MASTER: The

MODIS/ASTER Airborne
Simulator

Ames Research Center

James Jacobson
Univ. Of California, Santa Cruz

Introduction

Background
Basic Principles of Earth Observation
MASTER Instrument Description
Data characteristics
Example Applications

The A-train constellation: Four NASA satellites carrying 15 separate scientific

instruments that observe the same path of Earth's atmosphere and surface
EOS-Aqua: measurements of temperature, water vapor, and rainfall.
EOS-Aura: a suite of instruments that produce high-resolution vertical maps of
greenhouse gases, and other atmospheric constituents.
CloudSat & CALIPSO: radar and laser instruments that offer three-dimensional
views of clouds

Why Airborne Remote Sensing?

We went from A to B in 100 years

France: 1888, Kite mounted camera

Blue Dot West: MODIS Composite.
Modern Day

The Role of Airborne

Observations:
Multi-Stage sampling for remote
sensing observations
in situ measurements for
atmospheric chemistry
Support for satellite programs:

Validation of on-orbit sensor performance

Development platforms for new satellite systems technology
Specific data sets to develop and validate new retrieval algorithms
Support focused studies of geophysical processes
Collect high-temporal resolution data of rapidly
evolving geophysical events, not possible with satellites

Basic Principles of Earth Observation

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The mechanics of multispectral imaging
MASTER spectral band placement

The Electromagnetic
Spectrum

MASTER lRange

Solar Energy Spectrum

Solar Energy Available at the Surface

Thermal IR Radiation

Spectral Dispersion:
Prisms or Diffraction Gratings

MASTER: the
MODIS/ASTER
Airborne Simulator
Instrument
Description

MASTER: the MODIS/ASTER

Airborne Simulator

Simulates:
- ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission Reflection
Radiometer) on the Terra satellite
- MODIS (Moderate resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer)
on the Terra and Aqua satellites
Supports NASA satellite validation and fundamental Earth
science research
50 spectral bands in four spectral regions
(visible through thermal infrared)
Precision Geo-Referencing

Spectral Range
(m)

Number
of Bands

0.440 - 0.965 (Vis/NIR)

1.600 - 2.427 (SWIR)
3.075 - 5.325 (MWIR)
7.700 - 13.000 (LWIR)

11
14
15
10

Bandwidth
(m)
0.040
0.050
0.150
0.500

4 Spectrometers

Scanning Telescope
Optics

Incoming Energy

MASTER Scanhead in WB-57 Pallet

ER-2
Sensor
Sensor
Viewing Coverage
Geometry

65,000 ft

24 in.
LENS
8 n. mi.

6.6 n. mi./min

12 in.
LENS

IRIS II
Panoramic Camera
MAS, MASTER,
AOCI, MAMS
TMS

4 n. mi
8 n. mi.

6 in.
LENS

20 n. mi.
21.4 n. mi.
16 n. mi

2 n. mi.
at NADIR

16 n. mi

Principle MASTER Platforms

WB-57F

ER-2

DC-8
B200

21

Airborne Sensor Facility

NASA Ames Research Center

Mission Statement:

Develop and Operate Facility-Class Remote Sensing Instruments

Collect Imagery for NASA Earth Science Research Programs

Provide Rapid Delivery of Calibrated Data

Component Labs For:

Sensor Engineering & Operations

Level-1B Data Processing and Archive

NIST-Traceable Sensor Calibration

Supported By:
EOS Project Science Office
NASA Airborne Science Program

Instrument Characteristics
Wavelength range
Number of channels
Number of pixels
Instantaneous Field of
View
Total Field of View
Platforms
Pixel size DC-8
Pixel size ER-2
Pixel size B200
ER-2 Range
B200 Range
DC-8 Range
Scan speeds
Products
Calibration VIS-SWIR
Calibration MIR-TIR
Data Format
Digitization

0.4-13 micrometers
50
716
2.5 milliradians
85.92 degrees
KingAir (Beechcraft B200)
NASA ER-2, DC-8, WB-57, P-3B
10-30 m
50 m
5-20 m
3700 statute miles
700 statute miles
6200 statute miles
6.25/12.5/25 rps
Radiance at sensor (Level 1B)
Laboratory Integrating Sphere
2 On-board Blackbodies
Hierarchical Data Format (HDF)
16-bit

eMAS Functional Components

Scan Head Assembly
Spectrometers &
Detectors

Data System
Analog Signals

Collimated Energy
Beam

Digitizer &
Data System

Scanning Optics
(telescope, scan mirror,
motor/encoder, blackbody
calibrators)

