Eyes on Earth

Eyes on Earth Episode 137 – Landsat Takes Yellowstone’s Temperature

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Yellowstone National Park area has more than 10,000 thermal features. And while Old Faithful is a pretty predictable geyser, some thermal features...

Eyes on Earth Episode 135 – Exotic Annual Grasses and Sheep Grazing

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Exotic annual grasses, or EAGs, are invasive species. They outcompete native grasses. They are extremely flammable. And they are expanding into higher...

Eyes on Earth Episode 136 – The EROS Test Site

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Landsat has been accurate and reliable for over 50 years because of the diligent calibration and validation work done by the team at EROS. One of the ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 134 – Data Accuracy: The Calibration and Validation of Landsat

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Landsat is the longest-running, continuously operating record of Earth observations, and it’s the gold standard reference point that other civil and...

Eyes on Earth Episode 133 – Vietnam War Bomb Craters

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Declassified spy satellite imagery, distributed by the USGS EROS Center, is finding fascinating uses since being made available to the public starting...

Eyes on Earth Episode 131 – Using AI in Geospatial Work

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Eyes on Earth tackles artificial intelligence (AI) in a 2-part episode. AI is quickly becoming a necessary part of geospatial work at EROS, helping us...

Eyes on Earth Episode 132 - Moving Forward with AI at EROS

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Eyes on Earth tackles artificial intelligence (AI) in a 2-part episode. AI is quickly becoming a necessary part of geospatial work at EROS, helping us...

Eyes on Earth Episode 130 – NLCD Accuracy

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every pixel has a story. At least that’s how land remote sensing scientist Jo Horton sees it. The new Annual National Land Cover Database (NLCD) was...

Eyes on Earth Episode 129 – What Happens During a Landsat Pass?

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we talk to ground station technicians to find out how Landsat satellite data gets from the spacecraft to EROS and th...

Eyes on Earth Episode 128 – 2024 EROS Fall Poster Session

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we mingle at the 2024 EROS Fall Poster Session. A poster session is essentially a way for scientists to share their ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 127 – The Historic Landsat 7 Mission

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we talk about the incredible career of Landsat 7, which collected science imagery of the Earth for nearly 25 years. ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 126 – Annual NLCD

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we talk about the latest release of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). More than just a map, NLCD is a stack o...

Eyes on Earth Episode 125 – The LANDFIRE Program at 20

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we talk about the Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools (LANDFIRE) project, which is commemorating i...

Eyes on Earth Episode 124 – Mapping Fires in Utah

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we talk to forest ecologist Jim Lutz about the effort to map fires in Utah. Fire research in the West is dominated b...

Eyes on Earth Episode 123 – Bathymetry Mapping

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This Eyes on Earth episode is the third in our series on using Landsat for coastal studies. We talk to physical geographer Jeff Danielson about bathym...

Eyes on Earth Episode 122 – EROS Interns, 2024

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we talked with some of the interns who worked at EROS this summer. They shared their experiences learning about the ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 121 – Mapping the Australia Coastline

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of Eyes on Earth is the second in a series about how Landsat is helping researchers study coastal changes. The first one was about mappin...

Eyes on Earth Episode 120 – Mapping the California Coastline

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we begin a series on Landsat’s usefulness in coastal studies. First, we talk with Sean Vitousek, a USGS research o...

Eyes on Earth Episode 119 – Kristi Kline: EROS Career Reflections

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we talk with Kristi Kline about the constant changes and innovations that have been needed at EROS to keep up with c...

Eyes on Earth Episode 116 – Landsat Images the Twilight Zone

08 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Landsat has documented changes all over the world for over 50 years. Changes in polar regions are happening especially rapidly. But it’s dark in pol...

Eyes on Earth Episode 115 – EROS Women in Science

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Women have been crucial to the EROS workforce from the very beginning in a variety of areas, from customer service and computers to film processing an...

Eyes on Earth Episode 114 – The Color of Water with Landsat

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Typically, we use Landsat data to study changes on the land—you know, Landsat. In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we learn how satellite images and p...

Eyes on Earth Episode 113 – EROS Science Leader’s Vision

26 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Terry Sohl helped develop the National Land Cover Database, NLCD, when he first arrived, and now he’s overseeing significant improvements to the wid...

Eyes on Earth Episode 112 - Landsat in Popular Media

11 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we aim to separate science fiction from science fact when it comes to how Landsat satellites and the EROS Center are...

Eyes on Earth Episode 111 – Mendenhall Fellow’s Drought Forecasting

22 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we spoke with Mikael Hiestand, a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow. Using algorithms developed at EROS, Mikael is worki...

Eyes on Earth Episode 110 – Geospatial Information Response Team

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

First responders need reliable, accurate mapping capabilities as quickly as possible in the wake of a disaster—and they don’t have time to downloa...

