Landsat 7
Value Added Processors Workshop
March 4, 1999
USGS National Center
Reston, VA.

WORKSHOP SUMMARY

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Meeting convened at 9:05am by D. Lauer (USGS/EDC)

• Review of AGENDA. The morning focused on presentation of issues.
  1. LANDSAT PROGRAM OVERVIEW: D. Lauer and D. Thibault
  2. LANDSAT SYSTEM OVERVIEW: D. Williams and RJ Thompson
  3. DATA POLICY: R. Byrnes
  4. DATA PRODUCTS AND FORMATS: R. Johnson
  5. SOFTWARE AVAILABILITY: J. Irons
  6. Lunch
  7. AFTERNOON SESSION will begin with break out session for participants to respond to information presented during the morning
  8. SUMMARY OF FEEDBACK from break out sessions
  9. COMMENTARIES: M. Felsher and K. Green
  10. CLOSING REMARKS: D. Lauer
• Greetings from Don Lauer, stepping in for Dick Witmer (USGS/NMD) who could not attend due to an awards ceremony.
  • This is the first Landsat value added (VA) processors meeting. There may be more. This is the first time a meeting has been held that focuses on value added processors.
  • Landsat Program Management (LPM) - USGS and NASA - concluded that a workshop like this would be timely . Purpose is to give status of program and get guidance from the VA community on how to proceed with management of Landsat 7.
  • LPM wants to consult with all elements of the Landsat 7 community before making management decisions.
  • ASPRS helped put this meeting together, in part, by providing names of individuals and companies to contact. USGS tried to get a good cross section of the VA community at this meeting.
  • Dick Witmer, the chief of NMD, will try to join later, as will Nancy Maynard from NASA.

I. Landsat Program Overview - Role of the Landsat 7 Management Team: D. Lauer

• Landsat 7 is for real.
• Management history: USGS has been involved with Landsat since 1966. USGS initiative started the program:
  • 1966: USGS initiative
  • 1968: NASA/USGS;
  • 1982: NOAA/USGS;
  • 1985: NOAA/EOSAT/USGS;
  • 1992: DOD/NASA/EOSAT/USGS;
  • 1994: NASA/NOAA/USGS;
  • 1999: NASA/USGS;
  • 2005: NASA/USGS (Landsat 7 follow-on)
• Technologically, the Landsat program is something this nation should be proud of. Management and policy, the program has been near disaster.
• Landsat 7 management transition
  1. Mandates and agreements
     1. PL 102-555, The Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992
     2. Presidential Directive NSTC-3 (1994)
     3. Landsat Program Management Plan (1994)
        • NASA develops and launches
        • NOAA manages and operates system
        • USGS operates ground system for NOAA and the archive
     4. National Space Policy (1996)
     5. Landsat & Data Policy (1997)
     6. USGS/NASA/NOAA Landsat 7 Operations Agreement (1998): current change
  2. Transition elements graphic
  3. Landsat 7 mission elements: terminology
  4. Management structure
     • NASA will complete Landsat 7 integration, launch, and on-orbit checkout
     • USGS will manage ground data processing, data distribution and Program Management Office (PMO) which includes:
       • Acquisition planning management
       • IGS network support
       • Customer data requirements
     • NASA will fund (and manage) the Program Operations Center (POC) near-term (Nominally FY 1999/2000), which includes:
       • Planning and scheduling
       • Command and control
       • Telemetry processing
     • USGS will seek appropriations to take over POC responsibility long-term (Nominally FY 2001 and beyond) (approximately $5M)
     • USGS will continue to manage long-term archive
  5. USGS Partnerships with the private sector:
     • On-site contractor support at the USGS/EDC as an example
     • USGS SEEKS BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMERCIAL VA INDUSTRY TO OPTIMIZE MARKET DEVELOPMENT FROM THE LANDSAT 7 DATA STREAM: THAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS WORKSHOP. USGS WILL PROPOSE ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES FOR CONSIDERATION.
     • Data archiving agreements with commercial satellite providers: USGS is open to new ways in which such data can be archived without jeopardizing commercial use.
  6. Why the DOI/USGS
     • Vested interest in the Nation's civilian satellite land remote sensing program, as a data user and a data provider
     • Improves DOI's ability to manage the Nation's public lands
     • Strengthens DOI's partnership with NASA
     • Participate in land data sensor design and land data acquisition
     • Opens numerous opportunities to partner with the private sector
  7. Goals of the current management transition (after W.T. Pecora (1972)):
     1. Acquire remotely sensed data from satellites in the simplest possible way
     2. Deliver data to the user in an uncomplicated form
     3. Ensure easy use of the data

IB. Landsat Program Overview: D. Thibault (Earth Satellite Corporation)

