Comparison of remote sensing satellites
A variety of remote sensing systems exist, for which the specification is distributed among a variety of websites from data providers, satellite operators and manufacturers. In order to choose a data product for a given project, a remote sensing data user must be aware of the different products and their applications. The table below gives users an overview of major remote sensing systems and datasets and summarizes their applications and systems.
Summary Table[edit]
|
Data Product |
Provider |
Orbital Height |
Spatial Resolution |
Swath Width |
Pass Over Time |
Date Range of Acquisition |
Spectral Coverage |
Access and Restrictions |
Data Use |
Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
NASA/USGS |
705 km Sun-synchronous |
30 m 120 m |
185 km |
Every 16 days Equator at ~09h45 (local time) |
since March 1, 1984 Note: First Landsat Mission in 1972 |
B1: 0.45-0.52 μm (30 m) B2: 0.52-0.60 μm (30 m) B3: 0.63-0.69 μm (30 m) B4: 0.76-0.90 μm (30 m) B5: 1.55-1.75 μm (30 m) B6: 10.4-12.5 μm (120 m) (IR) B7: 2.08-2.35 μm (30 m) |
Free access, use and redistribution; |
oceanography, aerosols, bathymetry, vegetation types, peak vegetation, biomass content analysis, moisture analysis, thermal mapping, mineral deposit identification |
|||
|
NASA/USGS |
705 km Sun-synchronous |
15 m 30 m 60 m |
183 km |
Every 16 days Equator at ~10h00 (local time) |
since April 15, 1999 |
B1: 0.45-0.515 μm (30 m) B2: 0.525-0.605 μm (30 m) B3: 0.63-0.69 μm (30 m) B4: 0.75-0.90 μm (30 m) B5: 1.55-1.75 μm (30 m) B6: 10.4-12.5 μm (60 m) B7: 2.09-2.35 μm (30 m) B8: 0.52-0.9 μm (15 m) |
Free access, use and redistribution; |
oceanography, aerosols, bathymetry, vegetation types, peak vegetation, biomass content analysis, moisture analysis, thermal mapping, mineral deposit identification |
|||
|
OLI (B1-B9) TIRS (B10-B11) |
NASA/USGS |
705 km Sun-synchronous |
15 m 30 m 60 m 100 m |
185 km |
Every 16 days Equator at ~10h00 (local time) |
since February 11, 2013 |
B1: 0.433–0.453 μm (30 m) B2: 0.450–0.515 μm (30 m) B3: 0.525–0.600 μm (30 m) B4: 0.630–0.680 μm (30 m) B5: 0.845–0.885 μm (30 m) B6: 1.560–1.660 μm (60 m) B7: 2.100–2.300 μm (30 m) B8: 0.500–0.680 μm (15 m) B9: 1.360–1.390 μm (30 m) B10: 10.6-11.2 μm (100 m) (IR) B11: 11.5-12.5 μm (100 m) (IR) |
Free access, use and redistribution; |
oceanography, aerosols, bathymetry, vegetation types, peak vegetation, biomass content analysis, moisture analysis, cloud cover analysis, thermal mapping, soil moisture estimation |
||
|
Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer |
NOAA/USGS |
830–870 km Sun-synchronous |
1090 m |
833 km |
Twice daily; entire planet |
since May 1998 AVHRR/1 (1978) AVHRR/2 (1981; continuous data since 1981) |
B1: 0.58 - 0.68 μm (1.09 km) B2: 0.725 - 1.00 μm (1.09 km) B3A: 1.58 - 1.64 μm (1.09 km) B3B: 3.55 - 3.93 μm (1.09 km) B4: 10.30 - 11.30 μm (1.09 km) B5: 11.50 - 12.50 μm (1.09 km) |
Free access, use and redistribution; |
cloud and surface mapping, land-water bounds, recognition of snow and ice, sea surface temperatures and cloud cover analysis at night |
||
|
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer |
NASA |
705 km Sun-synchronous |
250 m (B1-B2) 500 m (B3-B7) 1000 m (B8-B36) |
2330 km |
Daily; equator at ~10h30 and 13h30 (local time) |
Terra: December 18, 1999 Aqua: May 4, 2002 |
B1: 620 - 670 nm B2: 841 - 876 nm B3: 459 - 479 nm B4: 545 - 565 nm B5: 1230 - 1250 nm B6: 1628 - 1652 nm B7: 2105 - 2155 nm B8: 405 - 420 nm B9: 438 - 448 nm B10: 483 - 493 nm B11: 526 - 536 nm B12: 546 - 556 nm B13: 662 - 672 nm B14: 673 - 683 nm B15: 743 - 753 nm B16: 862 - 877 nm B17: 890 - 920 nm B18: 931 - 941 nm B19: 915 - 965 nm B20: 3.660 - 3.840 μm B21: 3.929 - 3.989 μm B22: 3.929 - 3.989 μm B23: 4.020 - 4.080 μm B24: 4.433 - 4.498 μm B25: 4.482 - 4.549 μm B26: 1.360 - 1.390 μm B27: 6.535 - 6.895 μm B28: 7.175 - 7.475 μm B29: 8.400 - 8.700 μm B30: 9.580 - 9.880 μm B31: 10.780 - 11.280 μm B32: 11.770 - 12.270 μm B33: 13.185 - 13.485 μm B34: 13.485 - 13.785 μm B35: 13.785 - 14.085 μm B36: 14.085 - 14.385 μm |
Free access, use and redistribution; |
aerosols, land and cloud boundaries and properties, ocean biology, biogeochemistry, atm. water vapour, sea surface and atmospheric temperature, cloud analysis |
||
|
Digital Globe |
482 km 450 km Sun-synchronous |
65 cm B/W 2.62 m RGBiR 61 cm B/W 2.44 m RGBiR |
16.8 km – 18 km |
