Studying Earth landscapes from space with high resolution using small satellite constellations

Studies of land-cover and land-use change (LCLUC) on a global scale became possible when the first satellite of Landsat series was launched about 47 years ago. Since then land-change science has been rapidly developing to answer the questions on where changes are occurring, what is their extent and over what time scale, what are their causes, their consequences for ecosystems and human societies, their feedbacks with climate change, and what changes are expected in the future. LCLUC studies use a combination of space observations, in situ measurements, process studies and numerical modeling. To get the most out of current remote sensing capabilities with moderate spatial resolution (at 20-30 m) researchers strive to utilize different freely accessible remote sensing data sources from NASA-USGS Landsat and ESA Sentinel Programs. A synergistic use of these data increases frequency of observations, which is important for a number of science questions and applications, especially in the regions with frequent clouds. To enhance the capability of monitoring the Earth at a higher spatial resolution the NASA LCLUC program scientists include data with meter spatial resolution (<5m) from satellite constellations operated by Planet Lab and Digital Globe. This presentation will briefly summarize significant results on improving our potential in landscape monitoring by synergistic use of mid- and high-resolution observations of natural vegetation, agriculture and urban areas. The issues and advantages of using high-resolution data in studying landscapes will be discussed.