• The Landsat legacy : 1972-1999
• Landsats 1-5 have made an extraordinary contribution by providing:
  1. a global perspective,
  2. continuous coverage,
  3. research and development opportunities in applications,
  4. reliability and continuity, i.e., continue to provide data in similar form with Landsat 7,
  5. changing access i.e., an issue that has continued through the program's history
• Promise of Landsat 7
  1. Plays complementary role with other sources of satellite data
  2. Increased spatial resolution but not a key issue, but will allow closer look at how the global environment is affected by man's activities
  3. Global coverage - acquiring such coverage prior to L7 has been difficult, especially acquiring data outside of US. L7 has the capability to acquire data from critical areas and deliver that data to the primary station.
  4. Data cost reduction will have an effect on the industry. Lowered cost will incourage more organizations to use the data.
• Remote sensing satellites can help us husband scarse resources and perhaps, reach a sustainable equilibrium on our planet, politics willing. When L5 was launched the world population was 4.5 B - it will be 6B in 2000. In 1998 800m people were malnourished. In ten years there will be ~750m children to feed mostly in Asia. Steady decline in agricultural land through urbanization and industrialization through erosion and soil salinization., - global warming and water polution further exacerbate the problems of feeding the world's population. This is a great time to be in the remote sensing business because this technology will make significant contribution to understanding these issues and dealing with them.
• The global market : Where's the money going to be. What's the unique contribution that land satellite data can make to natural resource programs. What about the bottom line? What is it about RS that provide unique advantage to addressing the major issues? The industry has to be able to discuss what is offered in real econmic terms, not generalizations.
  • The private sector:
    1. Agriculture
    2. Land planning and development
    3. Environmental; monitoring
    4. Resource management
  • The public sector:
    1. Military security
    2. Environmental security
    3. Food security
    4. Land planning and development
    5. Environmental monitoring
• Government organizations will outspend the private sector as consumers of products and services by 4/5 to 1
• Complementary qualities of commerical imagery and L7 data applications
  1. Mixed resolution products
  2. Sampling strategies which combine the increased spatial and temporal resolution of future commercial satellites with the broad area coverage of Landsat.
• The technology can contribute toward a self-sustaining planet by:
  1. problem defintiona and analysis
  2. propblem solving and mediation
  3. optimization strategies
  4. public consensus building
• Issues in public/private partnership of space/based RS
  1. The role of government: best high risk taker; stands alone as archiver and data provider; funding of "crazy" research
  2. The role of academia: teaching must be emphasized, but also has research responsibility.
  3. The role of commercial data providers: make some money; investment and policies that will help the industry grow
  4. The role of VA providers: comercial VA providers is to provide value to clients in a form that is useful to the clients. Operational programs are inappropriate for the academic communtiy - should be relegated to commercial providers. Not for profits provide products for enviromental change etc but not a threat to commercial providers.
• Landsat 8 - There will be a on-going need for satellites that provide global, medium resolution data, data made available at low cost. Public/private partnership can help assure congress that, as long as the lines of demarcation between what is public and what is private are clear, will support the on-going role of the governemnt in the collection and distribution of Landsat type data.

II. Landsat 7 system overview: D. Williams (NASA/GSFC)
General comments:

• Eight day split between Landsats 5 and 7.
• Landsat 7 will have 3 pointable X-band antennaes.
• Questions held till afternoon session