Eyes on Earth Episode 109 – Fall 2023 EROS Poster Session

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we hear from several EROS staff members and university graduate students who took part in our Fall Poster Session. L...

Eyes on Earth Episode 108 – Landsat 8’s 100th Drag Make-Up Maneuver

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Landsat Program is considered the gold standard for satellite Earth-observation imagery. To keep it that way, the USGS EROS Flight Operations Team...

Eyes on Earth Episode 107 – EROS 50th: Land Cover, Part 2

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) has a long history as the definitive U.S. land cover product. But the newer Land Change Monitoring, Assessment...

Eyes on Earth Episode 106 – EROS 50th: Land Cover, Part 1

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Several decades ago, USGS EROS employees were pioneers in land cover mapping—turning satellite imagery into a record of what covers the land, from f...

Eyes on Earth Episode 105 – Imagery Challenges of Alaska

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we focus on Alaska. Rich in wildlife and natural resources, not to mention its sheer size, Alaska has long been a so...

Eyes on Earth Episode 104 – EROS 50th: Alumni and Friends, Part 2

25 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At the USGS EROS 50th anniversary events on August 17-19, 2023, a special effort was made to include alumni who had worked at the center, especially t...

Eyes on Earth Episode 103 - EROS 50th: Alumni and Friends, Part 1

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At the USGS EROS 50th anniversary events on August 17-19, 2023, a special effort was made to include alumni who had worked at the center, especially t...

Eyes on Earth Episode 102 – LANDFIRE 2022 Update

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

LANDFIRE, short for Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools, is a key national data source for the management of wildfires, management o...

Eyes on Earth Episode 101 – EROS 50th: Director Pete Doucette Looks Ahead

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

EROS Center Director Pete Doucette has been at EROS for a fairly short stretch of the center’s 50-year history, but his passion for the mission of E...

Eyes on Earth Episode 100 – EROS 50th: Our Legacy

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As USGS EROS turns 50 this month, our Eyes on Earth podcast also marks a big moment: Episode 100. To celebrate, we bring together some treasured momen...

Eyes on Earth Episode 99 – EROS 50th: Interns Who Stayed

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

EROS has a long history of reaching out to universities to welcome interns who can both contribute to the center and gain valuable skills and experien...

Eyes on Earth Episode 98 – EROS 50th: Conservation

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we talk about the 50-year history of EROS efforts to preserve the environment and conserve energy. EROS was born in ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 97 – EROS 50th: Earth As Art

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Satellites capture an incredible variety of views of Earth. In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we talk with the three engineers at USGS EROS who starte...

Eyes on Earth Episode 96 – Generational Science

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we talk with Peder Nelson about generational science and the responsibility we have to future generations to study o...

Eyes on Earth Episode 95 – EROS 50th: Landsat Science Team

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The members of the five-year Landsat Science Teams, led jointly by the USGS and NASA with a strong tie to EROS, have brought a wide breadth of experti...

Eyes on Earth Episode 94 – EROS 50th: Collaborations with SDSU

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

South Dakota State University opened its Remote Sensing Institute even before the launch of Landsat 1 and the selection of South Dakota as the locatio...

Eyes on Earth Episode 93 – EROS 50th: Film Scanning

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Working with film has always been part of EROS’ 50-year history. How did EROS end up with an extensive film archive, and how are we making that data...

Eyes on Earth Episode 92 – EROS 50th: The Library and Science Support

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Don Lee Kulow Library has been supporting scientific research at EROS since before the facility opened its doors in 1973. In this episode of Eyes ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 91 – Intro to AmericaView

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

AmericaView aims to advance Earth observation education through a network of programs based at universities in more than 40 states. In this episode of...

Eyes on Earth Episode 90 – Landsat 8 Turns 10

21 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Originally called the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, Landsat 8 launched on February 11, 2013. In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we talk about the 10...

Eyes on Earth Episode 89 - EROS Workers and Weather

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When the snow gets deep and the wind blows, it can be challenging for workers to travel to the USGS EROS Center, located several miles north of Sioux ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 88 – Landsat 5’s Significance, Part 2

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Designed to last three years, Landsat 5 was launched in 1984 and transmitted data until the launch of Landsat 8 in 2013. In this episode of Eyes on Ea...

Eyes on Earth Episode 87 - Landsat 5's Significance, Part 1

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Designed to last three years, Landsat 5 launched in 1984 and transmitted data until the launch of Landsat 8 in 2013. In this episode of Eyes on Earth,...

Eyes on Earth Episode 86 - Tours at EROS

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The USGS EROS Center is the home of the Landsat satellite archive. This data center and science center located on a former farm near Sioux Falls, SD, ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 85 - Landsat 7 Extended Science Mission

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Landsat 7’s nominal science mission ended in April 2022 after nearly 23 years of acquiring Earth imagery from 705 kilometers above the Earth. Landsa...

