Ecosystem change is one of the main driving forces of ecological problems. Studies on ecosystem pattern and quality change have great significance in understanding the relationship between human activities and the ecosystem. Ordos has plenty of energy resources, but its ecological environment is fragile. Since 2000, simultaneously with extensive energy exploration, protection of the ecological environment in Ordos has also been strengthened. Therefore, it is important to study the relationship between the pattern and evolutionary quality of Ordos's ecosystem to understand the relationship between the development and protection of ecologically fragile areas. In this study, remote sensing data and GIS technology were used to evaluate the characteristics and pattern of the ecosystem in Ordos, and to analyze the characteristics of ecosystem quality, trend of spatio-temporal changes from 2000 to 2010 in the ecosystem, and factors determining the pattern and quality of the ecosystem.We obtained the following results:(1) The ecosystem in Ordos can be divided into seven types:forest, shrub, grassland, wetland, farmland, urban and deserted and bare lands. Grasslands, deserted and bare lands, and farmlands accounted for 64.46%, 21.34%, and 5.93%, respectively, of the city area in Ordos in 2010. (2) The areas of urban, shrub and forest lands increased during the study period, while those of grassland, wetland, farmland, and deserted and bare lands decreased. The increase in the area of the urban lands was the highest (33.37%). Simultaneously, the decrease in the area of the grasslands was the highest (0.78%). In the middle of Ordos city, the landscape pattern at the northeastern part changed to the greatest extent. It mainly concentrated in the central and northeastern of Ordos, which changed the most. (3) The quality of the Ordos ecosystem was low; 98.91% of its ecosystems were of low grade or poor grade. Furthermore, the overall ecosystem quality showed no significant improvement during the study period; quality improved in 15.84% of the area and declined in 15.29% of the area. (4) The main driving forces of the ecosystem structure and quality change in Ordos are urban expansion, farmland reclamation, converting farmland to forest (or to grass-or wetland), ecological protection, and mining. The correlations between the quality of the ecosystem and precipitation, converting farmland to grassland, road density, temperature, GDP1, and grazing factors were significant.