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Where are you: Home
The December 1999 launch of Terra, the first of the Earth Observing System (EOS) series of satellites, commenced a period in NASA's history during which unprecedented amounts of data will be available. The overall goal has been to study our global environment and obtain sustained and continuous observations of the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land surfaces, ice coverage, and land uses. Twenty-four distinct measurement areas are having significant data collected, processed, analyzed and used to improve our understanding of the Earth. We have initiated a period of greatly enhanced observational capability for understanding the planet and how it is changing, both naturally and as the result of human interaction. The successful launch of the second satellite, Aqua on May 4, 2002, has resulted in even more valuable information.
The volume of data which will be produced is without precedent. Over one terabyte (1012 bytes) of data will be produced by the EOS project each day.
The number of users of this data now exceeds 10,000 and includes representation from all user domains.
NASA has built the EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS) to handle this immense influx of information, and is using the Hierarchical Data Format for EOS (HDF-EOS), developed as an extension to NCSA's HDF. This website is designed and maintained to facilitate and broaden the use and utility of HDF-EOS.
NASA invites your participation in the ongoing development and implementation of HDF-EOS as the primary data standard for NASA's Earth Science data. Please direct any questions or comments to:
ESDIS Information Architect: Richard Ullman