Eyes on Earth Episode 84 - Hurricane Disturbance Mapping

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When disaster strikes, near-real-time images of its effects can be invaluable. In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we learn about how a newly developed ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 83 - ECOSTRESS and Burn Severity

07 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

ECOSTRESS, or ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station, data provides variables related to plant water stress, including ev...

Eyes on Earth Episode 82 - Introduction to GEDI

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation, or GEDI, instrument on the International Space Station acquires lidar waveforms to observe the Earth’s ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 81 - Tour of the EROS Radome

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Landsat satellites have been collecting Earth imagery for more than 50 years. A key piece of equipment that moves the data from the spacecraft to ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 80 - ECOSTRESS and Carbon

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

ECOSTRESS, which stands for the ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station, collects land surface temperatures in an effort t...

Eyes on Earth Episode 79 – Landsat Global Archive Consolidation

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Landsat archive at EROS contains an unparalleled 50 years of Earth observation data. But with earlier technologies, some Landsat scenes were colle...

Eyes on Earth Episode 78 - Landsat 50 Lookback

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Government officials and scientists had high hopes for Landsat when the first experimental satellite launched July 23, 1972. Those hopes were soon rea...

Eyes on Earth Episode 77 – ECOSTRESS and Urban Heat

28 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We don't need a scientist to tell us that city streets catch and hold heat. Anyone who's walked barefoot from a parking lot to a beach can tell you th...

Eyes on Earth Episode 76 – ECOSTRESS and Disease Risk

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Spaceborne sensors orbit hundreds of miles over our heads. Even the most advanced among them struggle to capture high-resolution imagery of individual...

Eyes on Earth Episode 75 – Mapping Dust Sources Worldwide

27 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Clouds of dust kicked up in places like the Sahara can travel thousands of miles across the planet. We can see those clouds in satellite imagery, but ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 74 – A Satellite Cross Calibration Mission

13 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When the first Landsat satellite launched 50 years ago, it was the only game in town in terms of civilian land remote sensing. In the years that follo...

Eyes on Earth Episode 73 – Global Water Use

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Some plants are simply better at making use of their water supply than others. More efficient plants can capture more carbon with less water, which ha...

Eyes on Earth Episode 72 – Northward Shift of the Boreal Forest

18 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The boreal forest, or taiga, stretches across nearly 5.7 million square miles in the northern latitudes. That’s nearly a quarter of all forested lan...

Eyes on Earth Episode 71 – Blue Oak Forests of California

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we zero in on the use of USGS Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) products to examine the eff...

Eyes on Earth Episode 70 - ECOSTRESS and Aquatic Ecosystems

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Summary: The Earth observation data archived here have plenty of value to the study of aquatic ecosystems. Landsat satellites can capture harmful alga...

Eyes on Earth Episode 69 - Thirty Years of Land Change in the U.S.

07 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Land change is a constant. Even land areas that see little major change can see disruptions from storms, heat waves, wildfires, or invasive species. B...

Eyes on Earth Episode 68 - Tracking Mangroves by Satellite

21 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The sturdy root systems of mangrove forests act as buffer zones along the coastlines of some of the planet’s most vulnerable communities, protecting...

Eyes on Earth Episode 67 - ECOSTRESS and Water Use

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you want to know how much rain fell yesterday, you can catch it and measure it. Water vapor? That's not so easy. Which is a problem if you want to ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 66 – Exotic Annual Grasses

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The rangelands of the western United States are changing more quickly than many other parts of the lower 48. Miles upon miles of the area or semi-arid...

Eyes on Earth Episode 65 - Rapid Fire Mapping with Remote Sensing

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Satellites like Landsat are valuable for mapping fire perimeters and for monitoring trends in burn severity or in post-fire recovery. Satellites can c...

Eyes on Earth Episode 64 - Colorado Bark Beetles

27 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Outbreaks of native bark beetles can lead to conspicuous changes in a forest landscape. They’ve been present for thousands of years with occasional ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 63 – ECOSTRESS and Post-Fire Recovery

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fires can be destructive or healthy for a landscape—often both. Fires have grown larger and more destructive in recent years, though, thanks to huma...

Eyes on Earth Episode 62 - Landsat 9 Launch Part 3

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For our third and final episode of Eyes on Earth from the September launch of Landsat 9, we hear from Virginia Norwood. She blazed a trail for women i...

Eyes on Earth Episode 61 - Landsat 9 Launch Part 2

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hundreds of scientists, officials, international representatives, and others witnessed the launch of Landsat 9 on September 27, 2021, from a handful o...

Eyes on Earth Episode 60 – Landsat 9 Launch Part 1

13 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Landsat 9 launched into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Monday, September 27, 2021, to carry on the legacy of a nearly 50-year record of con...

