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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2012

Discrimination of Biomass Burning Smoke and Clouds in MAIAC Algorithm

The multi-angle implementation of atmospheric correction (MAIAC) algorithm makes aerosol retrievals from MODIS data at 1 km resolution providing information about the fine scale aerosol variability. This information is required in different applications such as urban air quality analysis, aerosol source identification etc. The quality of high resolution aerosol data is directly linked to the quality of cloud mask, in particular detection of small (sub-pixel) and low clouds. This work continues research in this direction, describing a technique to detect small clouds and introducing the smoke test to discriminate the biomass burning smoke from the clouds. The smoke test relies on a relative increase of aerosol absorption at MODIS wavelength 0.412 micrometers as compared to 0.47-0.67 micrometers due to multiple scattering and enhanced absorption by organic carbon released during combustion. This general principle has been successfully used in the OMI detection of absorbing aerosols based on UV measurements. This paper provides the algorithm detail and illustrates its performance on two examples of wildfires in US Pacific North-West and in Georgia/Florida of 2007.

Lyapustin, A.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Hadamard transform imager and imaging spectrometer

An imager and a spectrometric imager, which achieve multiplexing by the use of binary optical encoding masks, have been built and tested. The masks are based on orthogonal, pseudorandom digital codes derived from Hadamard matrices. The spatial (and/or spectral) data are therefore obtained in the form of a Hadamard transform of the spatial (and/or spectral) scene. Computer algorithms are used to decode the data and reconstruct images of the original scene. The hardware, algorithms processing and display facility are described. A number of spatial and spatial/spectral images, obtained in the laboratory, are presented.

Swift, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS2019

First Steps in the Creation of a Joint MISR/MODIS Ocean Color Atmospheric Correction Algorithm

We are creating a new algorithm that combines observations from MISR and MODIS (both on the NASA Terra spacecraft) to improve atmospheric correction and coverage for ocean color data products. The algorithm utilizes information rich, multi-angle MISR observations for atmospheric correction, applied to MODIS. Our goal is to produce atmospherically corrected Remote Sensing Reflectance from MODIS with enhanced coverage and accuracy, for input to downstream bio-optical ocean parameter retrieval algorithms.An important aspect of this work is the utilization of multi-angle views of the reflected ocean surface sun glint. Usually, such observations are avoided, since the intensity of the glint overwhelms any contribution from the ocean body. However, MISR's multi-angle observations see varying degrees of glint, which means they can be used to better determine aerosol optical properties (Kaufman et al., 2002, Ottaviani et al., 2013), and to identify surface wind speeds that govern the glint pattern. The latter could be utilized to replace the wind speeds taken from ancillary sources that are currently used to conservatively mask potential glint contamination in MODIS observations.To assess this capability, and to identify the appropriate parameterization, we present an analysis using the Generalized Nonlinear Retrieval Analysis (GENRA, Vukicevic et al., 2009) information content assessment. This technique is also easily modified to act as a Bayesian retrieval algorithm, for which initial results are discussed. Finally, we describe the status of integrating MISR data into the processing capabilities of the Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG) at NASA, and show the first ocean color vicarious calibration (Franz et al., 2007) of the MISR instrument.

Knobelspiesse, Kirk↗
NASA NTRS2004

MODIS Direct Broadcast and Remote Sensing Applications

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) was developed by NASA and launched onboard both Terra spacecraft on December 18, 1999 and Aqua spacecraft on May 4, 2002. MODIS scans a swath width sufficient to provide nearly complete global coverage every two days from a polar-orbiting, sun-synchronous, platform at an altitude of 705 km, and provides images in 36 spectral bands between 0.415 and 14.235 microns with spatial resolutions of 250 m (2 bands), 500 m (5 bands) and 1000 m (29 bands). Equipped with direct broadcast capability, the MODIS measurements can be received worldwide real time. There are 82 ingest sites (over 900 users, listed on the Direct Readout Portal) around the world for Terra/Aqua-MODIS Direct Broadcast DB) downlink. This represents 27 (6 from EOS science team members) science research organizations for DB land, ocean and atmospheric processing, and 53 companies that base their application algorithms and value added products on DB data. In this paper we will describe the various methods being used for the remote sensing of cloud properties using MODIS data, focusing primarily on the MODIS cloud mask used to distinguish clouds, clear sky, heavy aerosol, and shadows on the ground, and on the remote sensing of aerosol/cloud optical properties, especially optical thickness and effective particle size. Additional properties of clouds derived from multispectral thermal infrared measurements, especially cloud top pressure and emissivity, will also be described. Preliminary results will be presented and discussed their implications in regional-to-global climatic effects.

