The Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center is a remotely sensed data management, systems development, and research field center for the US Geological Survey’s (USGS) Geography Discipline. The USGS is a bureau of the US Department of the Interior. EROS opened in the early 1970’s with a handful of employees and the largest mainframe computer in the State of South Dakota. It currently houses one of the largest computer complexes in the Department of the Interior.

Scientists, managers, and technical users from around the world, including the staff at EROS, use data from the archives for a variety of data applications and research programs.

The EROS mission is to contribute to the understanding of a changing Earth through research to operations activities that include developing, implementing, and operating remote sensing based terrestrial monitoring capabilities needed to address science and applications objectives at all levels – within the USGS, across the federal government, and around the world.

The EROS multidisciplinary staff uses their unique expertise in remote sensing-based science and technologies to carry out basic and applied research, data acquisition, systems engineering, information access and management, and archive preservation to address the nation’s most critical needs.

Available data includes:

• Aerial photography
• Digitized maps
• Elevation products
• Fire science
• Land cover
• Satellite imagery

Access the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.