1. Landsat history
   • The Landsat Program has provided nearly 27 years of calibrated, high spatial resolution data of the Earth's surface to a broad user community including:
     • agricultural, forestry, mineral exploration,etc.
     • global change researchers / academia
     • federal, state and local governments
     • commercial users
   • The existing Landsat 5 satellite, which was launched in 1984, is operating an incredible 12 years beyond it's 3 year design life. The commercially procured Landsat 6 satellite failed to reach orbit in October 1993.
   • Landsat 5 represents the only source of global, calibrated, high spatial resolution measurements of the Earth's surface that can be compared to previous data records spanning nearly three decades
   • The present program is a joint effort of 2 Federal agencies, NASA (satellite and ground system development and initial system operation) and the USGS (data archive and distribution, and eventual system operation)
2. Level 1 requirements
   • The Landsat 7 system shall operate in a sun-synchronous orbit with an orbit track repeat cycle of 16 days completing 233 orbits. The ground track of the Landsat 7 shall be maintained such that the Landsat 7 will fly over the Landsat Worldwide Reference System to an accuracy of 5km at the equator. This orbit shall have a nominal descending equatorial crossing time of 10:00 am +/-15 minutes
   • The Landsat 7 system shall have on-board data storage with capacity to support the global archive data acquisition requirements when Landsat 7 is out of view of the U.S. Landsat 7 Ground Station
   • The Landsat 7 system shall use CCSDS-compatible formats for all forward and return links
   • The Landsat 7 system shall provide wideband communications at X-band frequencies at 150 Mbps
   • The Landsat 7 system operations, housekeeping and safety functions shall be supported by S-band resources The Landsat 7 system shall have on-board data storage with capacity to support the global archive data acquisition requirements when Landsat 7 is out of view of the U.S. Landsat 7 Ground Station
   • The Landsat 7 system shall use CCSDS-compatible formats for all forward and return links
   • The Landsat 7 system shall provide wideband communications at X-band frequencies at 150 Mbps
   • The Landsat 7 system operations, housekeeping and safety functions shall be supported by S-band resources
   • The Landsat 7 system shall carry an Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) as its primary payload
   • The ETM+ shall be a multispectral sensor capable of providing land surface imagery for six visible, near infrared and short-wave infrared bands with 30 m (nadir) spatial resolution, for one thermal infrared spectral band with 60 m (nadir) spatial resolution, and for one panchromatic spectral band with 15 m (nadir) spatial resolution over 183 km swath centered on nadir
   • The Landsat 7 system shall have the capability to capture, process, archive and distribute Landsat 7 ETM+ data
   • The Landsat 7 system shall provide for receipt, capture and process to Level 0R the equivalent of 250 ETM+ scenes per day
   • The Landsat 7 system shall provide the capability of making available 100 Level 0R ETM+ scene products per day
   • The Landsat 7 system shall provide archiving and distribution of ETM+ data through the EROS Data Center (EDC) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC)
   • The Landsat 7 system shall have capability to provide ETM+ data to a network of non US ground stations
3. Landsat 7 system concept SEE CHART
4. Landsat 7 system
   1. Landsat 7 Spacecraft: Built by Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space (LMMS) Three axis stabilized platform designed to carry the ETM+ and provide support functions of power generation, thermal control, communications, and data storage for instrument and spacecraft
   2. Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) Instrument: Built by Raytheon, Santa Barbara Remote Sensing (SBRS); An eight band, mechanically scanning radiometer; ETM+ is a fixed position, nadir viewing, "whisk-broom", multispectral scanning radiometer capable of providing high-resolution imaging information of the Earth's surface in both the visible and infrared regions of the spectrum
      • Eight spectral bands with resolutions between 15 to 60 meters, each having individual high and low gain settings
      • Absolute radiometric accuracy of 5%; three on-board calibration devices
      • Full Aperture Calibrator (FAC), Partial Aperture Calibrator (PAC), and On-board Calibrator (OBC)
      • 2 x 75 Mbps data channels
      • 183 km wide swath
      • Radiative cooling for cold focal plane / infrared sensors
   3. Mission Profile
      • Delta II launch from Western Test Range, VAFB on April 15, 1999
        • Launch window is 18:32 to 18:34 GMT; or 11:32 to 11:34 VAFB (PDT) time
        • 705 +/-5 km, 98.2 degree sun-synchronous, 10 am +/- 15 minute nodal crossing, descending orbit
        • 16 day repeat cycle on the World Reference System (WRS)
        • 5 year design life; expendables for 6 years
        • 72 hour autonomous survival capability
   4. Related Missions
      • EOS AM-1 will fly in formation ~30 min. behind Landsat 7 (July '99)
      • NMP EO-1 will fly in formation ~1 min. behind Landsat 7 (~ Dec '99)
   5. Delta II launch vehicle SEE CHART
   6. Launch profile SEE CHART
   7. Landsat 7 spacecraft SEE CHART
   8. Spacecraft Subsystems
      • Power Subsystem
        1. 2x50 amp-hour Nickel-Hydrogen batteries
        2. Single sun tracking solar array with output of 2,230 watts
        3. 28 volt regulated bus with direct energy transfer capability
      • Attitude Control Subsystem
        1. 3 axis stabilized with a Honeywell IMU, Honeywell reaction wheels, Ithaco torque rods, Barnes earth sensor, Adcole coarse sun sensors and a Honeywell celestial sensor
        2. Pointing Control ; 60 arcsec (per axis)
        3. Pointing Knowledge ; 45 arcsec (per axis)
      • Propulsion Subsystem
        1. 12 one pound thrusters (6 primary/6 redundant)
        2. 31 inch tank holds 269 pounds of hydrazine with redundant latch valves
        3. 149 pounds of hydrazine required for the 5 year mission
      • Command & Data Handling Subsystem
        1. Redundant 1750 processors with cross strapped data bus
        2. Real Time Command Storage (RTCS) capability for operational and contingency modes
        3. Autonomous Failure Detection and Correction, including sun-pointing safe hold mode
        4. 378 Gbyte L3 Communications Solid State Recorder (SSR) ~100 scene storage capability
      • Communications Subsystem
        1. Two S-band Omni antennas (Zenith/Nadir) with 5 watt Motorola transponders for command and telemetry
        2. Three Gimbaled X-band antennas with four switchable 3.5 watt transmitters (150 Mbps each) for high rate instrument data
        3. Capable of transmitting two 150 Mbps data streams to a single location plus one 150 Mbps data stream to a different location or three 150 Mbps data streams to three different locations
      • Thermal Control Subsystem: Passive proportional control with thermal blankets, radiators, heaters and thermostats.
   9. Baseline X-band downlinks SEE CHART
5. Landsat 7 status
   • Satellite was shipped to the launch site on January 28, 1999
   • Completed satellite post shipment Comprehensive Performance Test (CPT) on February 16, 1999
   • Mating of satellite to launch vehicle scheduled for March 30, 1999
   • Expect to launch April 15, 1999
   • Normal operations scheduled to start July 1, 1999 (launch plus ~75 days)
6. Waivers of note: Level 1 Requirements Waivers:
   • Pan band nominal resolution of 15 m (see discussion below)
   • Nominal ETM+ swath width of 185 km
     • due to addition of Pan Band, nominal swath width was reduced to 183 km
     • 11 km of overlap stills occurs at equator, therefore no significant impact
7. Performance waivers:
   • Pan Band Modulation Transfer Function (MTF): end of life prediction of 18 m GSD in the scan direction and 21 m GSD in the track direction vs. 15 m GSD specification; is expected to meet spec for ~ first year of op's
   • On-Board Calibrator (OBC) Stability
     • requirement is for the OBC source not to change by more than 2% over 6 weeks; a 7% variability in Band 1 was seen during ETM+ T/V; other bands varied from 2 - 4 %
     • use of other on-board calibration sources, observed detector stability and correction algorithms are planned to meet 5% absolute calibration requirement
8. Long term acquisition plan (LTAP) highlights
   • Goal: to optimize use of the on-orbit asset to create a U.S.-held archive of sunlit, cloud-free, ETM+ data providing global coverage of the Earth's continental and coastal surfaces, refreshed on a periodic (seasonal) basis
   • Problem: how to schedule ETM+ data acquisition, on-board storage, transmission, and ground processing in light of satellite-system resource limitations
     • satellite power and ETM+ duty cycle
     • data transmission rates (150 Mbps from each of 3 X-band antennas)
     • contact time with U.S.-operated ground station antennas
     • capacity of the on-board solid-state recorder (100 ETM+ scenes)
     • ground data processing system capacity and performance
   • Ground Rules: the ETM+ will acquire data every time Landsat 7 passes over all 50 states, irregardless of cloud cover, and the data will be down-linked (or shipped) to the Landsat Ground Station at EDC for archival; EDC will be capable of capturing and archiving 250 ETM+ scenes/day
   • LTAP Land Data Base identifies every WRS scene containing land within its boundaries:
     • All continents, with Antarctica starting at minimum ice pack limits
     • Arctic islands
     • Inland seas and bays to extent that the WRS scene contains any land
     • Unnamed islands, shoals, reefs, rocks, banks
     • Within vast shallow coastal areas (<200m deep)
     • Scenes close to continental coasts and well within the shallows
   • Our current land data base contains approximately 14,000 WRS scenes out of a total of 57,784 scenes
   • Scheduling algorithm uses LTAP to assign priorities to the WRS scenes within view of the ETM+ on any particular day. The ETM+ and Landsat 7 satellite will then schedule the acquisition, storage, and transmission of those 250 scenes assigned the highest priorities.
9. Other items worth noting
   • Given the implementation of LTAP, the need for considering special requests for specific scene acquisitions is minimized -- basically, if an area is highly likely to be cloud-free, it will probably be scheduled for acquisition (also, IGS' will be collecting full coverage within their acquisition range)
   • Improved automated cloud cover assessment (ACCA) of every scene going in to EDC archive
   • Color browse image within 24 hours; also working towards ensuring timely WWW access to IGS meta data
   • We plan to underfly Landsat 5 with Landsat 7 during the early on-orbit checkout phase to permit a TM to ETM+ cross calibration, thus enhancing the Landsat 5 archive and the overall Landsat data continuity mission

