AV Summary

AmericaView (AV) is a nationwide partnership of remote sensing scientists who support applied remote sensing research, K-12 and higher STEM education, workforce development, and technology transfer. For a more thorough description of our program, see the October 2011 Feature Article in Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, a publication of the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.

Remote sensing, the process of detecting or monitoring the properties of an object without physical contact, is a ubiquitous part of 21st Century society and is used in a wide range of applications from business to the natural sciences.  Funded by a grant from the U.S. Geological Survey, the AmericaView consortium is comprised of university-led, state-based consortia working together to sustain a network of state and local remote sensing scientists, educators, analysts, and technicians. Our networks, facilities, and capabilities are highly leveraged and used for sharing and applying public domain remotely sensed data in a wide range of civilian applications, from formal and informal education, to ecosystem analysis and natural resources management, to disaster response. Our primary goal is to support the many beneficial uses of remote sensing in service to society.

Brief History

AmericaView is the outgrowth of a 1998 research and education pilot project, OhioView, initiated by the USGS and several Ohio universities to overcome Landsat data-access challenges. OhioView's objective was to create a prototype system for rapid delivery of Landsat data of Ohio, and to support the use of the data and derived products in a range of civilian, non-profit research and educational applications.

The OhioView partners, working closely with the USGS EROS Data Center, established an infrastructure to support routine acquisition, processing, and delivery of Landsat and other remotely sensed data to Ohio.  In 2000, impressed with the success of OhioView in leveraging the federal investment in moderate resolution data, Congress instructed the USGS to implement the vision nationwide, and AmericaView was born. Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2003, 39 'StateViews' currently participate in the AmericaView network.