Imagery

Sub-Theme

Medium Resolution (>10-80m) Medium Temporal

Theme 
Imagery
Custodian 
Geoscience Australia
Aggregator 
Geoscience Australia

These data sets have a spatial resolution between 10–80 m and are collected on a weekly to monthly basis. They are the most commonly used category of imagery data.

For several decades the Landsat series of satellites have provided the majority of medium resolution optical imagery for operational programs in Australia. Data is derived from MSS, TM, ETM+, Aster, OLI, Sentinel-2 MSI missions and includes the following spectral ranges, VIS, NIR, SWIR, PAN.

Medium resolution optical sensors have traditionally been operated for public good, although the number of commercial sensors is increasing.

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

  • Emergency management of floods, earthquakes, bushfires and storms
  • Mapping and monitoring land use, natural resource mapping, biodiversity, water usage, drought, pollution, evapotranspiration, biomass, minerals, water quality, wetlands, groundwater dependent ecosystems, hydrocarbon seepage, land clearing, floodplains, crop acreage and growth, remnant vegetation, land degradation, irrigation, dry-land salinity, and vegetation dynamics
  • Management of forests, rivers, fisheries, catchments and agriculture
  • National inventories of forests, greenhouse gases, endangered species, maritime boundaries, land cover, topography, and carbon sinks
  • Verification of environmental compliance
  • Land cover data provides data to enhance geological understanding
  • Mineralogical information derived from EO data used as precompetitive data at Geological Surveys

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

Medium resolution data at medium temporal coverage consist of imagery from different generation of sensors on board of the Landsat series of satellites (i.e., earliest being MSS, TM, ETM+ and latest OLI).

  • Data from the ETM+ and OLI sensors are currently still being acquired every eight days, covering the whole Australian continent every couple of months
  • Historic MSS and TM imagery is available over Australia from Geoscience Australia
  • Archival Aster imagery is also available from Geoscience Australia and CSIRO

Future Status

Additional medium resolution data will be available through the Sentinel satellites due to be launched by the European Space Agency as part of their Copernicus programme post 2014.

Key Users

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

Version

1.00

Details