Every 2.4-5.9 days, equator at 10h30 (local time) |
since October 18, 2001 |
B/W: 405-1053 nm R: 430 - 545 nm G: 466 - 620 nm B: 590 - 710 nm NIR: 715 - 918 nm |
Data needs to be purchased from DigitalGlobe or a commercial reseller; if imagery is not available in archive, special request can be made |
mapping, change detection, planning (engineering, natural resources, urban, infrastructure), land-use, EIA, tourism, military, crop management, environmental monitoring |
|||
|
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite |
NOAA |
35 790 km Geostationary |
1 km 4 km 8 km |
Pacific Ocean, Americas and Atlantic (160°E to 20°W) |
captures and sends data at various intervals; up to 8 per hour in the Continental US |
First Mission 1978 |
B1 (Visible) (1 km) B2 (Shortwave) (4 km) B3 (Moisture) (8 km (4 km GOES 12/13/14/15)) B4 (Longwave 1) (4 km) B5 and 6 (Longwave 2) (4 km) GOES also has remote sensing equipment to detect space weather. |
Free access, use and redistribution; |
weather tracking, water vapour analysis, meteorology and atmospheric science |
||
|
Digital Globe |
681 km Sun-synchronous |
80 cm B/W 3.2 m RBGiR |
11.3 km |
every 3 days |
launch September 24, 1999 |
B/W: 445-900 nm B: 445-516 nm G: 506-595 nm R: 632-698 nm NiR: 757-853 nm |
Data needs to be purchased from DigitalGlobe or a commercial reseller; if imagery is not available in archive, special request can be made |
mapping, change detection, planning (engineering, natural resources, urban, infrastructure), land-use, EIA, tourism, military, crop management, environmental monitoring |
|||
|
Satellite pour l’Observation de la Terre |
EADS Astrium |
694 km Sun-synchronous |
2.5 m 5 m 10 m 20 m |
60 km |
every 1–3 days |
SPOT1 launched in 1986 SPOT6 launched in 2012 |
B/W: 0.450-0.745 μm R: 0.625-0.695 μm G: 0.530-0.590 μm B: 0.450-0.520 μm NiR: 0.760-0.890 μm |
Data needs to be purchased from EADS Astrium; if imagery is not available in archive, special request can be made |
mapping, change detection, planning (engineering, natural resources, urban, infrastructure), land-use, EIA, tourism, military, crop management, environmental monitoring |
||
|
Canadian Space Agency MDA |
RADARSAT1 793–821 km RADARSAT-2 798 km RADARSAT Constellation 592,7 km |
8–100 m 3x1m–100x100m 3x1m–100x100m |
45–500 km 18–500 m 5-500 km |
14 (14,92 Constellation) orbits per day; at equator: 6h00 and 18h00 (local) |
RADARSAT 1 launched on November 4, 1995 RADARSAT 2 launched on December 14, 2007 RADARSAT Constellation to be launched in 2018 |
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) |
Data needs to be purchased from MDA for commercial purposes; available for research through the SOAR partnership from MDA and the Government of Canada |
environmental monitoring, ice monitoring, marine surveillance, disaster management, hydrology, mapping, geology, agriculture and forestry |
|||
|
Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectance Radiometer |
NASA Government of Japan |
705 km Sun-synchronous |
15–90 m |
60 km |
Daily; equator at ~10h30 (local) |
since December 18, 1999 (on Terra) |
B1: 0.520–0.600 μm (15 m) B2: 0.630–0.690 μm (15 m) B3: 0.760–0.860 μm (15 m) B4: 0.760–0.860 μm (15 m) B5: 1.600–1.700 μm (30 m) B6: 2.145–2.185 μm (30 m) B7: 2.185–2.225 μm (30 m) B8: 2.235–2.285 μm (30 m) B9: 2.295–2.365 μm (30 m) B10: 2.360–2.430 μm (30 m) B11: 8.125–8.475 μm (90 m) B12: 8.475–8.825 μm (90 m) B13: 8.925–9.275 μm (90 m) B14: 10.250–10.950 μm (90 m) B15: 10.950–11.650 μm (90 m) |
Data needs to be purchased for commercial purposes; Educational use and NASA-supported research permitted |
vegetation, ecosystem dynamics, hazard and disaster monitoring, change detection, earth science, land cover analysis |
||
|
ESA |
705 km Sun-synchronous |
10 m 20 m 60 m |
185 km |
Every 5 days (combined satellite constellation) Equator at ~010h30 (local time) |
since June 23, 2015 |
B1: ~442.7 nm (60 m) (Coastal Aerosol) B2: ~492.4 nm (10 m) (Blue) B3: ~559.8 nm (10 m) (Green) B4: ~664.6 nm (10 m) (Red) B5: ~704.1 nm (20 m) (Red Edge) B6: ~740.5 nm (20 m) (Red Edge) B7: ~782.8 nm (20 m) (Red Edge) B8: ~832.8 nm (10 m) (NIR) B8a: ~864.7 nm (20 m) (Narrow NIR) B9: ~945.1 nm (60 m) (Water Vapor) B10: ~1373.5 nm (60 m) (SWIR - Cirrus) B11: ~1613.7 nm (20 m) (SWIR) B12: ~2202.4 nm (20 m) (SWIR) |
Free access, use and redistribution; |
oceanography, aerosols, bathymetry, vegetation types, peak vegetation, biomass content analysis, moisture analysis, thermal mapping, mineral deposit identification |
