GLOBAL FIDUCIALS PROGRAM IMAGERY: NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR GEOSPATIAL RESEARCH, OUTREACH, AND EDUCATION

The Civil Applications Committee (CAC), operated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), is the Federal interagency committee that facilitates Federal civil agency access to U.S. National Systems space-based electro-optical (EO) imagery for natural disaster response; global change investigations; ecosystem monitoring; mapping, charting, and geodesy; and related topics. The CAC’s Global Fiducials Program (GFP) has overseen the systematic collection of this high-resolution imagery to provide controlled geospatial data time series spanning a decade or more at carefully selected sites to study and monitor changes, and to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of dynamic and sensitive areas of our planet.

Since 2008, more than 4,400 one-meter resolution EO images which comprise time series from 80 GFP sites have been released for unrestricted public use. Initial site selections were made by Federal and academic scientists based on each site’s unique history, susceptibility, or environmental value. For each site, collection strategies were carefully defined with specific repeat intervals and image characteristics to maximize information extraction capabilities. This consistency of imagery parameters and acquisition history enhances our ability to understand Earth’s dynamic processes and characterize long-term trends. Individual time series focus on Arctic sea ice change; temperate glacier behavior; mid-continent wetland dynamics; barrier island response to hurricanes; coastline evolution; wildland fire recovery; Long-Term Ecological Resource (LTER) site processes; and many other topics.

The images are available from the USGS and can be freely downloaded and distributed at no cost. Released images are orthorectified and provided in a GeoTIFF format with supporting metadata, making them ideal for use in Earth Science education and GIS projects. For additional information go to http://gfl.usgs.gov.