Imagery

Sub-Theme

Low Resolution (>80m) High Temporal Coverage (>weekly)

Theme 
Imagery
Custodian 
Geoscience Australia
Aggregator 
Geoscience Australia

These data sets have a spatial resolution of no closer than 80 m and are collected on a close to weekly basis.

The AVHRR and MODIS sensors service most Australian needs for low resolution optical data. Data is derived from MODIS, AVHRR, VIIRS missions and includes the following spectral ranges, VIS, NIR, SWIR.

Purpose

Imagery provides an analytical source and contextual background for decision making and supports multiple applications including:

  • Mapping
  • Emergency Services
  • Natural resource management
  • Geosciences
  • Sustainable human and land use development

Dataset Uses

  • Disaster mitigation and management including: bushfires, earthquakes, floods, and storms
  • Monitoring land use, land cover, ecosystems, native vegetation, salinity, water resources, wetlands, grassland curing, crop production, pasture growth, dust
  • Managing fisheries, reefs, floodplains and environmental degradation
  • International agreements
  • Glaciology, oceanology, and climate studies
  • Carbon accounting

Standards and Specifications

AS/NZS ISO 19115 - ANZLIC Metadata Profile Version 1.1 (implemented using ISO/TS 19139:2007, Geographic information – Metadata – XML schema implementation)
National Mapping Council of Australia, Standards of Map Accuracy (1975)

Access and Licensing

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

Quality

Quality varies between sensors and with the age of the sensor

Current Status

Low resolution at high temporal coverage comprises data from MODIS, AVHRR and VIIRS sensors.

  • MODIS data covering the whole Australian continent is collected twice daily
  • AVHRR data also covers the whole Australian continent twice daily and a single continent coverage is collected using VIIRS

Collectively there are five snapshots of low resolution data being captured daily over the Australian continent. These can be sourced from Geoscience Australia and CSIRO.

Future Status

The European Space Agency will launch the Sentinel-3 satellite in late 2014, providing similar low-resolution multispectral data. In the low resolution but at high temporal imagery range the Himawari geostationary satellite will provide additional coverage over Australia every 10 minutes post 2015.

Key Users

Federal, State and Territory Government Departments, industry and research communities.

Version

1.00

Details