Many researchers and decision-makers need up-to-date information about Earth processes to better study short-term changes to the environment and improve disaster responses. NASA’s Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for Earth observation (LANCE) makes near real-time data from Earth-observing satellites openly accessible to anyone. 

The processes monitored through LANCE include air pollution, ozone levels, floods, severe storms, droughts, and dust storms. Most LANCE data products are available approximately three hours after the satellite observation occurs. LANCE near real-time data for fires can be accessed through NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS). 

LANCE includes data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites, which collects data in 36 spectral channels, measuring important processes like vegetative health, ocean biology, and cloud behavior. LANCE also includes data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument, a successor to MODIS which currently flies aboard three NASA and NOAA satellites. Other satellite instruments that deliver near real-time data to LANCE include the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), and the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). 

Data from LANCE and other NASA Earth science projects can be accessed through the newly redesigned Earthdata website.