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Thermal imagery is helpful when researchers are studying volcanoes because it allows them to see the volcanic heat and identify new lava flows. Thermal imagery help analyze heat patterns of volcanoes.
LANDSAT is a series of satellites that photograph the Earth. The Landsat program is the longest running enterprise for acquisition of imagery of Earth from space. The first Landsat satellite was launched in 1972; the most recent, Landsat 7, was launched on April 15, 1999. The millions of images images, archived in the United States and at Landsat receiving stations around the world, are a unique resource for global change research and applications in agriculture, cartography, geology, forestry, regional planning, surveillance, education and national security. Landsat 7 data has eight spectral bands with spatial resolutions ranging from 15 to 60 meters; the temporal resolution is 16 days.
Hurricanes are measured through a combination of satellite imagery, manned flights into the storms, Doppler radar, and ground ad seas surface based observations. Tornadoes are more difficult because they are smaller, shorter lived, and overall less predictable. Measurements have been made using Doppler radar and ground and ground based probes. Even then, most tornadoes do not have any measurements taken, so strength is estimated based on the damage caused.
Imagery
There is no such thing as an instrument that measures floods but there is an instrument that measures rain which is called a rain gauge, and an instrument that measures how deep the water is at a given location which is called a river gauge. Satellite imagery is usually used to measure the magnitude of floods. Topographic maps are used with the imagery before and after a flood to estimate how deep and widespread the flooding is. It surprisingly accurate given the large area of coverage.
With satellite imagery, one can see images of photographs of any place on Earth. Satellite imagery is more detailed and clearer than Infrared images.
For past years earth-based satellite imagery in Google Earth you can select 'Historical Imagery' under View menu. This shows a timeline slider from which to select available satellite and aerial imagery from the past. NASA also provides vast archives of satellite imagery much of which are available online such as the NASA Image Gallery
Google Maps provides satellite and map views in addition to Street Views. The satellite view of Google Maps uses the same backend satellite imagery database used by Google Earth.The satellite imagery are typically from the GeoEye or DigitalGlobe owned satellites, and some of the imagery are actually aerial photos from aircraft using special high resolution cameras.
Google Earth's imagery comes from a variety of sources such as aerial photos and commercial satellite imagery. Some of the imagery even comes from kites and air balloons. Google buys or licenses the use of this imagery. Some of the imagery is given to Google by city or state governments. The primary sources for Google's satellite imagery comes from GeoEye and DigitalGlobe.
NASA provides vast archives of satellite imagery much of which are available online such as the NASA Image Gallery.Google Maps is a great tool to see satellite imagery of earth. Remember to change "Map" view to "Satellite" to display the satellite imagery.If you need better (higher resolution) imagery, you could try other mapping programs or, if you have the resources, you could consider purchasing imagery for your own use.Here are a few companies with websites to start with, but there are others, try doing an internet search for satellite and aerial imagery:DigitalGlobeSpot ImageMapMartTerrametricsTerraServer
Thermal imagery is helpful when researchers are studying volcanoes because it allows them to see the volcanic heat and identify new lava flows. Thermal imagery help analyze heat patterns of volcanoes.
Actually its not the altitude of the satellite but the resolution of the camera that is responsible for a high resolution imagery. In fact the better resolution imagery in Google Earth comes from aerial and street-level photography.
Yes that is the primary disadvantage of visible satellite imagery.
Google's imagery for Google Maps and Google Maps comes from a variety of sources such as aerial photos and commercial satellite imagery. Some of the imagery even comes from kites and air balloons. Google buys or licenses the use of this imagery. Some of the imagery is given to Google by city or state governments. The primary sources for Google's satellite imagery comes from GeoEye and DigitalGlobe.
NASA, oceanography, natural disasters, ect.
NASA provides vast archives of satellite imagery of earth much of which are available online such as the NASA Image Gallery. Google Maps and Google Earth are great tools to see satellite imagery of earth. In Google Maps remember to change "Map" view to "Satellite" to display the satellite imagery. Google gets its imagery from a number of commercial imagery providers including: DigitalGlobe and GeoEye, which operate a constellation of high-resolution Earth-imaging satellites, mapping aircraft and an international network of ground stations.
For past years earth-based satellite imagery in Google Earth you can select 'Historical Imagery' under View menu. This shows a timeline slider from which to select available satellite and aerial imagery from the past. For example, if you're in London then you can jump to 1945 to see WWII imagery. See related link below for details.