IIB. Landsat 7 Ground System Status: RJ Thompson (USGS/EDC)
Comment: Several key decisions in the Landsat 7 program including the provisions for high latitude and mid latitude stations and generation of L0 and L1 products, are the result of efforts by Darrel Williams, and we owe him our thanks.

1. Ground System Objectives
   • Acquire and periodically update the global archive at a rate of 250 scenes per day, nominally:
     • 140 scenes per day received at EDC
     • Nominally 40 scenes/day received at Pojer Flat, Alaska
     • Nominally 70 scenes/day received at Svalbard, Norway
   • Perform image calibration and assess image quality to assure knowledge of instrument and ground system performance
   • Produce and distribute user products at cost of reproduction
   • Downlink data ti International Cooperators on an equitable basis
2. System Integration and Test Activity
   • Landsat 7 Ground System performance test: 3/30-4/1
   • On-orbit independent verification plan: 4/15-6/15
   • Final pre- operations readiness review: ~6/1
   • International Cooperator data exchange testing delayed until post-launch
3. International Cooperator Network (estimated)
   • International Cooperators (FY 1999)
     • Argentina
     • Australia
     • Brazil
     • China
     • Canada (Prine Albert, Gatineau)
     • European Space Agency (Neustrelitz, Germany; Italy: Sweden)
     • Germany mobile station (Gabon)
   • FY 2000
     • Japan (2)
     • South Africa
     • Thailand
4. Product Generation and Distribution Capability
   • Generate and distribute 100 products per day: Up to 100 L0R products per day
   • Level 1 production competes for L0R source files
     • Up to 100 L1R products per day
     • Up to 100 L1G products per day
     • Up to 60 L1P products per day
     • Up to 60 L1T products per day
   • Product orders will be processed on first in/first out, except for special requests.
   • Individual user requests will be processed manually.

5. Standard Product Availability

   Product	Available	Quantity	Turnaround	Community	Price
   L0R	L+60	1-100/day	24 hrs	Any User	$475
   L1R	L+60	1-100/day	48 hrs	Any User	$600
   L1G	L+60	1-100/day	48 hrs	Any User	$600
   L1P	L+90	60/day	72 hrs	TBD	TBD
   L1T	L+90	60/day	72 hrs	TBD	TBD

   Notes: 1) L0R turnaround measured from data acqusition (add 72 hours for data acquired at ASGS/SGS) to product staged for shipment. 2) L1 turnaround measured from L0R source available to product staged for shipment (assuming control/terrain model available)

6. Contingency Planning
   • L0R production capacity
   • L1 production capacity
   • Backup archive implementation
   • Loss of Solid State Recorder
   • Loss of downlink antenna
7. Upcoming Events
   • Landsat 7 launch: April 15
   • First image: April 19
   • Landsat 5/7 underfly: May14/15
   • Begin data acquisition: June 1
   • Open for business: July 1
8. Comments:
   • IMS is site for algorithms for correcting raw data. Software developed by NASA and USGS is also the basis for the LPGS.
   • IC network agreements not completed but not launch critical.
   • USGS is putting into place ability to produce up to 60 precision or 60 terrain corrected products per day. This as part of 100 scenes per day out of the L7 archive. The community that will receive the P and T products is a major part of the discussion in this workshop.

