Landsat TM Satellite Imagery Archive for Brazil and South America

Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite imagery collected by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research from its Cuiabá receiving station. The archive holds an estimated 70,000 scenes, equivalent to 500,000 individual spectral band images, primarily covering Brazil with full continental coverage starting in 1987. Data acquisition was routine but includes gaps due to station downtime.

Use Cases

• Analyze land cover change over Brazil using the seven spectral bands from scenes spanning from the 1980s onward.
• Monitor deforestation rates in the Amazon by comparing processed black-and-white or color photographic originals across different time periods.
• Assess agricultural expansion using the temporal series of multispectral imagery, noting coverage gaps related to station lightning downtimes.
• Conduct regional environmental studies across South America using scenes acquired after the 1987 extension to the full satellite range.

Strengths

• Archive contains an estimated 70,000 scenes, representing approximately 500,000 individual spectral band images.
• Includes about 14,000 scenes pre-processed to photographic originals for faster reproduction.
• Provides routine coverage of Brazil with extension to the full Landsat range over South America starting in 1987.

Limitations

• Contains several gaps in the time series, some lasting several months, primarily due to station downtime from lightning.
• Data description indicates no online remote access was available at the time of the record, requiring contact by mail, phone, or fax.
• No copies are kept of delivered digital products, limiting availability for re-distribution.

Provenance

Source

National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Brazil, via the CEOS_EXTRA organization.

Collection Method

Data received at the Cuiabá station, air-shipped to the processing and distribution center in Cachoeira Paulista.

Time Range

From the 1980s onward, with full South American coverage starting in 1987.

Freshness

null

Geography

Primarily Brazil, extended to the full Landsat satellite range over South America.