Earth Explorer

Fact Sheet 083-00 (June, 2000)

The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Earth Explorer Web site provides access to millions of land-related products, including the following:

• Satellite images from Landsat, advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR), and Corona data sets
• Aerial photographs from the National Aerial Photography Program, NASA, and USGS data sets
• Digital cartographic data from digital elevation models, digital line graphs, digital raster graphics, and digital orthophoto quadrangles
• USGS paper maps

Digital, film, and paper products are available, and many products can be previewed before ordering.

Earth Explorer Address

earthexplorer.usgs.gov

Earth Explorer requires Internet Explorer 4.0 or Netscape 4.06 browsers, or higher, for use on Windows or Unix platforms. In addition, the user's browser must be set up to support the use of cookies, JAVA, and JAVA scripts.

Earth Explorer Interface

This Web site provides USGS product documentation and supports querying, product previewing, and credit card ordering.

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Product Documentation

Data set documentation is provided in Earth Explorer. Data processing histories, temporal and spatial extents, and distribution options conform to the Federal Geographic Data Committee's geospatial metadata profile.

Queries

User-specific spatial, temporal, and data set criteria can be used to query either a single data set or multiple data sets. The results of single or multiple data set queries can be viewed immediately and can also be saved for viewing later.

Previews

Millions of USGS products can be previewed before ordering. The following data sets support this capability:

• Landsat multispectral scanner
• Landsat thematic mapper
• Landsat enhanced thematic mapper+
• AVHRR
• Corona
• Digital orthophoto quadrangles

Preview images are in the public domain and can be saved locally.

Credit Card Ordering

The USGS accepts American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa credit cards through the Earth Explorer Web site.

Applications

The applications for Earth Explorer data can be as varied as the data sets in the system. The following are examples of data applications:

• Assessing crop conditions, deforestation, drought, and desertification
• Building computer models
• Conducting automated spatial analyses
• Mapping land cover
• Obtaining paper topographic maps for school projects or camping trips
• Ordering aerial photographs, showing hometowns, acquiring for offices or as gifts
• Populating geographic information systems
• Studying natural or manmade environmental issues

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Information

For more information about Earth Explorer or for assistance, contact:

Customer Services
U.S. Geological Survey
EROS Data Center
47914 252nd Street
Sioux Falls, SD 57198-0001
Voice: 605-594-6151 or 1-800-252-4547
E-mail: custserv@usgs.gov
Fax: 605-594-6589

Earth Explorer Home Page:
earthexplorer.usgs.gov

Earth Science Information Center Home Page: ask.usgs.gov

For information on other USGS products and services, call 1-888-ASK-USGS, use the Ask.USGS fax service, which is available 24 hours a day at 703-648-4888, or visit the general interest publications Web site on mapping, geography, and related topics at erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/pubslists/.

For additional information, visit the ask.usgs.gov Web site or the USGS home page at www.usgs.gov.

This document has undergone official review and approval for publications established by the National Mapping Division, U.S. Geological Survey.