Global geoscience maps from ASTER data

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is a 15-channel imaging instrument operating on NASA's Terra satellite. A joint project between the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, ASTER has been acquiring data for 15 years, since March 2000. The archive now contains over 3 million scenes. Researchers at Australia's CSIRO analyzed and mosaicked all of the data for the continent to produce 17 ASTER Geoscience Maps at 90 m resolution. These unique products are being used for mineral exploration, climatological studies, and environmental impacts. In 2017, similar geoscience maps will be created for the entire land surface of the Earth. They will be publicly available at no cost.