The Evolution of Landsat Data Analysis

Abstract

Preface. In this paper a description is presented of how the multispectral data analysis technology, which has come to be synonymous with Landsat, was begun and how it developed and spread among the broader research and user community. The paper is concluded with brief remarks about key factors which moderated the development and what the future may hold for its further development. To describe a 25 year long activity as varied and complex as the evolution of the Landsat related data analysis is a daunting task. Many significant events must be omitted and others only briefly mentioned. Example activities have been chosen which occurred early and led to perhaps the largest impact in the development of the technology. Background: Setting the Stage. The people of the U. S. and much of the world were surprised, one might even say shocked, when the Soviet Union successfully launched the first Earth orbiting artificial satellite in October 1957. The impact on the U. S. was immediate and substantial, affecting tangibles such as the U. S. education system, but also intangibles such as how this society thought of itself. One of the significant responses to this event was the National Aeronautics and Space Act in 1958 which created NASA from the National