Tsay, Si-Chee↗
NASA NTRS2011

NASA Tech Briefs, December 2011

Topics covered include: 1) SNE Industrial Fieldbus Interface; 2) Composite Thermal Switch; 3) XMOS XC-2 Development Board for Mechanical Control and Data Collection; 4) Receiver Gain Modulation Circuit; 5) NEXUS Scalable and Distributed Next-Generation Avionics Bus for Space Missions; 6) Digital Interface Board to Control Phase and Amplitude of Four Channels; 7) CoNNeCT Baseband Processor Module; 8) Cryogenic 160-GHz MMIC Heterodyne Receiver Module; 9) Ka-Band, Multi-Gigabit-Per-Second Transceiver; 10) All-Solid-State 2.45-to-2.78-THz Source; 11) Onboard Interferometric SAR Processor for the Ka-Band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn); 12) Space Environments Testbed; 13) High-Performance 3D Articulated Robot Display; 14) Athena; 15) In Situ Surface Characterization; 16) Ndarts; 17) Cryo-Etched Black Silicon for Use as Optical Black; 18) Advanced CO2 Removal and Reduction System; 19) Correcting Thermal Deformations in an Active Composite Reflector; 20) Umbilical Deployment Device; 21) Space Mirror Alignment System; 22) Thermionic Power Cell To Harness Heat Energies for Geothermal Applications; 23) Graph Theory Roots of Spatial Operators for Kinematics and Dynamics; 24) Spacesuit Soft Upper Torso Sizing Systems; 25) Radiation Protection Using Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Derivatives; 26) PMA-PhyloChip DNA Microarray to Elucidate Viable Microbial Community Structure; 27) Lidar Luminance Quantizer; 28) Distributed Capacitive Sensor for Sample Mass Measurement; 29) Base Flow Model Validation; 30) Minimum Landing Error Powered-Descent Guidance for Planetary Missions; 31) Framework for Integrating Science Data Processing Algorithms Into Process Control Systems; 32) Time Synchronization and Distribution Mechanisms for Space Networks; 33) Local Estimators for Spacecraft Formation Flying; 34) Software-Defined Radio for Space-to-Space Communications; 35) Reflective Occultation Mask for Evaluation of Occulter Designs for Planet Finding; and 36) Molecular Adsorber Coating

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1981

Optical implementation of systolic array processing

Algorithms for matrix vector multiplication are implemented using acousto-optic cells for multiplication and input data transfer and using charge coupled devices detector arrays for accumulation and output of the results. No two dimensional matrix mask is required; matrix changes are implemented electronically. A system for multiplying a 50 component nonnegative real vector by a 50 by 50 nonnegative real matrix is described. Modifications for bipolar real and complex valued processing are possible, as are extensions to matrix-matrix multiplication and multiplication of a vector by multiple matrices.

Caulfield, H. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Software fault-tolerance by design diversity DEDIX: A tool for experiments

The use of multiple versions of a computer program, independently designed from a common specification, to reduce the effects of an error is discussed. If these versions are designed by independent programming teams, it is expected that a fault in one version will not have the same behavior as any fault in the other versions. Since the errors in the output of the versions are different and uncorrelated, it is possible to run the versions concurrently, cross-check their results at prespecified points, and mask errors. A DEsign DIversity eXperiments (DEDIX) testbed was implemented to study the influence of common mode errors which can result in a failure of the entire system. The layered design of DEDIX and its decision algorithm are described.

Avizienis, A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

SeaWiFS Technical Report Series: SeaWiFS Calibration and Validation Quality Control Procedures - Volume 38

This document provides five brief reports that address several quality control procedures under the auspices of the Calibration and Validation Element (CVE) within the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) Project. Chapter 1 describes analyses of the 32 sensor engineering telemetry streams. Anomalies in any of the values may impact sensor performance in direct or indirect ways. The analyses are primarily examinations of parameter time series combined with statistical methods such as auto- and cross-correlation functions. Chapter 2 describes how the various onboard (solar and lunar) and vicarious (in situ) calibration data will be analyzed to quantify sensor degradation, if present. The analyses also include methods for detecting the influence of charged particles on sensor performance such as might be expected in the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA). Chapter 3 discusses the quality control of the ancillary environmental data that are routinely received from other agencies or projects which are used in the atmospheric correction algorithm (total ozone, surface wind velocity, and surface pressure; surface relative humidity is also obtained, but is not used in the initial operational algorithm). Chapter 4 explains the procedures for screening level-, level-2, and level-3 products. These quality control operations incorporate both automated and interactive procedures which check for file format errors (all levels), navigation offsets (level-1), mask and flag performance (level-2), and product anomalies (all levels). Finally, Chapter 5 discusses the match-up data set development for comparing SeaWiFS level-2 derived products with in situ observations, as well as the subsequent outlier analyses that will be used for evaluating error sources.