III. Landsat 7 data policy: R. Byrnes (USGS)

1. Business Partner Program Summary (existing)
   • Program - network of private retailers that distribute USGS products
     • Goal: Increase availability of USGS products through engaging the private sector in dissemination. [This is the direction the USGS would like to go with Landsat data. Looking for business partners for digital data including satellite data, by 2000.]
     • Products
       • Published Products - maps. posters, books
       • Digital Cartographic Data - DOQs, DEMs, DRGs, DLGs
       • Digital Satellite Data - coming 2000
     • Benefits to USGS partners:
       1. bulk prices
       2. referrals
       3. dedicated customer service
       4. web links
2. Landsat data policy
   • Policy required by PL 102-555
     • Ensure that unenhanced data are available in a timely manner at COFUR
     • Support development of the commercial market
   • Routine acquisition schedule for US archive:
     • Seasonally selected global scenes; daily US scenes
     • Individual request scenes added on a best-effort basis
   • Emergency acquistions
     • Spacecraft and instrument health and safety
     • National security requirements, natural disasters, environmental emergencies, key US govenrment campaigns
   • Acquisition schedule for International Cooperators (Ics): in-range scenes routinely down-linked subject to spacecraft and instrument availability
   • US archive
     • Level 0R images date files processed form real-time and recorded data
     • Browse data
     • Metadata
   • IC archives
     • US retains right to the L7 data
     • ICs support L7 standard data exchange format
   • US archive data product distribution plan
     • Generate and distribute unenhanced L7 data products in standard formats on physical media and via electornic transfer
       • Official 1994 data policy plan - Level 0R to an requestor
       • Proposed 1997 data policy revision - up to Level 1R/1G to any requestor (Never formally approved by USG)
       • USGS now working with NASA on 1999 version of data policy for implementation. That policy will be on the web page when available.
   • US archive distribution options
     • L0r to any requestor (1994 policy)
     • Up to L1R/1G to any requestor (1997 policy)
     • Up to 1P/1T to any requestor
     • Up to 1P/1T to USGAU only

     What is appropriate for USG to provide? We also need standards on what these product definitions mean, e.g., it would be great to have industry and USG agree on what L1G is.

   • Product prices:
     • Based on PL 102-55 and applicable USG regulations
     • Cost of product generation, reproduction and distribution
     • Prices for single scenes announced 10/31/97 in anticipation of July '98 launch. Those prices will remain in effect through September 2000. (L0R = $475; L1R/1G not to exceed $600.)
   • Commercial opportunites (as seen by USGS)
     • Repackage, resell L7 data products distributed by US archive - no restriction on sale or re-use of USG data
     • Higher level products than available from US archive
     • Enjoy promotion as USGS business partner for L7 data distribution
     • Obtain L7 data through commercial ground station, subject to spacecraft duty cycle or tother data-access mechanism.
     • Other mechanism may be possible to provide quantities of data as soon after acquisition as possible. If interested in that , talk to RJ Thompson

