Surface, not air
The thermal signal represents land-surface temperature at the satellite overpass, not the temperature reported by a weather station.
LANDSAT · THERMAL REMOTE SENSING · BREVARD COUNTY
Land-surface temperature across sixteen years.February 2009 · February 2025
A seasonally aligned, two-date comparison of spatial temperature patterns recorded by Landsat 7 and Landsat 9.
Landsat 7Landsat 9Thermal raster analysisTemporal comparison
01 / TEMPERATURE COMPARISON
Two sensors. Comparable season. A changing landscape.
The common Celsius color scale supports visual comparison of warmer and cooler surface patterns across the county.
02 / READING THE MAP
What the comparison can—and cannot—show.
The paired scenes reveal spatial surface-temperature patterns while preserving the limits of a two-date analysis.
Seasonally aligned
Both scenes were acquired in February, reducing—but not eliminating—seasonal differences between the comparison dates.
Spatial context
Urban surfaces, vegetation, water, soil moisture, and coastal conditions can all influence the warm and cool patterns visible in each scene.
03 / ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK
A transparent remote-sensing workflow.
The comparison is organized to make the sensor inputs, cartographic choices, interpretation, and analytical limits visible to the reader.
- 01
Select comparable observations
Use Landsat 7 imagery from February 16, 2009 and Landsat 9 imagery from February 11, 2025 to keep the acquisitions close in the seasonal calendar.
- 02
Standardize the presentation
Clip both temperature rasters to the same Brevard County extent and display them with a common Celsius color scale.
- 03
Compare spatial patterns
Examine the distribution of warmer and cooler surfaces in relation to development, vegetation, inland water, and coastal geography.
- 04
Interpret with quality controls
Consider clouds, cloud shadows, surface moisture, atmospheric conditions, sensor differences, emissivity, and Landsat 7 scan-line gaps before attributing differences to landscape change.
04 / PROJECT CONTEXT
Thermal imagery adds an analytical layer to the Brevard County portfolio.
This case study complements the county elevation and land-cover maps by demonstrating direct work with multisensor Landsat temperature data and temporal comparison.
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