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Poster for Zoom in on Los Angeles, California : Image of the Day (2001)

Zoom in on Los Angeles, California : Image of the Day (2001)

2001 · Short film

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Synopsis

Satellite remote sensors view the Earth at many scales of space, ranging from global through continental, regional, and local--even observing details as small as one meter (three feet) across. These data enable scientists to study a wide range of phenomena that occur over these same scales of space, such as El Nino, droughts, storms, and flash floods. The above image shows the Hollywood sign above Los Angeles, California. It is the final frame in an eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/1000/1387/ikonos_zoom_hollywood.mpeg animation that demonstrates the wide range of spatial resolutions viewed by current state-of-the-art sensors. Farthest away in the animation, we see the Earth as a globe, which comes from data collected by the modarch.gsfc.nasa.gov/'' target=''outlink Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), an instrument on NASA's terra.nasa.gov/'' target=''outlink Terra satellite. This first picture has a resolution of up to 8000 meters per pixel. As our virtual camera begins its long descent to ground, we pass through another layer of MODIS information. Data in the second layer resolves details as small as 250 meters across. Next we find our apparent speed increasing as the surface of the Earth envelops our sense of horizon. The data supporting this perspective comes from the land imaging workhorse of NASA's fleet: landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/'' target=''outlink Landsat 7. These images resolve features as small as 15 meters across. Finally, as we rush in to…

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