dataset of coastal marshes and an improved methodology of coastal marsh health
assessment. This project was managed and completed in the Department of Geography
at the University of Maryland, College Park from 1993 to 1998 (Kearney et al., 1995;
Rizzo et al., 1996).
NASA EOS Land Validation Products. The NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) has
multiple core sites around the globe. At each of these core sites, in situ data have been
collected to compare with remote sensing data products from space and airborne
sensors including the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWifs), Multi-angle
Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR), Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
(AVHRR), Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer
(ASTER), and Landsat Thematic and Enhanced Thematic Mapper (TM/ETM+). These
core site datasets are intended for land product validation over a variety of ecosystem
types. Most of the core sites continue to build on the current program of long-term
measurements and have the infrastructure for continuous in situ data collection. This
project evolved from a Science Working Group meeting for the AM Platform Land
Validation Coordination meeting in 1997 (Justice et al., 1998).
The GLCF Landsat Image Archive. The GLCF is perhaps most famous for its Landsat
imagery archive. Landsat provides a relatively high resolution counterpart to NASA’s
Earth Observing System (EOS) sensors such as MODIS and MISR. In terms of time
series analyses, the Landsat program offers one of the longest continuous records in
Earth observations. Landsat provides multispectral imagery with 30-90 meter spatial
resolution of the Earth’s land and coastal areas. There have been several Landsat
missions, beginning in 1972 with the Landsat I MSS sensor, and concluding most
recently with Landsat 7-ETM+ sensor (Jensen, 2003). The GLCF offers the ability to
search by path and row or by global map. The GLCF also has a function called
“workspace” that allows a user to preview images and image metadata, decrease
download time, organize download files, and save image query results. Users may
refine their search by date, sensor, path/row, data format, level of processing, validation
(yes/no), or if the image has been orthorectified. The map and path/row search, data
preview and download, and workspace areas are all located on the GLCF Earth Science
Data Interface website: http://glcfapp.umiacs.umd.edu:8080/esdi/index.jsp.
Landsat historical data sets have filled, and continue to fill, an important niche in
many research communities. Because Landsat has one of the longest continuous
records of Earth observations, it has been analyzed and compared with almost every
sensor in orbit as well as newer GIS spatial data types. Examples of aquatic coastal
multitemporal Landsat data analysis combined with GIS data include studies such as:
1) watershed modeling using Landsat and micro-computer based GIS system (Berich
and Smith, 2000); 2) decision analysis in administration using Landsat and GIS
modeling of a Southwestern watershed (Kepner and Edmonds, 2002); 3) water quality
monitoring (Erkkilä, 2004); 4) assessment of variation in coastal sea surface
temperature (Thomas, 2002); 5) mapping of mangrove extent (Sulong et al., 2002); and
6) determination of concentrations of chlorophyll and suspended sediment in surface
waters for monitoring coastal water quality (Keiner, 1998).
Utilization of the historical Landsat dataset has allowed researchers to conduct time
series analyses in a number of studies. These include: 1) changes in coastal sediment
transport processes (El-Asmar, 2002); 2) monitoring changing coastline shape (White,
1999); 3) water body detection and delineation with Landsat TM data (Frazier and
187
Integration of New Data Types
assessment. This project was managed and completed in the Department of Geography
at the University of Maryland, College Park from 1993 to 1998 (Kearney et al., 1995;
Rizzo et al., 1996).
NASA EOS Land Validation Products. The NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) has
multiple core sites around the globe. At each of these core sites, in situ data have been
collected to compare with remote sensing data products from space and airborne
sensors including the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWifs), Multi-angle
Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR), Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
(AVHRR), Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer
(ASTER), and Landsat Thematic and Enhanced Thematic Mapper (TM/ETM+). These
core site datasets are intended for land product validation over a variety of ecosystem
types. Most of the core sites continue to build on the current program of long-term
measurements and have the infrastructure for continuous in situ data collection. This
project evolved from a Science Working Group meeting for the AM Platform Land
Validation Coordination meeting in 1997 (Justice et al., 1998).
The GLCF Landsat Image Archive. The GLCF is perhaps most famous for its Landsat
imagery archive. Landsat provides a relatively high resolution counterpart to NASA’s
Earth Observing System (EOS) sensors such as MODIS and MISR. In terms of time
series analyses, the Landsat program offers one of the longest continuous records in
Earth observations. Landsat provides multispectral imagery with 30-90 meter spatial
resolution of the Earth’s land and coastal areas. There have been several Landsat
missions, beginning in 1972 with the Landsat I MSS sensor, and concluding most
recently with Landsat 7-ETM+ sensor (Jensen, 2003). The GLCF offers the ability to
search by path and row or by global map. The GLCF also has a function called
“workspace” that allows a user to preview images and image metadata, decrease
download time, organize download files, and save image query results. Users may
refine their search by date, sensor, path/row, data format, level of processing, validation
(yes/no), or if the image has been orthorectified. The map and path/row search, data
preview and download, and workspace areas are all located on the GLCF Earth Science
Data Interface website: http://glcfapp.umiacs.umd.edu:8080/esdi/index.jsp.
Landsat historical data sets have filled, and continue to fill, an important niche in
many research communities. Because Landsat has one of the longest continuous
records of Earth observations, it has been analyzed and compared with almost every
sensor in orbit as well as newer GIS spatial data types. Examples of aquatic coastal
multitemporal Landsat data analysis combined with GIS data include studies such as:
1) watershed modeling using Landsat and micro-computer based GIS system (Berich
and Smith, 2000); 2) decision analysis in administration using Landsat and GIS
modeling of a Southwestern watershed (Kepner and Edmonds, 2002); 3) water quality
monitoring (Erkkilä, 2004); 4) assessment of variation in coastal sea surface
temperature (Thomas, 2002); 5) mapping of mangrove extent (Sulong et al., 2002); and
6) determination of concentrations of chlorophyll and suspended sediment in surface
waters for monitoring coastal water quality (Keiner, 1998).
Utilization of the historical Landsat dataset has allowed researchers to conduct time
series analyses in a number of studies. These include: 1) changes in coastal sediment
transport processes (El-Asmar, 2002); 2) monitoring changing coastline shape (White,
1999); 3) water body detection and delineation with Landsat TM data (Frazier and
187
Integration of New Data Types