NO-COST LANDSAT DATA REDEFINES STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS IN APPLIED REMOTE SENSING CLASSES AT UW

Abstract. Students enrolled in an applied remote sensing class at University of Wyoming are required to complete a term research project. They have to apply the concepts learned throughout the semester to address a real-world problem in a natural resource management topic that uses remotely sensed imagery data. Prior to the availability of no-cost Landsat data, students in this class had to restrict the scope of their projects to images available in the smaller archives maintained by academic and research institutions. Since the US Geological Survey (USGS) made the entire Landsat archive available at no-cost, opportunities have increased for students to use those data in class projects. Now, students can download as many Landsat images as is needed to address the scope of their project. Using examples from previous years, this paper describes how no-cost Landsat imagery has allowed students enrolled in an applied remote sensing class to add depth and breadth to their projects.