TerraColor® Overview

TerraColor was created from imagery captured by the Landsat 7 (ETM+) remote sensing satellite from 705 kilometers (438 miles) above the earth during the 1999-2001 time frame. It was produced from the GeoCover public domain Landsat mosaics developed for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise Scientific Data Purchase Program. Use of this accurate, high quality imagery as a base greatly reduced the cost of creating a global dataset, and enables us to provide TerraColor at affordable pricing.

NASA selected bands 7, 4 and 2 of the Landsat satellite (false color) for the 3-band RGB mosaics because they provide a wealth of spectral (color) information about vegetation, geology and other features not visible to the human eye. However, the "false" colors can be difficult for average people to interpret, so TerraColor was created to provide an alternative dataset that simulates the natural colors of the earth.

TerraColor therefore provides the best of both worlds by combining the outstanding information content of the Landsat sensor with a "natural" color scheme that is easy for anyone to interpret. For complete technical details on TerraColor, please read the TerraColor White Paper (PDF file).

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