The USGS Astrocloud provides various web-based services to facilitate research through image location services (PILOT), live basemaps (Astro Webs Maps), image processing and map projection pipelines (POW), and a forthcoming update for the popular Map-a-Planet. We maintain these services under the scientific oversight and support of the NASA Planetary Geophysical and Geologic (PG&G) Cartography panel and NASA Planetary Data System (PDS).
- PILOT – The Planetary Image LOcator Tool is a web based search tool for the Unified Planetary Coordinate (UPC) database of the Planetary Data System. PILOT features SPICE-corrected image locations and searching capabilities using a navigable map, user selectable image constraints (e.g., incidence angle, solar longitude, pixel resolution and phase angle), and facilitates bulk downloads and/or image processing using POW.
- POW (in beta) – The Map Projection on the Web service was created to help researchers convert raw Planetary Data System images to a science-ready map projected images. The system integrates PILOT and the UPC, ISIS3, GDAL, and the Astrogeology processing cluster for its’ processing needs. See LPSC presentation for introduction and walk through.
- Astro Web Maps – Our Web Mapping Services (WMS) and Web Feature Services (WFS) are based on Open Geospatial Consortium standards and allow capable mapping clients to view full-resolution planetary mosaicked Basemaps. Besides being available for community use, these services are critical for many of our others sites including Planetary Nomenclature, Planetary Geologic Mapping web site, Meteor Crater Sample Collection, and PILOT. For ArcMap GIS users, please see these layers listed on the Esri data portal under the Planetary GIS group.
- Map-a-Planet 2 – This year we will release a major update for the original popular Map-a-Planet. Both services allow existing map-projected (derived) image products to be re-projected, stretched, clipped, and converted into a variety of useful formats. The new version will allow us to quickly add new mosaics and potentially many other derived science products for conversion and download. Please visit the current version of Map-a-Planet for your basemap creation needs.
