To the problem that random placement in distributed file system leads to the low utilization of servers, this article models according to the characteristics of remote sensing image data blocks, clusters data by setting storage centre with access frequency so that the adjacent remote sensing image data blocks in spatial position are near each other in physical storage as well. It promotes the response speed of the system, places data blocks according to data block groups, reshuffle the non-grouped data blocks at the system low load and turns off dispensable datanodes to achieve energy saving. The experiments suggest that in the inquiry of remote sensing image data, it is more efficient to place data blocks according to their own characteristics than random placement. Compared with common dynamic data placement strategies, this strategy performs better in energy saving when the system is at moderate load. 2016 IEEE.