USGS to Modernize Landsat Data Notifications by 2026
The agency will shift from RSS feeds to Amazon cloud messaging services to automate and improve satellite data updates.
Updated on Oct. 29, 2026 in Data Centers
Live Poll
Will switching to cloud-based notifications simplify how you track data updates for your projects?
The USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center is moving its Landsat data update notifications to Amazon Simple Notification Service. This shift away from legacy Really Simple Syndication feeds aims to increase the reliability and scalability of automated data distribution for cloud-based archive users.
Why it matters
Moving to cloud-native notification systems provides researchers and developers with more flexible, automated access to Landsat satellite data. This transition is essential for ensuring that users can programmatically ingest updates for high-volume climate and mapping datasets.
Users can now access Amazon Simple Notification Service topics for Landsat 8 and 9 products and Analysis Ready Data. These topics replace static legacy feeds with automated push notifications for archive updates.
The players
USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center
A federal research facility that manages and distributes massive datasets from the Landsat satellite program.
Amazon Web Services
The cloud computing subsidiary of Amazon that provides the infrastructure hosting Landsat Collection 2 data and notification services.
The details
The system utilizes Amazon Simple Notification Service, a fully managed pub/sub messaging service, to push alerts directly to subscribers. To receive updates, users must maintain an Amazon Web Services account and configure a subscription method, such as email, SMS, or programmatic endpoints, through the service console. This architectural shift from pull-based RSS feeds enables more robust event-driven workflows for managing satellite imagery.
Timeline
2020: Landsat Collection 2 data was moved to cloud storage.
December 2026: New SNS topics for calibration, bias, and response linearization files become available.
December 2026: Legacy RSS feeds for calibration and bias files will be discontinued.
The Tech Race
The transition follows the 2020 migration of the USGS Landsat archive to the cloud, standardizing data access on commercial infrastructure. This move keeps the program aligned with modern satellite data distribution trends that prioritize programmatic, cloud-native automated pipelines.
Users must now set up an Amazon Web Services account and configure specific subscription endpoints through the console to receive automated archive notifications. These changes primarily affect researchers and software developers who rely on programmatically fetching satellite updates.
The takeaway
Reliable automation is the next frontier for the USGS Landsat program as it phases out legacy web syndication for cloud-native messaging. Users should monitor the agency's upcoming deprecation schedule for response linearization tables to ensure continued service integration.
What happens next
The USGS will discontinue legacy Really Simple Syndication feeds for calibration and bias files in December 2026.
Further reading
For more on how infrastructure upgrades influence data access, see our Data Centers section.
More information
To get started with the new notification system, visit the Amazon Web Services account creation page.
Source note: This article includes information reported by USGS.
Live Poll
Will switching to cloud-based notifications simplify how you track data updates for your projects?