IV. Data products and formats - R. Johnson (Raytheon Systems Company)

1. L7 Data Products and Formats
   • Product Levels
     • Level 0R
     • Level 1R
     • Level 1G
   • Data Product Packaging
   • Data Product Access and Distribution
   • Contact Information and References
2. Landsat 7 Product Levels
   • Level 0R Product ($475)
     • Radiometrically and Geometrically Unprocessed Spacecraft Wideband Data in Computer Compatible Format
     • Distributed in Hierarchical Data Format (HDF)
   • Level 1R Product ($600)
     • Radiometrically Corrected but Geometrically Unprocessed
     • Distributed in HDF
   • Level 1G (Systematic) Product ($600)
     • Radiometrically and Geometrically Corrected
     • Systematic Geometric Correction Based on Spacecraft Telemetry Data from the Level 0R Input Product and Calibration Parameters
     • Distributed in HDF, FAST, and GeoTIFF Formats
   • L0R and Level 1 System Specs: 100 scenes per day, each
3. Level 0R Product
   • Contains the repackaged but unprocessed imagery, calibration, and telemetry data received from the spacecraft
   • Separate format 1 and format 2 spacecraft data streams are combined into a single product
     • Format 1 contains bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 low gain
     • Format 2 contains bands 7, pan, and 6 high gain
   • The Level 0R product content and format is described in:
     • Landsat 7 System Zero-R Distribution Product Data Format Control Book - Volume 5, Book 1, Revision 2, July 1998.
     • Acrobat (.pdf) and postscript versions of the L0R DFCB can be found at: http:3/11/99/ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/IAS/htmls/l7_review.html
   • Typical Product Size 500 MB
   • Level 0R (L0R) data is formatted using the Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) without EOS extensions
   • HDF File Structure
     • Header File: Directory file describing the HDF data set components
     • Separate Files Contain the Data In HDF External Elements: Can be accessed directly or via the HDF library
     • External Element Types
       • VData Elements
         • Binary flat files used for tabular data
         • Also used to encapsulate text files (e.g., metadata)
       • Scientific Data Set (SDS) Elements: Raster files used for image data
     • HDF documents and software are available from NCSA: http:3/11/99/hdf.ncsa.uiuc.edu
4. Level 0R Product Components
   • 1 HDF Directory File
   • 22 External Element Files
     • 9 Image Band Files (SDS): 1 each for bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6L, 6H, 7, and 8 (pan)
     • 2 Calibration Data Files (SDS): Contains internal calibrator imagery - 1 per format
     • 2 Payload Correction Data Files (VData) - 1 per format
     • 2 Mirror Scan Correction Data Files (VData) - 1 per format
     • 2 Scan Line Offset Data Files (VData) - 1 per format
     • 1 Geolocation Data File (Vdata): Contains scene boundary information
     • 3 Metadata Files (Text as VData) - 1 per format + 1 per product
     • 1 Calibration Parameter File (Text as VData)
5. Calibration Parameter File
   • Each L0R Product Includes a Calibration Parameter File
   • CPFs are generated by the Image Assessment System at the L7 DHF based on the analysis of calibration scenes: New CPFs are issued at least quarterly, more frequently if needed
   • The CPF contains the parameters needed to perform radiometric and geometric correction, including:
     • Detector Gains
     • Scan Mirror Profiles
     • ETM+ Alignment Information
   • The CPF content and format are described in:
     • Landsat 7 System Calibration Parameter File Definition, Revision 2, July 1998.
     • Acrobat and postscript versions are available at: http:3/11/99/ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/IAS/htmls/review.htm
6. Level 1R Product
   • Radiometrically Corrected but Geometrically Unprocessed
     • Level 0R image data has been corrected for sensor artifacts
     • Converted from sensor DN to (scaled) absolute radiance
     • Retains original Level 0R image geometry
   • Product Structure Very Similar to Level 0R
   • The Level 1R product content and format is described in:
     • Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Output Files Data Format Control Book - Volume 5, Book 2, Revision 2, November 1998.
     • An Acrobat version of the L1R DFCB can be found at: http:3/11/99/lpgs-server.gsfc.nasa.gov/!LPGS_Baseline/baseline.html
   • Typical Product Size 1 GB
7. Level 1R Product Components
   • L1R vs. L0R
     • Similar to L0R With HDF Directory and External Elements
     • 16-Bit Band Files Contain Scaled Absolute Radiance
     • Single PCD File Contains Consensus of Format 1 and Format 2
     • Single MSCD File Contains Consensus of Format 1 and Format 2
     • Other Files are the same as the Level 0R Product
   • L1R Options
     • User Selectable Gain Source
       • Calibration Parameter File Best Estimate Gains
       • Scene Specific Gains Computed Using Scene Lamp Data
8. Level 1G Product
   • Radiometrically and Geometrically Corrected Data
     • Geometric Correction Based on Spacecraft Telemetry Only
     • Uses World Geodetic System of 1984 Reference System
   • Three Format Options
     • HDF
       • HDF Directory File
       • Band Files
       • Metadata File
     • L7 FAST
     • GeoTIFF
   • The Level 1G product content and formats are described in the same document as the Level 1R product.
   • Typical Product Size 420 MB to 820 MB: Size depends on options selected (e.g., pixel size, orientation)
9. Level 1G Product Options
   • Orientation
     • North-Up
     • Path Oriented
   • Map Projection
     • Universal Transverse Mercator
     • Transverse Mercator
     • Lambert Conformal Conic
     • Polyconic
     • Polar Stereographic
     • Oblique Mercator
     • Space Oblique Mercator
10. Level 1G Product Options
    • Pixel Size
      • Nominal Product
        • 30-meter Reflective Bands (1-5, 7)
        • 60-meter Thermal Band (6L, 6H)
        • 15-meter Panchromatic Band (8)
      • User selectable from 14.25-meter to 60-meter
    • Resampling Method
      • Cubic Convolution
      • Nearest Neighbor
      • Modulation Transfer Function Compensation
11. Data Product Packaging
    • WRS Scene (L+60)
      • Based on the standard WRS-2 reference
      • Scene contains 375 image scans: 180 km along track by 183 km across track
    • Future Products
      • Floating Scene
        • Same size as standard scene
        • Scene bounds are shifted in the along track direction to contain user's area of interest
      • Subinterval
        • Continuous swath from half scene up to entire collection interval
        • Three WRS scene length limit for Level 1 products
    • All data set types will be available at all product levels
12. Data Product Access and Distribution
    • Data Access
      • Earth Observing System (EOS) Data Gateway: Formerly (in transition): EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS) V0 IMS
      • http:3/11/99/harp.gsfc.nasa.gov/~imswww/pub/imswelcome/
    • Distribution Media
      • 8mm Tape
        • L0R
        • L1R
        • L1G
      • CD-ROM
        • L1R - two volumes
        • L1G - one or two volumes
      • Electronic (FTP)
        • DAAC notifies user of product availability
        • User pulls data from DAAC staging disk
13. Contact Information and References
    • DAAC User Services Point of Contact
      • Russ Johnson, EROS Data Center, (605) 594-2646
      • johnsonr@edcmail.cr.usgs.gov
    • References
      • EROS Data Center Web Sites
        • http:3/11/99/edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/
        • http:3/11/99/edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/landdaac (DAAC)
        • Landsat 7 site under construction
      • Landsat 7 Science Data Users Handbook: http:3/11/99/ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/IAS/htmls/l7_review.html
      • Landsat 7 Image Assessment System Web Site: http:3/11/99/ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/IAS/
      • Landsat 7 Level 1 Product Generation System Web Site: http:3/11/99/lpgs-server.gsfc.nasa.gov/

