The SPOT imagery will complement the Landsat archive by substantially increasing the number of low-cloud-cover images and by filling gaps in Landsat coverage.

In addition to environmental research, satellite data are used by customers worldwide in the government, commercial and educational communities for applications in areas such as forestry, agriculture, geology, oceanography, land mapping and geographic research.

"The USGS welcomes this opportunity to work with SPOT Image Corporation to get important information about the Earth's landscape and the dynamics of change into the hands of users of satellite imagery," said USGS chief geographer Richard Witmer.

"This partnership draws upon and enhances the capabilities of both organizations and provides another gateway to these data," Witmer said. "At the same time, the partnership helps ensure these data are preserved for future use," added Witmer.

The USGS EROS Data Center (EDC) in Sioux Falls, S.D., holds one of the world's largest collections of aerial and satellite images of the Earth's land surface.

The EDC will permanently archive the SPOT scenes acquired over the United States from 1986 through 1998 as well as provide catalog query services, order fulfillment, and product generation to federal research and operational users.

Products will be distributed at the cost of reproduction, plus a royalty fee paid to SPOT Image Corporation for use of the data. Users should continue to contact SPOT Image Corporation directly to order post-1998 imagery and non-U.S. imagery or to arrange for satellite programming to acquire images in the future.

As the nation's largest water, earth and biological science and civilian mapping agency, the USGS works in cooperation with more than 2,000 organizations across the country to provide reliable, impartial scientific information to resource managers, planners and other customers.

This information is gathered in every state by USGS scientists to minimize the loss of life and property from natural disasters, to contribute to the conservation and the sound economic and physical development of the nation's natural resources, and to enhance the quality of life by monitoring water, biological, energy and mineral resources.