The AmericaView Project - Putting the Earth into Your Hands

Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a leader in collecting, archiving, and distributing geospatial data and information about the Earth. Providing quick, reliable access to remotely sensed images and geospatial data is the driving principle behind the AmericaView Project. A national not-for-profit organization, AmericaView, Inc. was established and is supported by the USGS to coordinate the activities of a national network of university-led consortia with the primary objective of the advancement of the science of remote sensing. Individual consortia members include academic institutions, as well as state, local, and tribal government agencies. AmericaView's focus is to expand the understanding and use of remote sensing through education and outreach efforts and to provide affordable, integrated remote sensing information access and delivery to the American public. USGS's Landsat and NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite data are downlinked from satellites or transferred from other facilities to the USGS Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) ground receiving station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The data can then be transferred over high-speed networks to consortium members, where it is archived and made available for public use.