Simulation and Modeling to Support Sustainable Land Imaging System Requirements

The Sustainable Land Imaging (SLI) program is committed to extend the nearly fifty-year data record of spaceborne measurements of the Earth's surface collected from Landsat' s reflective and thermal instruments. Through the development of a system of spaceborne sensors, and perhaps the inclusion of alternative data sources, the SLI program is interested in identifying cost-effective solutions to acquiring consistent and continuous data to support science applications related to the monitoring of Earth's natural resources. To support these interests, the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) proposes to conduct simulated trade studies that investigate the impact of potential system requirements on science applications. The anticipated outcome of this research is a trade-space that can be used to make informed, cost-conscious decisions about future Landsat system requirements to maintain, and perhaps expand the availability of, high-quality data necessary for science applications.