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Global Remote Sensing
Second Year MODIS Plans
Project Leader: Dr. John Qu
Dr. Menas Kafatos, Mr. James McManus
Background
As a key research instrument of the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) missions, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) was successfully launched from California, on December 18, 1999 onboard the Terra (EOS AM-1) satellite. The second MODIS was launched aboard the Aqua (EOS PM-1) satellite on May 4, 2002. Because the MODIS instrument senses the earth’s entire surface in 36 spectral bands, spanning the visible (0.415 µm) to infrared (14.235µm) spectrum at nadir, with spatial resolutions of 1 km, 500 m and 250 m, respectively, the MODIS remote sensing applications are of interest not only to land, ocean, and atmospheric discipline researchers, but also to application, interdisciplinary and environmental scientists for VAccess-MAGIC potential user communities. With the Aqua launched and Terra MODIS validated version product releases in 2002, more users will become interested in MODIS products.
GMU and NASA Goddard Earth Science (GES) Data and Information Service Center (DISC) have been jointly working on new applications of Earth science remote sensing data through the Remote Sensing Information Partner (RSIP) program. The purpose of the RSIP Program at the GES DISC is to provide participating institutions inexpensive access to the globally covered GES data holdings, and the ability to routinely acquire any/all of these data for local use or for future distribution. The GES DISC derives benefits from this arrangement by assuring that NASA Earth science remote sensing data are being more widely distributed thus affording better usage for NASA efforts. VAccess – MAGIC will maintain the RSIP pipeline to redistribute value-added MODIS data.
We focus MODIS applications on hazards, specifically forest fire/smoke detection and drought monitoring. We keep identifying MODIS potential users and products and also study the applications for Aqua, and new MODIS products, such as land surface evaporation product (MOD16). In addition, we provide customized MODIS 250m Surface Reflectance and Vegetation Indices for the VAccess land and environmental scientists, in conjunction with local users, who define the requirements.
Technical Approach
We will process tailored, customized (reformatted, subsetted, data format converted, re-projected and GIS compatible) MODIS data sets that are very important for VAccess local end users via “anonymous ftp” or Web-GIS methods. The objective of this work is to provide customized near real time and non-real time customized MODIS data sets for VAccess users and use the data sets for education purposes. We also want to study the MODIS potential applications on drought and water resource assessments.
Milestones
November, 2002 Process sample customized MODIS products for VAccess
In operational mode and post sample datasets (images) on VAccess WebPage for the end user evaluation.
December, 2002 Compare Terra and Aqua MODIS products and study
drought and water resource detection using MODIS measurements.
May, 2003 Finalize MODIS products and users for VAccess programsJuly, 2003 MODIS VAccess end users group meeting to help local users
to use the MODIS products effectively and to collect the
feedback for VAccess users community.September, 2003 Final annual reports
The next two figures (Figures 1 and 2) display prototype MODIS EVI and NDVI products, respectively, with Pennsylvania state jurisdictions layered atop via a GIS system. Comparable products for Virginia are in development.
Figure 1 - EVI Pennsylvania
Figure 2: NDVI Pennsylvania
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