How do I search for and download Landsat scenes?

A USGS Registered username is required to download data products and place orders from EarthExplorer. Click Log In or Register in the top menu.

The Search Criteria tab allows you to enter an address or place name, coordinates, a date range and the number or results to be returned.

The Data Sets tab lists the categories of data that are held in the USGS archives and available via EE.  The Landsat Archive category expands to list the Pre-Collection Landsat data sets and also the Collection 1 Landsat data sets.  An information button near each data set opens a new page to provide details about the data contained. Please visit the Landsat Collections Web page for more details about Pre-Collection and Collection 1.

The Additional Criteria tab allows you to provide specific search criteria – scene id numbers, path/row, cloud cover threshold and more.  If more than one data set is selected, you will specify additional criteria for each.

The Results tab provides lists of scenes that meet the entered search criteria.  When results are returned, many scenes will display the green download arrow, which will display the downloadable products.  Some may display a shopping cart icon - this means that the Level-1 Product needs to be processed.   As you select scenes to process, they are placed in the Item Basket (top right menu of the page).  Click on Item Basket when you are ready to submit the processing request. 

Please refer to the EE Help in the top menu for more information.

To successfully use GloVis, ensure all pop-ups are enabled, and the latest Java is installed on your system.

When you access the site, enter a path and row or move the map to your area of interest. You can click through scenes covering your area of interest, set cloud cover, and add scenes to your list using the tools on the left side of the page.  You can use the menu items to customize your search:

Collection - The Landsat Archive section expands to list the Landsat data sets containing scenes that can be processed to Level-1 Data Product.
Resolution - Adjusts the viewing range from 9 scenes to the one highlighted and centered.
Map Layers – select these to help determine your exact area of interest, place names, roads, railroads, rivers, etc.
Tools - You can search for a specific scene, or set Search Limits.
File - You can save scene lists from GloVis, or load already created scene lists.

Add the desired scenes to the Scene List and click Send to Cart.  You will be prompted to sign in using your USGS registered username and password.  If you do not have a login click Register in the top right menu of the page.

The Pending Scenes page will appear.  For each scene, the right column will list the products that need to be ordered and those that are already downloadable. Select an action for each line, and then click Apply, then Go to Item Basket. You will then select the data products and submit the order.

 If you selected Order for any scenes, a processing request will be placed, with the order confirmation webpage and email providing details of your order.  If you selected Bulk Download, an order will be placed as well, with confirmation webpage and email providing details of how to download the data products.

Please refer to the GloVis Help in the menu for more information.

The LandsatLook Viewer is a new tool to allow searching and downloading of full-resolution LandsatLook Images easily, along with access to Level-1 Data Products.   This page provides details on LandsatLook Images. This page describes Landsat Level-1 data processing.

You can find your area of interest by the text-based search tool in the upper right or by panning and zooming around the globe. The Select Scene button will activate when you zoom in to a 1:1M resolution or closer. The default scene search uses Landsat 8 OLI and Landsat 7 ETM+ imagery from 1999 to present at 20% cloud cover. Using the tools in the Advanced Query section, you can modify the default parameters: years of coverage, cloud cover ranges, and sensor selection. The viewer will return all applicable scenes according to the criteria. You can view all scenes by clicking the Metadata button in the menu (for one scene at a time) or the Table button for a list.   The Table allows you to select scenes and Add to Cart, which can then be accessed by changing the Showing selector.

When the Table is Showing: Cart,  the scene(s) can be selected, and the LandsatLook Images easily downloaded, or click the Get Landsat Data tab to download or follow the process to order the Level-1 data product.