Geocorrected Aerial Photography of Barrow, Alaska (1948-1997)

High-Resolution Rectified Aerial Photography for Collaborative Research of Environmental Change at Barrow, Alaska, USA, Version 1 is a collection of aerial images from NASA and the NSIDC. The dataset contains photography from eight specific dates between 1948 and 1997, which has been geocorrected to a 2002 QuickBird satellite or IFSAR reference. Data are provided in GeoTIFF and ESRI Shapefile formats with FGDC metadata.

Use Cases

• Analyzing coastal erosion and landscape change over a 49-year period based on the multi-decadal image series.
• Validating or training machine learning models for land cover classification using high-resolution, georeferenced aerial imagery.
• Conducting change detection studies by comparing rectified historical photos from specific dates like 1948 or 1979 to modern baselines.
• Creating historical basemaps for ecological or archaeological site surveys in the Barrow, Alaska region.

Strengths

• Provides a multi-decadal time series with imagery from eight specific dates spanning 49 years (1948-1997).
• Images are geocorrected to a consistent 2002 reference (QuickBird/IFSAR), enabling precise spatial analysis and comparison.
• Data is available in standard geospatial formats (GeoTIFF, Shapefile) with FGDC-compliant metadata.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column/attribute details are unknown across all sources.
• The dataset's availability is limited to physical DVD ordering via email request, which hinders immediate digital access.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' metadata, with one source listing 1997 and others listing a future date of 2026.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), distributed via NSIDC User Services.

Collection Method

Aerial photography, subsequently geocorrected.

Time Range

1948 to 1997

Freshness

1997-07-16 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Barrow, Alaska, USA