Land surface temperature
This free version helps in finding how hot the ground is at any spot on Earth. Click the map, pick a recent clear date and get a short report with a temperature file.
The satellite-measured temperature readings come from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) and NASA Landsat 8 and 9 satellites, which pass over every spot about every 8 days.
Importance: Land surface temperature (LST) indicates how hot it is actually on the ground, and this is different from the air temperature in a weather report. It shows areas where trees, water and soil are keeping the land cool, and where roads, roofs and bare ground are trapping the heat. It helps spot urban heat islands, tree-cover loss and drought stress early, so that we focus on greening where it is needed.
Read more on our research hub page and article.
How it works: When you click on the map, a 10 km x 10 km box is drawn automatically around that spot, and the land surface temperature (LST) is recorded for that specific box. The clearest recent satellite dates are then found for it, cloudy parts are removed, and the temperatures are summarised in your report.
What the free version gives you
The free version covers a 10 km x 10 km area and uses the clearest satellite date from the last 60 days.
You get a short report with a true-colour preview image of the satellite pass on the capture date, followed by the average, lowest, highest and median temperature, cloud cover and a spread chart. You also get a temperature file in GeoTIFF (COG) format and the preview image as a PNG.
Click the link for your report. Use the COG in GIS software, or use our free TIFF to JPEG, PNG converter with free download and preview image.
How the best dates are chosen
Quality target: clouds block the satellite's view of the ground and give false, cooler readings. Our quality target is 10% cloud cover or less over your 10 km x 10 km box. High cloud cover can make the reading less accurate.
If fewer than two dates meet the target: we show the best dates available, marked "High cloud cover", and the reading may be less accurate.
If there are no satellite passes in the last 60 days: no date is shown for that spot. Please try another spot nearby, or check again after the next satellite pass, which happens about every 8 days.