Sources[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 NASA. Technical Details. Landsat Science. [Online] September 18, 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/?p=5081.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 USGS. Frequently Asked Questions about the Landsat Missions. USGS Landsat Missions. [Online] August 29, 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://landsat.usgs.gov/tools_faq.php.
- ↑ —. Landsat 8. [Online] 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2013/3060/pdf/fs2013-3060.pdf.
- ↑ —. Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Sensor Characteristics. Global Land 1-KM AVHRR Project. [Online] June 23, 2008. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://edc2.usgs.gov/1KM/avhrr_sensor.php.
- ↑ NOAA. Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer - AVHRR. NOAA Satellite Information System. [Online] March 28, 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://noaasis.noaa.gov/NOAASIS/ml/avhrr.html.
- ↑ United States Department of the Interior. AVHRR. National Atlas. [Online] January 14, 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://nationalatlas.gov/articles/mapping/a_avhrr.html.
- ↑ NASA. Specifications. MODIS Web. [Online] [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/about/specifications.php.
- ↑ USGS/NASA. MODIS Overview. LP DAAC. [Online] August 19, 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/modis_overview.
- ↑ Satellite Imaging Corporation. QuickBird Satellite Imagery and Satellite System Specifications. Satellite Imaging Corporation. [Online] 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://www.satimagingcorp.com/satellite-sensors/quickbird.html.
- ↑ DigitalGlobe. QuickBird - Data Sheet. DigitalGlobe. [Online] [Cited: September 19, 2013.] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-19. Retrieved 2013-10-20. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link). - ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 GeoImage. Satellite Overview. GeoImage. [Online] 2012. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://www.geoimage.com.au/satellites/satellite-overview.
- ↑ 12. NOAA. GOES - Introduction. NOAA CLASS. [Online] [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://www.class.ngdc.noaa.gov/data_available/goes/index.htm.
- ↑ NASA. Overview of the GOES Mission. GOES I-M DataBook. 1st Revision. Greenbelt : NASA, 1996.
- ↑ —. Three Classes of Orbit. NASA Earth Observatory. [Online] [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/OrbitsCatalog/page2.php.
- ↑ DigitalGlobe. IKONOS - Data Sheet. DigitalGlobe. [Online] June 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://www.digitalglobe.com/sites/default/files/DG_IKONOS_DS.pdf.
- ↑ EADS Astrium. Astrium GEO-Information Services SPOT International Price List. EADS Astrium. [Online] 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://www2.astrium-geo.com/files/pmedia/public/r146_9_pricelist_spot_en_2012.pdf.
- ↑ —. Technical Information about the SPOT Satellites. EADS Astrium. [Online] 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://www.astrium-geo.com/en/191-spot-technical-information.
- ↑ Canadian Space Agency. Satellite Characteristics. Canadian Space Agency. [Online] January 21, 2011. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/radarsat/radarsat-tableau.asp#r1.
- ↑ MDA. Geospatial Services International. MDA Essential Information Solutions. [Online] 2012. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://gs.mdacorporation.com/.
- ↑ USGS/NASA. ASTER Data Access Policies. LP DAAC. [Online] August 19, 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/aster_policies.
- ↑ —. ASTER Overview. LP DAAC. [Online] August 19, 2013. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/aster_overview.
- ↑ NASA. Aster. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. [Online] July 9, 2004. [Cited: September 19, 2013.] http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/eos.asp.
- ↑ ESA. Resolution and Swath. ESA. [Online] [Cited: May 4, 2021.] https://sentinel.esa.int/web/sentinel/missions/sentinel-2/instrument-payload/resolution-and-swath.
- ↑ ESA. Sentinel-2. ESA. [Online] August 19, 2013. [Cited: May 4, 2021.] https://sentinel.esa.int/web/sentinel/missions/sentinel-2.
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