Hooker, Stanford B.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Seasonal Characteristics of the Perennial Ice Cover of the Beaufort Sea

By definition, ice which survives the summer is classified as multiyear ice. Thus the area covered by multiyear ice during the winter should be nearly equivalent to the ice area during the previous summer's minima. This condition provides a reasonable criterion for the evaluation of ice concentration and ice type retrieval algorithms using remote-sensing data sets. From special sensor microwave imager (SSM/I) data the NASA Team algorithm estimates the multiyear, first-year, and total ice concentrations during the winter using combinations of the polarization and spectral gradient ratios. The Team algorithm provides only estimates of ice concentration in the summer. From ERS 1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data the remarkably stable contrast between multiyear ice and first-year ice in winter provides consistent estimates of multiyear ice concentrations. In the summer, multiyear ice concentration cannot be estimated from SAR or SSM/I data because free water on the surface effectively masks the backscatter and emissivity signature of this ice type. From SAR data a technique which takes advantage of the high backscatter of wind-roughened open water as a discrimination feature is used to estimate the total ice concentration in the summer. With a year-long (January 1992 to January 1993) data set from the Beaufort Sea we found that the multiyear ice concentration estimates from the SAR data are stable and are nearly equivalent to the ice concentration estimated at the end of the previous summer. We contrast this with the variability of the multiyear ice concentration and ice friction estimates obtained using SSM/I data. The Team algorithm produces ice concentration and multiyear ice estimates which are consistently lower than those from the SAR data. We discuss reasons for these discrepancies and the implications of the higher than previously noted multiyear ice concentrations.

Kwok, R.↗
NASA NTRS2013

A Full Snow Season in Yellowstone: A Database of Restored Aqua Band 6

The algorithms for estimating snow extent for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) optimally use the 1.6- m channel which is unavailable for MODIS on Aqua due to detector damage. As a test bed to demonstrate that Aqua band 6 can be restored, we chose the area surrounding Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. In such rugged and difficult-to-access terrain, satellite images are particularly important for providing an estimation of snow-cover extent. For the full 2010-2011 snow season covering the Yellowstone region, we have used quantitative image restoration to create a database of restored Aqua band 6. The database includes restored radiances, normalized vegetation index, normalized snow index, thermal data, and band-6-based snow-map products. The restored Aqua-band-6 data have also been regridded and combined with Terra data to produce a snow-cover map that utilizes both Terra and Aqua snow maps. Using this database, we show that the restored Aqua-band-6-based snow-cover extent has a comparable performance with respect to ground stations to the one based on Terra. The result of a restored band 6 from Aqua is that we have an additional band-6 image of the Yellowstone region each day. This image can be used to mitigate cloud occlusion, using the same algorithms used for band 6 on Terra. We show an application of this database of restored band-6 images to illustrate the value of creating a cloud gap filling using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration s operational cloud masks and data from both Aqua and Terra.

Gladkova, Irina↗
NASA NTRS2019

Improving Satellite Global Chlorophyll a [alpha] Data Products Through Algorithm Refinement and Data Recovery

A recently developed algorithm to estimate surface ocean chlorophyll a concentrations (Chl in milligrams per cubic meter), namely, the ocean color index (OCI) algorithm, has been adopted by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration to apply to all satellite ocean color sensors to produce global Chl maps. The algorithm is a hybrid between a band‐difference color index algorithm for low‐Chl waters and the traditional band‐ratio algorithms (OCx) for higher‐Chl waters. In this study, the OCI algorithm is revisited for its algorithm coefficients and for its algorithm transition between color index and OCx using a merged data set of high‐performance liquid chromatography and fluorometric Chl. Results suggest that the new OCI algorithm (OCI2) leads to lower Chl estimates than the original OCI (OCI1) for Chl less than 0.05 milligrams per cubic meter, but smoother algorithm transition for Chl between 0.25 and 0.40 milligrams per cubic meter. Evaluation using in situ data suggests that similar to OCI1, OCI2 has significantly improved image quality and cross‐sensor consistency between SeaWiFS (Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor), MODISA (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on Aqua), and VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) over the OCx algorithms for oligotrophic oceans. Mean cross‐sensor difference in monthly Chl data products over global oligotrophic oceans reduced from approximately 10 percent for OCx to 1-2 percent for OCI2. More importantly, data statistics suggest that the current straylight masking scheme used to generate global Chl maps can be relaxed from 7 by 5 to 3 by 3 pixels without losing data quality in either Chl or spectral remote sensing reflectance (R (sub rs) by lambda (sensor wavelength), per steradian (sr (sup −1)) for not just oligotrophic oceans but also more productive waters. Such a relaxed masking scheme yields an average relative increase of 39 percent in data quantity for global oceans, thus making it possible to reduce data product uncertainties and fill data gaps.