Eyes on Earth Episode 59 - Landsat 9 Ground System

20 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The launch of Landsat 9 in September of 2021 represents a milestone for a joint USGS/NASA program that stretches back nearly 50 years. Landsat 9 will ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 58 - Satellites and Cloud Computing

07 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Satellite imagery is everywhere. We see it on TV news and weather coverage, in our Twitter and Facebook feeds, and on our phones’ mapping apps. The ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 57 – Landsat and the Great Lakes

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Great Lakes represent roughly 20% of the surface freshwater in the world and 90% in the United States. The Great Lakes Basin supports more than 30...

Eyes on Earth Episode 56 - Modeling the Past to Plan for the Future

09 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mapping land cover in the United States in the present isn’t a simple job, but satellites like Landsat make it possible. Mapping conditions in the p...

Eyes on Earth Episode 55 - Urban Heat Islands of New York

26 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Urban heat islands occur in areas containing more impervious surfaces and fewer natural environments. The day and night surface temperature is higher ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 54 - National Land Cover Database 2019

12 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The National Land Cover Database, or NLCD, was the first and remains the most well-known set of satellite-based land cover mapping products released b...

Eyes on Earth Episode 53 - Remapping Canada's Fire History

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mapping fire perimeters is important work. It guides post-fire restoration efforts, fire mitigation strategies, and helps track of trends in burn seve...

Eyes on Earth Episode 52 – Tracking ‘Gray Ghosts’ with Landsat

14 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The invasive species hemlock woolly adelgid is a threat to eastern hemlocks, filling some southeastern U.S. forests with what are called “gray ghost...

Eyes on Earth Episode 51 – LANDFIRE 2019 Limited

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The fire science community is always on the lookout for the freshest satellite-derived fire disturbance maps. Aiming to meet those needs, the multi-ag...

Eyes on Earth Episode 50 – Delaware River Basin

16 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

About 15 million people rely on the Delaware River Basin for drinking water, including residents of Philadelphia, PA, Camden, NJ, and Wilmington, DE. ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 49 – Fire Atlas

03 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Teams at the USGS EROS Center have completed fire atlases for nine National Parks across the U.S. Each atlas defines the size and severity of each fir...

Eyes on Earth Episode 48 – Satellites and the Forest Census

19 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s possible to map vegetation type with Landsat, but getting the maps right requires more than satellites alone. The teams behind LANDFIRE use an ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 47 – Ladies of Landsat

05 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ladies of Landsat aims to help women and other underrepresented groups feel welcomed and supported in the field of remote sensing. The Twitter group h...

Eyes on Earth Episode 46 – Deforestation and Forest Degradation

22 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Deforestation is a significant concern for many parts of the globe, particularly in places like the rainforests of the Amazon or the Congo. Scientists...

Eyes on Earth Episode 45 - Harmonized Landsat-Sentinel

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Landsat satellites have monitoring the Earth’s surface for nearly 50 years, providing critical information for countless areas of study and real-wor...

Eyes on Earth Episode 44 – Landsat Water Atlas

22 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Alan Belward has spent a lot of time thinking about the planet’s surface water. The former Landsat Science Team member uses satellite data to tr...

Eyes on Earth Episode 43 - U.S.-Canada Water Use

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The St. Mary and Milk Rivers cross the U.S. and Canadian border and supply water to both countries. Managing that resource in the interest of both nat...

Eyes on Earth Episode 42 – Rangelands of the U.S.

25 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The extensive rangelands across the Western United States are threatened by invasive grasses, climate change, and altered fire regimes that can distur...

Eyes on Earth Episode 41 – Albedo

11 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Albedo—the amount of incoming solar radiation reflected into space from the Earth’s surface—is a key measurement for surface temperatures and pl...

Eyes on Earth Episode 40 – Landsat Collection 2

14 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Landsat data is more useful today than at any other point in its nearly 50-year history. The USGS Collections strategy is a major reason why. Landsat ...

Eyes on Earth Episode 39 – Brazil’s Water Use

30 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Brazil is a fascinating study in water use. Brazil uses roughly 72 percent of its water for irrigated agriculture, and its herds of cattle, pigs and p...

Eyes on Earth Episode 38 – Time Series Analysis with Landsat

16 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the past, remote sensing scientists looked for change on the Earth’s surface primarily by comparing one Landsat image to another. Today, open acc...

Eyes on Earth Episode 37 – Insuring West Africa’s Crops

02 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Green Revolution leaned on fertilizers, drought-resistant seeds and other modern innovations to boost agricultural production across much of the p...

Eyes on Earth Episode 36 – International Charter Turns 20

19 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When a disaster like a hurricane, flood or major wildfire hits a remote part of the world, the International Charter Space and Natural Disasters sprin...