Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) Imagery:

Landsat imagery has been available for over 15 years. In the past, the cost per Landsat scene would run as much as $5,000.00 which made it difficult for most individuals or smaller companies to acquire. With the Launch of Landsat 7 in April of 1999, the cost per image has fallen to nearly $600.00 per image making it a viable data source option as a cost efficient solution.

The Landsat-7 satellite's payload includes the ETM+ sensor. The ETM+ sensor is an enhanced version of the TM sensor flown aboard the Landsat-4 and -5 satellites, but

most closely approximates the ETM sensor lost on board the Landsat-6 satellite. Sensor enhancements include the addition of the panchromatic band and two gain ranges, improved spatial resolution for the thermal band, and the addition of two solar calibrators.

Lansat 7 - True color image of a 
Volcano in Kagoshima, Japan

Landsat 7 - False color image of 
the Washington and Oregon Border

Image Statistics:

TM AND ETM+ SPECTRAL BANDWIDTHS 
Bandwidth (µ) Full Width - Half Maximum

Sensor