Hu, Chuanmin↗
NASA NTRS2019

VIIRS Deep Blue Aerosol Products Over Land: Extending the EOS Long‐Term Aerosol Data Records

A primary goal of the Deep Blue (DB) project is to create consistent long‐term aerosol data records, suitable for climate studies, using multiple satellite instruments. In order to continue Earth Observing System (EOS)‐era aerosol products into the Joint Polar Satellite System era, we have successfully ported the DB algorithm to process data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). Although the basic structure of the VIIRS algorithm is similar to that for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), many enhancements have been made compared to the MODIS collection 6 (C6) version. Most have also been implemented in the latest MODIS Collection 6.1 (C6.1). For example, a new smoke mask was developed based on the spectral curvature of measured reflectance to distinguish biomass burning smoke from weakly absorbing urban/industrial aerosols. Consequently, a new aerosol‐type flag was added into the VIIRS DB data set. In addition, new dust models have been developed to account for the nonsphericity of mineral dust. As a result, a discontinuity in the retrieved aerosol optical depth (AOD) of Saharan dust plumes seen in MODIS C6 products near the boundary between North Africa and the Atlantic has been much reduced. We have also evaluated the VIIRS and MODIS Terra/Aqua C6.1 AOD against Aerosol Robotic Network data. VIIRS and MODIS retrievals show similar performance; around 80% of matchups agree with Aerosol Robotic Network within the expected error of ±(0.05 + 20)%, indicating that DB can provide consistent AOD through the historical EOS and present Joint Polar Satellite System eras.

aerosols↗
NASA NTRS2021

Maya Forest Water Resources I: Using NASA Earth Observations to Map Forested Inundation in the Maya Forest

As climate change increases the severity and frequency of extreme weather events in the tropics, it is vital for the safety of local communities and the health of ecosystems to monitor seasonal inundation. Forested inundation affects the ability of forested wetlands to provide ecosystem services, such as flood mitigation, water filtration, carbon storage, and erosion mitigation. While ground-based monitoring has traditionally been used to map inundation extent, those methods are costly and time-intensive. The NASA DEVELOP team focused on seasonal inundation throughout 2008 in the Maya Forest, when changes in inundation were drastic. To monitor seasonal inundation, our team used in situ field data and Earth observations from Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+), Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) 1, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), and products from the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat). The team applied a Random Forest algorithm to Landsat 7 imagery, generating an object-level land cover classification with an overall accuracy of 72.1% and forest class with 100% recall and 78% precision. The team applied L-band backscatter thresholds from existing literature to forest-masked ALOS imagery and refined the thresholds in an iterative process using field data and hydrology models to delineate seasonal inundation extent. These publicly available data products help end users from Belize’s Land Information Center (LIC) and Forest Department, Guatemala’s Center for Monitoring and Evaluation (CEMEC), and Mexico’s El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) to inform land management and protect community infrastructure.

Madelyn Savan↗
NASA NTRS2021

First retrieval of AOD at fine-resolution over shallow and turbid coastal waters from MODIS

The widely used Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Dark-Target (DT) aerosol product fails to accurately retrieve Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) over shallow and turbid Coastal Waters (CWs). To fill in gaps, and to improve land to ocean AOD continuity, we developed a coastal water retrieval algorithm at a spatial resolution of 1 km (CW-1km). CW-1km relies on observed top-of-atmosphere reflectance at 2.1 μm (ρ2.1), both to derive AOD and to perform a spatial variation test that enhances the existing DT masks for clouds and land. We show that the CW-1km improves spatial continuity of AOD between land, coast, and open ocean, while also increasing AOD product availability by 47.0%. Comparing with 15 years of marine aerosol network measurements, CW-1km AODs are validated to have a normalized mean bias of 1.0%, which is much smaller than 17.6% for the original DT product.

