Groups to Discuss Landsat 8 at EROS Center

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Nearly 120 scientists and engineers from around the world are meeting at the EROS Center this week to discuss operational and technical issues regarding the new Landsat 8 satellite.

The federal repository north of Sioux Falls collects, archives and makes available for download more than 400 data-filled images of the Earth each day.

The Landsat Ground Station Operators Working Group and the Landsat Technical Working Group will concentrate on establishing reception, processing and distribution capabilities for Landsat 8, which was launched into orbit 438 miles above the planet's surface in February.

The new Landsat has several advantages over its still-functioning predecessor Landsat 7, which captures 250 images a day. Landsat 8 boasts a new spectral band to see deeper into oceans, lakes and rivers and another to detect cirrus clouds.

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