Landsat 8 imagery

Multispectral and thermal data

https://www.usgs.gov/landsat-missions/landsat-8 Image credit: Michelle Bouchard using Landsat 8 data from the USGS

Landsat 8 (formerly the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, or LDCM) was launched on an Atlas-V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California on February 11, 2013. The satellite carries the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) instruments.

The OLI measures in the visible, near infrared, and shortwave infrared portions (VNIR, NIR, and SWIR) of the spectrum. The TIRS measures land surface temperature in two thermal bands with a new technology that applies quantum physics to detect heat. Landsat 8 images have 15-meter panchromatic and 30-meter multi-spectral spatial resolutions along a 185 km (115 mi) swath.