V. L7 software availability - J. Irons (NASA/GSFC)
Comment: Until recently, some of the source code for L7 has been stored on open FTP sites at GSFC. Those sources have been closed until formal approval for software distribution is obtained. At that time, the code for the LPS, IAS and LPGS will be made available at no cost. The approval process takes about 6 weeks, but may take longer. Hope is to have it available soon after launch

1. Science Data Processing Source Code
   • Will provide public access to LPS, IAS, & LPGS source code at no cost as soon as approval is obtained.
     • NASA GSFC Technology Commercialization Office approval required
       • copyright waivers
       • Technology Export Officer approval
   • Caveats
     • No support
     • No warranties
     • No Guarantees
2. LPS, IAS, & LPGS Functions
   • LPS (Landsat Processing System): ingest wideband data (ETM+ and Payload Correction) from Landsat Ground Station (LGS), process to Level 0R archival format (including metadata, automated cloud cover assessment, & browse), pass to EDC DAAC.
   • IAS (Image Assessment System): assess image data quality (including Level 1 processing), conduct on orbit calibrations
   • LPGS (Level 1 Product Generation System): produces Level 1 (radiometric and geometric correction) data products fulfilling customer orders. Geometric correction limited to systematic.
3. Notes
   • Location: LPS, IAS and LPGS source code will initially be hosted on Landsat Project Science Office ftp-servers at NASA GSFC. Links will be provided from TBD web sites. The source code will be transferred to ftp-servers at the EDC sometime after launch.
   • Hardware Platforms: the LPS, IAS and LPGS software packages are all designed to operate on SGI UNIX workstations.
   • Programming language: C
   • Y2K compliant
4. Access to documentation
   • Documentation and IAS algorithm descriptions are available at the following URLs:
     • http://lps-server.gsfc.nasa.gov/
     • http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/LANDSAT/
     • http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/IAS/index.html
     • http://caster.gsfc.nasa.gov:80/IAS/
     • http://lpgs-server.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Afternoon session
The plenary session re-convened at approximately 1:10pm. The commercial sector attendees were divided into four break out groups. The groups met in separate rooms. Each group, assisted by a meeting facilitator (non-government person) and subject matter expert, was asked to address the following four questions and report back to the plenary session later in the afternoon.

1. Based on this morning's presentations, what opportunities for value added processors sound most promising?
   • Reselling unenhanced Landsat 7 data products
   • Preparing value-added products
   • Becoming Landsat 7 data distributors in partnership with USGS
   • Cooperative R & D with USGS/NASA for new products, techniques, etc.
   • Other Potential commercial opportunities
2. What potential barriers do Landsat program managers need to address to enable your organization to take advantage of such opportunities?
3. Which of the following Landsat 7 data products do you feel should be available to all customers from the USGS?
   • Level 0R ("raw" data)
   • Level 1R (radiometrically corrected)
   • Level 1G (radiometrically and geometrically corrected)
   • Level 1P (precision corrected)
   • Level 1T (terrain corrected)
4. What major concerns about the Landsat 7 program do you have that have not been addressed in this workshop but need to be addressed in the future?

The plenary session reconvened at 3:30.

Group Reports:

A. "Green" group: Jon Dykstra (Earth Satellite Corp.)
Answers to questions:

1. Best opportunities for value added processors (number selecting that option):
   • Resell data (4)
   • Value added (2)
   • Distributor of data (1)
   • R and D (3)
   • Co-locating to receive data (5)
2. Potential barriers Landsat Program Managers need to address
   1. USG shouldn't migrate to higher level processing
   2. USG shouldn't compete with commercial sector by using government assets
   3. Getting access to "global archive" - one place to go to get information on what is available everywhere.
   4. Need common definition of processing levels
   5. USGS support education and benefits of use of Landsat data (and other remote sensing data)
   6. Need to minimize turn around time for the data. EDC should focus on getting the data out quickly, not on producing 1P/T products.
   7. USG should not give away Landsat data - preserve economic value
   8. Landsat Program Management should give six months notice of change in data prices
3. What level ''0' &'1' products should be available from the USGS?
   • Stop at 0R - 4
   • Stop at 1R/G - 3
   • Go to 1P/T - 2
     • VA providers wanted to stop at no more than 1R/G. End users in the group wanted to go through 1P/T.
     • NV may have software this summer to generate 1T data.
4. Other Landsat 7 program issues that need to be addressed?
   • The government should ensure data continuity and consider additional satellites to provide more coverage during the daylight hours.
   • The greater the involvement of the government in building satellites, the less incentive for the commercial sector. (The potential contradiction between these statements was noted)

