EarthExplorer

EarthExplorer is a web-based catalog and data download portal operated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It provides access to a large archive of remotely sensed imagery and geospatial data, enabling users to search, preview, and obtain data for scientific research, planning, education, and other applications. The platform centers on satellite imagery and aerial photography and aggregates data from multiple programs.

Data in EarthExplorer comes from several sources, with Landsat imagery forming a core component, complemented by other satellite and aerial datasets such as Sentinel-2, ASTER, MODIS, and various national and commercial collections. Users can search by geographic area, coordinates, or place name, and refine results by date range, cloud cover, and data type. Each result includes metadata, thumbnail previews, and links to download or view the full scene.

The user workflow in EarthExplorer emphasizes ease of discovery and retrieval. After selecting a scene, users can view metadata, quality indicators, and download options. Data can be downloaded individually or collected in a cart for batch downloading. Available formats typically include standard geospatial products such as GeoTIFF and JPEG, with options tied to the data source and product type. The portal also supports viewing data in a map interface and accessing additional tools for basic analysis or visualization.

Access and licensing policies reflect the public nature of much USGS data. Landsat imagery and many other datasets are freely downloadable and usable in accordance with their respective licenses. Registration may be required for certain advanced features or large-volume downloads. EarthExplorer is widely used by researchers, educators, planners, and developers to acquire earth observation data for diverse projects, often integrated into automated workflows via its API.