a quick guide to earth explorer for landsat 8

8/21/2019 A Quick Guide to Earth Explorer for Landsat 8

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A Quick Guide to Earth Explorer for Landsat 8May 31st, 2013 by Robert Simmon

The Landsat Data Continuity Mission is now Landsat 8, and that means images are nowpubi! "woohoo#$% &'S' handed !ontro o( the sateite to the )S*S yesterday "May 30,

2013$, and !aibrated imagery is a+aiabe through the arth -porer% )n(ortunatey, the

arth -porer inter(a!e is a bit o( a pain, so ./+e put together a guide to mae it easier%

irst, go to the arth -porer site earthexplorer.usgs.gov

ou !an sear!h, but not order data, without ogging in4so register i( you don/t ha+e an

a!!ount "don/t worry, it/s instant and (ree$, or og in i( you do%

The simpest way to see!t a o!ation is to simpy pi! a singe point on the map% ou !an

de5ne a bo- or e+en a poygon, but that maes it more iey you/ get images with ony

partia !o+erage% &a+igate to the o!ation you/re interested in, and !i! to enter the

http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/


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!oordinates% ou !an !hoose a data range, but right now there are ony 3 or 6 s!enes (or a

gi+en spot, so sip it and 7ust !i! “Data Sets”.

n the data sets page, you !an sear!h e+erything (rom 'eria .magery to 9egetation

Monitoring% Ci! the “” symbo ne-t to Landsat 'r!hi+e, then the 5rst !he! bo- that

appears “L8 !L"#$"%S” "whi!h stands (or Landsat 8 perationa Land .mager:Therma

.n(rared Sensor "!reati+e, no;$$% Ci!“%esults” to start a sear!h%


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'(ter a short wait, you/ get a ist o( a+aiabe images% The thumbnais aren/t big enough to

show mu!h, so !i! on one to see a sighty arger image% Cose that window, and !i! the

downoad i!on a green arrow pointing down towards a hard dri+e


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< whi!h doesn/t a!tuay downoad the data, 7ust pro+ides a ist o( downoad options%

=LandsatLoo> are (u?resoution @A*s, and are a Bui! way to !he! image Buaity "./d

pre(er (u?resoution browse images without a separate downoad, but . digress$% The Le+e 1

Arodu!t is terrain?!orre!ted, geoo!ated, !aibrated data4a bunde o( 1 bit, singe?!hanne

*eoT.s% See!t the “Level & 'roduct” radio button, then !i!“Select Do(nload

!ption”.


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Done# h, wait% &ot done% ou need to !i! one more button“Do(nload”.


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Now you/re done% The data shoud arri+e in your browser/s designated downoad (oder%

Drop a note in the !omments se!tion i( ./+e sipped a step, or i( you ha+e any other

Buestions% &e-t wee ./ e-pain what to do with the data on!e you/+e got it%

This entry was posted on Friday, May 31st, 2013 at 3:12 pm and is filed under Uncategorized !ou can follow any

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&) %esponses to “A Quick Guide to Earth Explorer for Landsat 8”

1% Danielle says

@une 6, 2013 at 3 pm

Thans# Can/t wait to earn more#

2% (alter says

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@une 6, 2013 at E03 pm

thans (or the Bui! re+iew

3% *ath+ says

@une 6, 2013 at 81 pm

9ery user?(riendy instru!tions F thans (or posting#

6% ,rancisco says

@uy 2, 2013 at 1126 am

Thans#, use(u and easy<

% -arius says

'ugust 12, 2013 at 1031 am

Can . pre?see!t imagery by !hoosing a ma-imum !oud!o+er amount;

% %oert Si//on says

'ugust 12, 2013 at 1066 am

es% '(ter you/+e see!ted the sensor "L8 L.:T.RS$ the ='dditiona Criteria> tab wi be!ome a!ti+e%

S!ro down a bit and pi! the a!!eptabe amount o( !oud !o+er%

E% Donnacha says

'ugust 12, 2013 at 1136 am

./m trying to downoad some images, but the Le+e 1 produ!t radio button is grayed out and

un!i!abe% ./m using &9. to pro!ess the imagery and a!tuay need the Le+e 1 "as part o( my

dissertation$ F the LandsatLoo images aren/t reay usabe as (ar as . !an mae out% Do you now

whether there is a reason behind this or am . 7ust out o( u!;

8% %oert Si//on says

'ugust 12, 2013 at 231 pm

're you signed in; There aren/t any restri!tions on downoading the data, but you do need an a!!ount%

