At SkyTruth we routinely create maps, posters and graphics from digital satellite images. Here you will learn about some of the techniques we use to go from digital image data to end-products that help advocates and decisionmakers understand and communicate environmental issues.

This processing example will walk you through the methods we applied to an Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM) satellite image of western Wyoming that was acquired by the Landsat-7 satellite on October 26, 1999. Landsat images cover an area of roughly 180 x 180 km. For this project our goal was to demonstrate the rapid growth in energy infrastructure – well sites, roads and pipelines – that has occurred over the past few years in this area, but the techniques you'll see here are generally useful for a wide range of applications.

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