B. "Silver" group: Mark Lucas (Imagelinks)
Comments:

• Thanks to USGS for the opportunity to provide feedback
• Info presented here is not representative of the entire value added community; it should be used to educate USGS
• Information presented should not be viewed as consensus

1. Best opportunities for value added processors: (group ranking)
   • Reselling unenhanced data products (3.0)
   • Preparing value added products (1.8)
   • Becoming Landsat 7 data distributors in partnership with USGS (2.5)
   • Cooperative R&D with USGS/NASA for new products technoiques, etc. (2.9)
   • Co-location of receiving stations (4.0)
   • Comments:
     • Need to clarify distinctions betwwn reselling unehanced data, preparing VA products and becoming data distributor in partnership with USGS.
     • Preparing value added products is generally core business. "Want help - not subsidized competition."
     • What rights would accrue from partnership with USGS? More precise definition needed
     • Colocation of receiving station - rights? Is there another way to access data stream?
2. Potential barriers Landsat Program managers need to address
   • USGS focus on quality, delivery and access
   • USGS should not do P/T processing.
   • Avoid dual price structures
   • What motivates IGS to priovide consistent product
3. What level '0' & '1' products should be available to all from USGS?
   • Nothing beyond level 1G, and some preferred to stop at 1R.
4. Other Landsat 7 program issues that need to be addressed?
   • Need stable, consistent, pricing policy
   • Provide sufficient lead time on prices to the value added community.
   • What ground control elevation data sets will be used? Will they be made available

C. "Red" group: Marshall Faintich (Orbimage)
Comments:

• Need to resolve question 3 (What level '0' & '1' products should be available to all from USGS?) first. All others follow. Draw the line after 1R/G. Further processing should be responsibility of value added sector, because, if other than system information is used for data correction, the resulting product in "enhanced", i.e., in the realm of the value added sector.
• If demand exceeds capacity at EDC for production through level 1R/G, the government should consider contracting out to commercial sector to increase capacity. Government should not distribute software for 1P/T processing.
• Given the above, in response to question 1 (Best opportunities for value added processors) the response from this group is value added products. All others follow at secondary and equivalent opportunity.

D. "Blue" group: Andrea Gallagher (Research Systems) Comment: Coming from perspective of end -users. Group was mainly data providers.
Answers to questions:

1. Best opportunities for value added processors (in priority order):
   • Preparing value added products
   • Cooperative R&D with USGS/NASA from academic and software perspective
   • Distributor partnerships are of interest but need better definition
   • Level of investment and policy volitility made reselling & co-location of stations unattractive.
2. Potential barriers Landsat Program managers need to address:
   • Knowing posture and reliability of USG offering data products - can make plans once USG intentions known
   • Long term plans to maintain Landsat program - looking for USG commitment
   • Value added industry percieves data acquisition policies to be discriminatory
   • Lack of international standards - data access from IGS - need standards
   • Concern about data prioritization and availability from the archive.
3. What level '0' & '1' products should be available to all from USGS?
   • Split decision on product availability. Value added firms want low level products only from EDC (raw material for products). End users are concerned about data standards and data costs. Concern that USGS will spend too much on products rather than getting data out quickly
4. Other Landsat 7 program issues that need to be addressed?
   • Concern about network distribution from EDC, i.e., the through put that can be achieved.
   • General concern about whether the USG should be in the remote sensing business at all.

Comments following the group reports:
• Summary of patterns and trends from the group reports: Much concern about value added processing, data price, price schedule and consistency in government policies and actions.
• R. Byrnes - There is confusion in the community because of the pricing of Landsat data prior to Landsat 7.
• D. Williams - Comment on concern about "discriminatory" acquisition policy. On any day there are 800 land mass scenes overflown by Landsat 7. EDC will acquire 250. About 450 scenes will be acquired by all stations - half the potential number of scenes and most likely all the useable scenes in terms of cloud cover on a given day. Therefore, it is likely that if any member of the community wants a scene, it will have been collected and archived either in the US or at a non-US ground station. Even so, the program will learn from the LTAP the first year of operations. Then, if necessary, the program will try to add in a data acquisition request capability.
• P. Norris: How will results of this workshop be used? D. Lauer - will talk about that in the summary at the end of the day.

Commentaries from M. Felsher and K. Green followed. [Refer to top of page for links to those presentations]

Final comment from D. Lauer:
USGS is vested in this program (NOAA had no real interest in land data) If government agency people were asked to a workshop like this, the answers received would probably be quite different. Same with academics, as with state and local government. USGS is being pulled in different directions by different elements of the user community. The mind set of USGS is not to creep up the ladder of data processing. USGS is trying hard not to compete with commercial vendors. USGS is committed to helping the private sector.

What happens next? Information form this meeting will go on the "vameet" website, including attendance list.

Question from P. Norris: It would be helpful for this community if USGS would indicate future growth of sales of products. What are the goals of USGS in supporting the Landsat market place. D. Lauer - NMD and EDC have strategic plans on line. Please refer to them.

Workshop adjourned at approximately 4:50pm.