The 50-year Landsat collection 2 archive

Science of Remote Sensing
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Abstract

The Landsat global consolidated data archive now exceeds 50 years. In recognition of the need for consistently processed data across the Landsat satellite series, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initiated collection-based processing of the entire archive that was processed as Collection 1 in 2016. In preparation for the data from the now successfully launched Landsat 9, the USGS reprocessed the Landsat archive as Collection 2 in 2020. This paper describes the rationale for, and the contents and advancements provided by Collection 2, and highlights the differences between the Collection 1 and Collection 2 products. Notably, the Collection 2 products have improved geolocation and, for the first time, the USGS provides a global inventory of Level 2 surface reflectance and surface temperature products. Also for the first time, the USGS used a commercial cloud computing architecture to efficiently process the archive and enable direct cloud access of the Landsat products. The paper concludes with discussion of likely improvements expected in Collection 3 in preparation for the Landsat Next mission that is planned for launch in the early 2030s.

    Publication type Article
    Publication Subtype Journal Article
    Title The 50-year Landsat collection 2 archive
    Series title Science of Remote Sensing
    DOI 10.1016/j.srs.2023.100103
    Volume 8
    Year Published 2023
    Language English
    Publisher Elsevier
    Contributing office(s) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
    Description 100103, 17 p.
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