endeavor to maintain a balance between quantifying and characterizing land use change, understanding the processes and determining the impacts.

The role of satellite data record and process studies in projecting future LCLUC will need further investment, and the integration of land-use models and ecosystem models will need to be developed. The procedures that the program develops for periodic inventory of land cover, and the detection, characterization and quantification of land-cover change will need to be standardized and transitioned to the operational domain, where possible partnering with NASA Earth Action and Data Systems. In the immediate absence of an operational agency providing regular global monitoring of LCLUC, the NASA LCLUC program will need to provide the LCLUC data sets necessary to answer NASA’s Earth Science questions. In addition to generating science quality land data products, and a consistent data record, it will be equally important for the accuracy of these data sets to be quantified and the data sets to be easily accessible by the science community. Emphasis will be given to studying areas of the planet where rapid change is taking place or where the impacts of the changes are most serious.

As part of the Biosphere, the LCLUC program element will look for opportunities to partner with other elements within the Earth System Science Research Program (ESSRP) and across the ESE. The NASA LCLUC program will also continue to explore partnerships with other U.S. Government agencies whose programs complement the LCLUC science agenda. 

A closer partnership will be sought with the NASA Earth Action program to further demonstrate the societal benefits of LCLUC research through practical applications. Practical land-use related topics such as urban and suburban development, agricultural expansion and abandonment, fire and flood management, water quality and wetlands and human health require a better scientific understanding and are important both nationally and internationally in the context of economic development, sustainability, resilience and vulnerability. Partnership with operational natural resource agencies such as the USDA, USGS, USAID, UNDP and UN FAO as opportunities allow. It is envisioned that LCLUC research and the various NASA land-cover related products and applications initiatives will contribute to the international Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS) leading to direct and tangible societal benefits. LCLUC will continue to be a partner in the Global Land Program and with the European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories EARSeL) Special Interest Group on Land Use and Land Cover.

In the next few years, the LCLUC program will play an important role in securing the continuity of the Landsat class observations needed for LCLUC science with Landsat Next. The program will continue to explore multi-sensor data fusion and the use of fine spatial resolution data for land use science. The LCLUC program will contribute to the science requirements for new NASA Decadal Survey instruments and products and investigate the new sensing capabilities as they come on-line. The LCLUC program will continue to work with the international programs to better coordinate satellite observations of land cover through programs such as CEOS, GOFC GOLD and GEO and to broaden the use of NASA data through regional workshops and meetings.