MODIS AOD↗
NASA NTRS2014

MODIS Collection 6 Clear Sky Restoral (CSR): Filtering Cloud Mast 'Not Clear' Pixels

Correctly identifying cloudy pixels appropriate for the MOD06 cloud optical and microphysical property retrievals is accomplished in large part using results from the MOD35 1km cloud mask tests (note there are also two 250m subpixel cloud mask tests that can convert the 1km cloudy designations to clear sky). However, because MOD35 is by design clear sky conservative (i.e., it identifies "not clear" pixels), certain situations exist in which pixels identified by MOD35 as "cloudy" are nevertheless likely to be poor retrieval candidates. For instance, near the edge of clouds or within broken cloud fields, a given 1km MODIS field of view (FOV) may in fact only be partially cloudy. This can be problematic for the MOD06 retrievals because in these cases the assumptions of a completely overcast homogenous cloudy FOV and 1-dimensional plane-parallel radiative transfer no longer hold, and subsequent retrievals will be of low confidence. Furthermore, some pixels may be identified by MOD35 as "cloudy" for reasons other than the presence of clouds, such as scenes with thick smoke or lofted dust, and should therefore not be retrieved as clouds. With such situations in mind, a Clear Sky Restoral (CSR) algorithm was introduced in C5 that attempts to identify pixels expected to be poor retrieval candidates. Table 1 provides SDS locations for CSR and partly cloudy (PCL) pixels.

cloud mask↗
NASA NTRS1982

Updating Landsat-derived land-cover maps using change detection and masking techniques

The California Integrated Remote Sensing System's San Bernardino County Project was devised to study the utilization of a data base at a number of jurisdictional levels. The present paper discusses the implementation of change-detection and masking techniques in the updating of Landsat-derived land-cover maps. A baseline landcover classification was first created from a 1976 image, then the adjusted 1976 image was compared with a 1979 scene by the techniques of (1) multidate image classification, (2) difference image-distribution tails thresholding, (3) difference image classification, and (4) multi-dimensional chi-square analysis of a difference image. The union of the results of methods 1, 3 and 4 was used to create a mask of possible change areas between 1976 and 1979, which served to limit analysis of the update image and reduce comparison errors in unchanged areas. The techniques of spatial smoothing of change-detection products, and of combining results of difference change-detection algorithms are also shown to improve Landsat change-detection accuracies.

Likens, W.↗
NASA NTRS1986

An exact solution for orbit view-periods from a station on a tri-axial ellipsoidal planet

This paper presents the concise exact solution for predicting view-periods to be observed from a masked or unmasked tracking station on a tri-axial ellipsoidal surface. The new exact approach expresses the azimuth and elevation angles of a spacecraft in terms of the station-centered geodetic topocentric coordinates in an elegantly concise manner. A simple and efficient algorithm is developed to avoid costly repetitive computations in searching for neighborhoods near the rise and set times of each satellite orbit for each station. Only one search for each orbit is necessary for each station. Sample results indicate that the use of an assumed spherical earth instead of an 'actual' tri-axial ellipsoidal earth could introduce an error up to a few minutes in a view-period prediction for circular orbits of low or medium altitude. For an elliptical orbit of high eccentricity and long period, the maximum error could be even larger. The analytic treatment and the efficient algorithm are designed for geocentric orbits, but they should be applicable to interplanetary trajectories by an appropriate coordinates transformation at each view-period calculation. This analysis can be accomplished only by not using the classical orbital elements.

Tang, C. C. H.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Effect of Palagonite Dust Deposition on the Automated Detection of Carbonate Vis/NIR Spectra

Currently Mars missions can collect more data than can be returned. Future rovers of increased mission lifetime will benefit from onboard autonomous data processing systems to guide the selection, measurement and return of scientifically important data. One approach is to train a neural net to recognize spectral reflectance characteristics of minerals of interest. We have developed a carbonate detector using a neural net algorithm trained on 10,000 synthetic Vis/NIR (350-2500 nm) spectra. The detector was able to correctly identify carbonates in the spectra of 30 carbonate and noncarbonate field samples with 100% success. However, Martian dust coatings strongly affect the spectral characteristics of surface rocks potentially masking the underlying substrate rock. In this experiment, we measure Vis/NIR spectra of calcite coated with different thicknesses of palagonite dust and evaluate the performance of the carbonate detector.

Gilmore, Martha S.↗