-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Sharing Satellite Imagery - Compiled and Revisited
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 12:56:14 -0400
From: Carol McAuliffe <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Dear MAPS-L,
First of all, thank you for the thoughtful responses and my apologies
for not compiling this sooner! I asked the question during a very busy
time and didn’t get a chance to get back to it until now (of course,
this seems to be a very busy time as well!).
I hope that more conversation will occur on this topic because I think
there is potential for a lot of cooperative resource sharing to occur in
the area of uncopyrighted satellite imagery. We recently got a request
from an EPA librarian because a researcher needed some Landsat images
that we owned. Due to the fact that they weren’t copyrighted we were
easily able to send her copies of the CDs. This brought to mind an idea
to have some sort of database of sharable satellite images which
libraries own. We catalog our images but I’m not sure how common that is
at this time. This means a lot of what libraries have in the way of
satellite imagery isn’t widely known. I think there is a lot more to
discuss on this topic but as I am preparing to leave for ALA (as I’m
sure many of you are!) I think I will leave it at that for now.
The following is what I received from the readers of Maps-L and since a
few mentioned sites that have free imagery I want to share with everyone
a site that we have found to be very useful here at the University of
Florida. https://zulu.ssc.nasa.gov/mrsid/ It only covers bands 7, 4, and
2 but it has world-wide coverage for 1990 and 2000 which has been very
useful for some of our researchers who don’t need the full range of bands.
Looking forward to meeting many of you at ALA in the coming days!!
Sincerely,
Carol McAuliffe
*Carol McAuliffe***,** Map Librarian
Map and Imagery Library, Spatial Information Services Unit
Government Documents Department
George A. Smathers Libraries
University of Florida
(352) 273-2828
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**************************BEGINNING OF RESPONSES****************************
*From Mary Laarsgard:*
My attitude is that any uncopyrighted satellite imagery can indeed be
shared as per your comment below.
Mary
*From Matt Fox:*
You might check this out.
http://geocarta.blogspot.com/2007/03/non-profit-formed-to-give-away.html
Matt
*From Jeff Essic:*
Two sites come to mind where satellite data is already being shared:
Global Land Cover Facility and glovis.usgs.gov.
See the first several links in the overview at
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/gis/landsat7.html.
Jeff Essic
**************END OF RESPONSES****************BELOW IS ORIGINAL EMAIL
ABOUT Sharing Satellite Imagery******************
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Sharing Satellite Imagery?
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:31:15 -0400
From: Carol McAuliffe <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Dear MAPS-L,
I have a topic for discussion I would like to bring up about copyright
issues surrounding satellite imagery.
First a little background. One constant question I am asking myself is,
what can we do to make our collection stronger, more relevant, more
useful to the researchers here at the University. One resource that is
being used extensively by a variety of disciplines is satellite imagery.
Many of the colloquiums and talks that I go to reference the use of
satellite imagery in their research in one form or another. When the
researcher is questioned about where he gets the imagery they often
chuckle and talk about the what they went through getting it, whether it
was via his department, the country of which the imagery was taken, or
from their own pocket. Only a few of the researchers here at UF know
about the fact that they can write a proposal requesting that the
library use funds to purchase satellite imagery for them. We are fairly
selective and focus on our high interest areas and also give preference
to images that are adjacent to ones that we already have. However, given
the cost of the imagery, it would be impossible for us to fill all of
the requests if this service was widely utilized even if image was in
one of our high interest areas. The only solution seems it seems to me
is resource sharing through cooperative agreements with other libraries.
Here is the question I pose to the group, given that some of the
satellite imagery out there is not copyrighted (Landsat 7), is it
unethical or even illegal to share /complete/ copies of the data amongst
libraries to enhance their collections? It seems to me that if it is
possible, this could be an excellent way for libraries to fill in gaps
in their collections. Satellite imagery is so expensive we can only buy
a handful of images a year and overall that encompasses a VERY small
percentage of what is out there and what is actually needed by our
researchers.
Thoughts? Opinions? I apologize if this has been discussed in detail in
the past. I did look in the archives to see what I could find but a lot
of it was very old information at this point. In case it is helpful to
anyone, what I found from 1998 is in blue below.
Thanks to anyone who wants to offer their opinions on this topic! I will
compile the responses if it is desired.
*Carol McAuliffe***,** Map Librarian
Map and Imagery Library, Spatial Information Services Unit Government
Documents Department George A. Smathers Libraries University of Florida
(352) 273-2828
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--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Tue, 01 Dec 1998 11:49:08 -0500
From: Raymond Byrnes [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: copyright and Landsat images <fwd>
Mr. Winters:
The Landsat copyright issue is, indeed, somewhat confusing.
Beginning in 1972, the first five Landsats were launched by NASA as
ongoing research projects, while a growing number of users, especially
within the Federal government, came to use Landsat data in a routine
operational mode.
Until September of 1985, when Congress determined to see the program
commercialized, Landsat data were in the public domain, with no
restrictions on making copies. At that time, EOSAT, later replaced
by Space Imaging Co. of Thornton, CO, was given exclusive rights to
market data from Landsats 4 and 5, both of which were operational (with
Landsats 1-3 retired from service). Commercial rights on newly
acquired Thematic Mapper (TM) data are retained for ten years,
then the data return to the public domain. So, Landsat TM data from
the late 1980's are now available from the USGS EROS Data Center at the
cost of fulfilling a user's request and with no copyright
restrictions. As I recall, all Landsat multispectral scanner (MSS)
data rights were returned by EOSAT to the Federal government around in
1992. (The MSS was the original Landsat imaging instrument with a
90-meter ground resolution.)
Therefore, copyright restrictions are in place for TM data originally
purchased from EOSATor Space Imaging if the data are less than ten years
old. Outside of that, as I recall, no restrictions apply.
To be safe, in case I have overlooked any exceptions, you can contact
Tom Holm at the EROS Data Center (605-594-6960) or Space Imaging
(www.spaceimaging.com).
Landsat 7, to be launched by NASA in April of 1999, will mark a return
of the program to the Federal sector, with data once again available at
the cost of fulfilling orders and with no copyright restrictions.
Ray Byrnes
USGS Liaison
Land Satellite Programs
(703-648-4787)
> >> Johnnie Sutherland <[log in to unmask]> 11/30 5:05 PM >>>
--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Mon, 30 Nov 1998 14:07:25 -0600 (CST)
From: christopher winters [log in to unmask]
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: copyright and Landsat images
Does anyone have any knowledge of the copyright issues surrounding
Landsat data? Landsat data are in some senses products of a U.S.
government agency hence ought to free of any kind of copyright
restrictions, but of course these data are quite expensive and the
agency involved has a peculiar legal status.
I am particularly interested in hearing about the legality of allowing
purchased Landsat data to be copied.
Thanks in advance for any comments.
Chris Winters
University of Chicago Library
[log in to unmask]
--- End Forwarded Message ---
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