Reduced-Resolution QuickBird Satellite Imagery and GIS Layers for Barrow, Alaska

62 orthorectified QuickBird satellite image tiles, acquired from 1 to 2 August 2002, cover the Barrow, Alaska region. The dataset includes accessory geospatial layers such as USGS Digital Raster Graphic mosaics and index maps in Shapefile format. These baseline data support multi-disciplinary research on environmental change in this Arctic area of focused scientific interest.

Use Cases

• Analyzing land cover change in Arctic coastal environments based on orthorectified satellite imagery.
• Creating base maps for field research using the provided USGS Digital Raster Graphic (DRG) mosaics.
• Managing and indexing large satellite image collections via the 62-tile index map (ESRI Shapefile).
• Conducting GIS education and outreach with FGDC-compliant metadata and multiple data formats.

Strengths

• Includes 62 specific, orthorectified satellite image tiles for precise spatial analysis.
• Provides Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)-compliant metadata in text, HTML, and XML formats.
• Contains multiple accessory geospatial layers (DRGs, index maps) enhancing utility for GIS workflows.

Limitations

• Conflicting last updated dates between platforms (2002-08-02 vs. 2026-04-09) create uncertainty about metadata maintenance.
• Specific column names and dataset size are not provided, limiting understanding of detailed file structure.
• Imagery is from a single, brief acquisition period (August 2002), limiting temporal analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Satellite imagery acquired by DigitalGlobe's QuickBird sensor.

Time Range

2002-08-01 to 2002-08-02

Freshness

Conflicting: NASA Earthdata lists 2002-08-02, while Data.gov lists 2026-04-09.

Geography

Barrow, Alaska, USA (156.15° W - 157.07° W, 71.15° N - 71.41° N)