How to Use Free Satellite Data to Create Environmental Timelapses

The Conversation has posted a new article discussing how anyone, from local planners to citizens considering buying a home, can utilize free satellite data to track and visualize environmental changes. The author first discusses good resources analysts can utilize for satellite data, including Landsat, Sentinel, and GOES. Two terms are important to understand: spatial resolution, which refers to the size of each pixel, and temporal resolution, which is how often the same location is captured by the satellite. The article then moves to discuss how to use this data to create time-lapse animations for specific locations, suggesting the use of free visualization apps such as Snazzy-EE-TS-GIF or Planetary Computer Explorer. These animations can empower citizens to better understand the safety of their communities, local planners to create better plans for future developments, and incident managers to have a more comprehensive understanding of natural disasters, during and after incidents.  Read more at The Conversation.