G% Diana !0Donnell says

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/2013/05/31/a-quick-guide-to-earth-explorer-for-landsat-8/comment-page-1/#comment-61965http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/2013/05/31/a-quick-guide-to-earth-explorer-for-landsat-8/comment-page-1/#comment-61967http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/2013/05/31/a-quick-guide-to-earth-explorer-for-landsat-8/comment-page-1/#comment-62329http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/2013/05/31/a-quick-guide-to-earth-explorer-for-landsat-8/comment-page-1/#comment-62478http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/2013/05/31/a-quick-guide-to-earth-explorer-for-landsat-8/comment-page-1/#comment-62479http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/2013/05/31/a-quick-guide-to-earth-explorer-for-landsat-8/comment-page-1/#comment-62480http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/2013/05/31/a-quick-guide-to-earth-explorer-for-landsat-8/comment-page-1/#comment-62483http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/2013/05/31/a-quick-guide-to-earth-explorer-for-landsat-8/comment-page-1/#comment-61965http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/2013/05/31/a-quick-guide-to-earth-explorer-for-landsat-8/comment-page-1/#comment-61967http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/2013/05/31/a-quick-guide-to-earth-explorer-for-landsat-8/comment-page-1/#comment-62329http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/2013/05/31/a-quick-guide-to-earth-explorer-for-landsat-8/comment-page-1/#comment-62478http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/2013/05/31/a-quick-guide-to-earth-explorer-for-landsat-8/comment-page-1/#comment-62479http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/2013/05/31/a-quick-guide-to-earth-explorer-for-landsat-8/comment-page-1/#comment-62480http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/2013/05/31/a-quick-guide-to-earth-explorer-for-landsat-8/comment-page-1/#comment-62483


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'ugust 12, 2013 at G61 pm

Robert F Thans (or the tutoria% Most appre!iated% . re!ei+ed this as a in on a!eHoo% Ihere do . go

to get =ne-t> wees instru!tions;

. hope you don/t mind i( . !opy your notes, a!nowedging it by you, to pro+ide to my !oeagues% . am

woring as a 'ustraian 9ounteer (or .nternationa De+eopment in the J!e o( the Aro+in!ia

'gri!uturist in the Ahiippines and am attempting to hep them a!!ess better mapping% . am &T a

*.S person so . need a the hep . !an get%

My 5rst attempt at downwoading a Le+e 1 produ!t (aied F &etwor error F it was going to tae 2 hr

and we o(ten don/t get uninterrupted internet (or that period% Ihat woud be a better option;

Currenty they wi ony be Kooing/ at the maps, or utiising it as a better base ayer (or mapping

a!ti+ities and and use !hanges%


'ugust 13, 2013 at G02 am

)n(ortunatey, =ne-t wee> hasn/t arri+ed yet% Maybe this wee%

.( the e+e 1 data are too big, try the =LandsatLoo images with *eographi! Re(eren!e> They/re @A*

images, but in!ude Iord ies with the geoo!ation in(ormation "!orner points and dimensions$% The

pro7e!tion detais are in an ML 5e% . aways use the *eoT.s, so . don/t now mu!h ese about the

other (ormats% ou !an !onta!t )S*S i( you need more hep%

11% 1ELL!2-" says

'ugust 1E, 2013 at 1122 am

Than you%

12% /ark says

September 6, 2013 at 120 am

. downoaded an image (rom 1G80 but when . try and oom in the image Buaity is too ow !an . get a

better image" higher resoution$ "buy or downaod (ree$ or is what is downoaded as good as it gets;

thans

mar


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September 6, 2013 at 1020 am

Landsat data is up to 30 meters per pi-e in the indi+idua mutispe!tra bands, and the pan!hromati!

band "a wide range o( +isibe wa+eengths$ is 1 meters per pi-e%

16% Gariel -ott says

@anuary 6, 2016 at 612 am

Iow, this is in!redibe% . am 7ust beginning to digest the !oor in(ormation% Meant to send an emai

appauding the author, Robert Simmon, and woud sti ie to 5nd !onta!t in(ormation, but as it is,

many a than you (or the u!id and neutra e-panation o( !oor%

1% Lilianna says

May E, 2016 at 1110 am

. 7ust saw that . !oudnt !i! on the ast option to !hoose Le+e one images% . got an indi+idua

a!!ount !reated 3 years ago% 'ny suggestion;


May E, 2016 at 13 pm

.t wors (or me% 're you ogged in be(ore trying to downoad;

1E% 'eter -usingu3i says

@une 3, 2016 at 62E am

Trying to downoad the e+e 1 produ!ts but it/s too ong (or downoading one singe image o+er

3hours, any suggestions on how i !an speed up the downoading pro!ess;
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a quick guide to earth explorer for landsat 8

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