A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirement for the degree of
Masters of Arts In Geography from the University of California Santa Barbara

By Jeffrey John Hemphill, March 2001

Committee in charge:
Professor John E. Estes, Chairman
Professor Keith C. Clarke
Professor Dar A. Roberts

Abstract

This study presents the rationale in favor of the U.S. Government, specifically the United States Geological Survey, implementing coordinated operations of the Landsat 4, 5 and 7 earth imaging satellites. As a part of this study, we provide a brief summary of the history as well as discuss the current status and direction of the Landsat Program. It is evident that policies, and, in particular, the attempts at commercialization of the program, have kept the program from achieving the expectations of its early proponents in terms of the widespread science and applications use. Programmatic issues, operational costs and data policies have made it difficult, if not impossible, to test the true potential of improved observational frequency to address key science questions related to important ecological issues such as those of global environmental change scientists. The value of coordinated operations stems primarily from increased frequency of observation that would greatly improve the probability of cloud free image acquisition. For a number of research and applications it is critical to acquire imagery at specific times; multiple satellites with coordinated acquisition schedules increase the probability that usable data will be acquired. Our analysis indicates that if the operational use of Landsat satellite data is to become truly widespread, the coordinated operation of two or more satellites will be required.

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