USGS Geography confronts some of the most pressing natural resource and environmental issues of our Nation. Observing the Earth with remote sensing satellites, USGS geographers monitor and analyze changes on the land, study connections between people and the land, and provide society with relevant science information to inform public decisions.
Land Remote Sensing
Land Remote Sensing (LRS) is the Nation's portal to the largest archive of remotely sensed land data in the world. Working with NASA, NOAA, commercial satellite companies, State and local governments, and international programs, the LRS Program collects, maintains, and distributes millions of images acquired from satellite and aircraft sensors. From such images scientists and land managers, both public and private, derive information about natural resources, hazards, and long-term changes to the landscape. Through advancements in data archive and processing technology and through the operation and maintenance of satellites such as Landsats 5 and 7, the LRS Program provides continuous access to worldwide land images that can be used in mankind's effort to sustain the ever-changing Earth.
The goal of the USGS Geographic Analysis and Monitoring (GAM) Program is to contribute to an understanding of the changes occurring to the Earth's surface and the consequences of these changes. It assesses land cover at a range of spatial and temporal scales to better understand the causes and consequences of land cover change, as well as developing datasets and tools to both analyze and visualize the changes taking place.
Innovative applications of GAM research encompass many fields, including climatic and hydrologic variability, biogeochemical cycling, ecosystem functioning, natural hazards analyses (including disaster prediction, mitigation, and response), and wildfire science. These applications provide a basis for resource managers and the public to understand the dynamic nature of our landscape and to anticipate the consequences of the interplay between natural processes and human actions.
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