Satellite Imagery Resources

Satellite imagery is a crucial data source for many GIS applications. The University of Chicago’s Research Computing Center (RCC) provides access to various imagery sources for academic researchers.

Available Imagery Sources

Global Coverage

• Landsat Archive
  Resolution: 30m (15m pan-sharpened)
  Temporal Coverage: 1972-Present
  Access: Free through USGS EarthExplorer
  Special Features: Longest continuous global observation record

• Sentinel-2
  Resolution: 10m-60m
  Temporal Coverage: 2015-Present
  Access: Free through Copernicus Open Access Hub
  Special Features: High revisit rate (5 days), 13 spectral bands

• MODIS
  Resolution: 250m-1000m
  Temporal Coverage: 2000-Present
  Access: Free through NASA Earthdata
  Special Features: Daily global coverage, excellent for time series analysis

High-Resolution Imagery

• NAIP (National Agriculture Imagery Program)
  Resolution: 1m
  Temporal Coverage: Annually for agricultural areas
  Access: Free through USDA Geospatial Data Gateway
  Special Features: Leaf-on imagery, 4-band (RGB + NIR)

• ASTER Global DEM Data
  Resolution: 30m
  Coverage: Global
  Access: Free through NASA Earthdata
  Special Features: Digital elevation models with 1 arc-second resolution

• Digital Globe Satellite Imagery
  Resolution: Up to 30cm
  Coverage: Global
  Access: Commercial, available through RCC
  Special Features: Very high resolution, frequent updates

Specialized Datasets

• ESA Global Land Cover
  Resolution: 300m
  Coverage: Global
  Access: Free through ESA CCI
  Special Features: Annual land cover maps since 1992

Applications in GIS

Common Applications

• Land use and land cover mapping
• Urban planning and development monitoring
• Agricultural yield estimation
• Disaster response and damage assessment
• Environmental monitoring
• Climate change studies

Key Considerations

• Spatial resolution: Level of detail in the imagery
• Spectral resolution: Number and width of spectral bands
• Temporal resolution: How often the same area is imaged
• Atmospheric corrections: Required for accurate analysis
• Image classification techniques: Methods for extracting information

Access and Support

RCC provides support and resources for working with these imagery sources in GIS applications. Contact our team for assistance with accessing or processing satellite imagery:

• Email: gis-help@rcc.uchicago.edu
• Contact Form
• Support Portal

Training and Resources

RCC offers various training on GIS every year. Additional training is also provided by library GIS services. Check our workshops page for upcoming training sessions.

Need Help?

For questions about satellite imagery or assistance with GIS projects, please contact the RCC GIS team at gis-help@rcc.uchicago.edu.

Access Methods

Web Portals

• UChicago Research Computing Portal
  Pre-processed datasets, institutional access to commercial imagery

• Earthdata Search
  NASA’s interface for satellite data discovery and access

• Copernicus Open Access Hub
  European Space Agency’s Sentinel satellite data

• USGS EarthExplorer
  Access to Landsat, historical aerial photography, and more

Programmatic Access

• Google Earth Engine
  Cloud-based platform for planetary-scale analysis

  // Example: Load and display Landsat 8 imagery
  var landsat = ee.ImageCollection('LANDSAT/LC08/C01/T1_SR')
      .filterDate('2020-01-01', '2021-01-01')
      .filterBounds(geometry);
  

• Microsoft Planetary Computer
  Cloud-optimized geospatial datasets

Processing Tools

• Desktop Software

  • QGIS with SCP Plugin
  • ArcGIS Pro
  • ENVI

• Cloud Platforms

  • Google Earth Engine
  • Microsoft Planetary Computer
  • AWS Earth

• Programming Libraries

  • Python: Rasterio, GDAL, xarray
  • R: terra, stars
  • JavaScript: Geemap, Leaflet

Best Practices

1. Data Selection

   • Choose appropriate resolution for your analysis
   • Consider temporal requirements
   • Check cloud cover and image quality

2. Pre-processing

   • Atmospheric correction
   • Cloud masking
   • Mosaicking and reprojection

3. Storage

   • Use cloud-optimized formats (COG, ZARR)
   • Implement proper metadata documentation
   • Consider data retention policies

Training Resources

• Workshops

  • Introduction to Remote Sensing
  • Time Series Analysis
  • Machine Learning with Satellite Imagery

• Online Courses

  • Coursera: Remote Sensing Specialization
  • edX: Earth Observation from Space
  • NASA ARSET Training

Support

• Consultations

  • Data discovery assistance
  • Processing workflow design
  • Technical troubleshooting

• Documentation

  • Processing guides
  • Code examples
  • Best practices

Data Citation

Please ensure proper attribution when using satellite imagery in your research. Example:

Landsat 8 image courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey

Contact

For assistance with satellite imagery:

• Email: gis-imagery@uchicago.edu
• Office: Research Computing Center, Room 201
• Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM