Source: US Geological Survey
This was a landmark year for the definitive land cover resource for the United States that’s produced at EROS: the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). The renamed Annual NLCD data release on October 24, 2024, debuted a new ability to look at land cover and land change year by year further back in time, from 1985 to 2023.
Landsat satellites continue to provide the foundational data for Annual NLCD, which includes six products. Work is underway to add 2024 data to Annual NLCD in 2025. Data access has expanded to the commercial cloud and the USGS website EarthExplorer.
More about Annual NLCD
The LANDFIRE (Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools) program celebrated a big milestone in 2024—its 20th anniversary of working to provide valuable national landscape data on vegetation, wildland fuel and fire regimes.
But the biggest news for the interagency program hosted at EROS was releasing its first truly annual update, LANDFIRE 2023 Update, and debuting a remarkably early preview of land disturbances, for most of 2023 at the end of January 2024.
EROS is always communicating about its latest innovations and improvements in science. Here are some key ways that happened in 2024:
- Scientists traveled to multiple workshops, including Geo Week, JACIE and the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). In addition to presenting posters and talks, several of them earned awards for their work. See slideshow at left.
- More than 100 EROS authors published 28 journal articles, 15 technical reports, 25 conference abstracts or posters and 55 data releases. Click below to learn more about a few highlighted topics.
- Scientists from around the world use EROS data and science in their own research. Read stories spotlighting those studies below.
Publications and Data Releases
Researchers Use EROS Data
Landsat’s claim to fame is its 50-plus-year history of Earth observation—and Landsat 7 was active for half of that time. In 2024 as Landsat 7 reached the end of its mission, EROS remembered the milestones during its lifespan.
We also celebrated the outstanding annual value Landsat provides for the United States ($25.6 billion!) and leaned into the satellite mission’s future with Landsat Next.
To scroll through our Landsat highlights for 2024, use the < and > arrows below.
EROS welcomed visitors from abroad as well as student researchers, interns and schoolkids this year—and even classic Dodge automobiles!
New for 2024 is a six-screen interactive display in front of Computer Room 2, where our high-performance computers are located. Visitors can take a deep dive into the sophisticated world of data at EROS (but in a user-friendly way).
Also new: The EROS Media Gallery now can be searched by spinning the globe and picking a location. Readers can find our updated State Mosaics, Image of the Week gallery, Earthshots, Earth as Art and other favorites via keyword, too.
Read on for a review of what’s new in our imagery and videos, educational Earthshots and insightful podcasts.
We don’t mind bragging—our Image of the Week videos are beautiful to watch!
But our 2024 additions also reveal real benefits of Landsat imagery and data, from new dams being filled to old dams being destroyed, from drought in Mexico to ice routes in Finland.
Don’t start clicking on the links below at bedtime—they’re endlessly fascinating! On the other hand, for a beautiful, restful sleep, try our new hourlong video featuring Landsat imagery and peaceful music.
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science. Our episodes in 2024 looked at Landsat’s past, its future, and how scientists apply the vast archive.
Scroll across the images above or below to listen to some of our favorites. Here are some highlights:
127: The Historic Landsat 7 Mission. We talked with some of the people who helped keep Landsat 7 flying during its nearly 25 years of land imaging.
126: Annual NLCD. This new release includes land cover data of the United States for every year back to 1985.
117: Preparing for Landsat Next, Part 1. Several people involved with the next Landsat mission talk about the details.
114: The Color of Water with Landsat. An old data technique in freshwater science—physically sampling lake water—becomes reinvented using satellite technology.