Inertial
Measurement
Unit

Motor Controller

Blackbody Controller

Applanix POS-AV

Disk
Storage
Telemetry
Interface
Module

Data Characteristics

MASTER Bands
Reflected Solar Energy Bands

Emitted Infrared Energy Bands

Visible
Mid-Wave IR

Near-IR

Thermal IR

Short-Wave IR

Measured Spectral Response Functions

(atmospherically corrected)

H2O
O2

H2O

CO2

H2O

CO2

H2O

Window and Atmospheric bands

H2O

O3

CO2

Airborne Sensor Calibration

The Requirement:
A Science-Quality Image Data Product with Pixels Calibrated to
Physical Units, and geo-located.
NASA Level-1B Data Standard:
- Pixels Converted to At-Sensor-Radiance
(units: Watts/M2/m/Steradian)
- Labeled with Latitude/Longitude/Elev.
The Steps:
I.

Radiometric Calibration

II.

Spectral Characterization

III.

Data Integration (tare correction, radiance integration)

IV.

Ground Truth Validation

MASTER Calibration

MASTER Spectral Response Functions (SRFs)

All 50 channels measured before and after every deployment with

monochrometer and/or FTIR
NIST traceable radiometric source (Vis/SWIR)

Pre and post deployment laboratory calibrations of bands 1-25 over 40 inch
integrating sphere
Onboard and Laboratory Hot & Cold Blackbodies (MWIR/TIR)
Environmental Simulation Chamber
Ground Truth Validation (field spectro-radiometers & TIR buoys)

ASF Sensor Calibration Lab

Spectral and Radiometric
Calibration Facility for Airborne Sensors
Spectral Range = 350nm 14um
Fully NIST-Traceable, with NASA EOS Program Oversight
Resources:

Integrating Spheres

Infrared Blackbodies

12 Collimator with
spectral sources

Focus targets

Environmental chambers

Transfer Radiometer
Spectral Calibration Configuration

MONOCHROMETER
MAS SPECTROMETER

Ref. Paper:

LIGHT SOURCES

(Tungsten Lamp, Glowbar)

Radiometric Validation of NASA ARC

Calibration Laboratory, S. Brown, C. Johnson,
et al. Applied Optics/Vol.44, No. 30, Oct. 2005

CHOPPER

Integrating Spheres

FILTER WHEEL

M3

Spectral Sources
M2

M4

M1

Spectral Calibration Bench

32

Level 1B HDF Data

The Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) has been selected by the EOSDIS
Project as the format of choice for standard product distribution. HDF
consists of a directory structure and a collection of data objects or
Scientific Data Sets (SDS).
MASTER HDF image data is stored as integer but unpacked to real
(floating point) data in radiance units.
MASTER HDF currently consists of 37 Global attributes and 44 scientific
data sets
15 SDSs for calibration information
12 SDSs for navigation information
27 SDSs for engineering information
Software is available to directly import MASTER HDF
Unpacking code available to strip image data out of HDF format

http://www.hdfgroup.org

http://masterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/

Research Applications and Example

Data

Natural Color
R: B5 G: B3 B: B2

Color Infrared
R: B7 G: B5 B: B3

NDVI
(B7+B5 ) + (B7-B5)

Thermal Infrared
B48 (dark = cold)

MASTER Atmospheric Data: TC4

(Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling Experiment)

TC4

DC-8 Contrail

Field-Generated Level-2 Data Products

(with GSFC MODIS Cloud Team)

MAS IR Composite

41

Land Cover Mapping

Costa Rica (2005)
Supervised Classification

Land Cover Mapping

Costa Rica (2005)
Training Sites

Southern California Post-fire Assessment

Witch Fire Flight Plan (2007)

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outline text format
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Second Outline
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Witch Fire Burn Area Assessment

Level
l Fourth
Outline Level
-Fifth
Outline
(November 13-14, 2007,
B-200 Aircraft)

Courtesy of JPL

Slide Fire Burn Area

R 2.2um (22) G 0.87um (9) B 0.65um (5)

Slide Fire Time Series: 2007 - 2008

Burn Severity

2007 Post-Fire

Summer 2008

Courtesy of JPL

Mount Saint Helens 10-14-2004

5 meter MASTER data
2.5 meter LIDAR DEM

Shaded Relief from LIDAR DEM (2.5 m)

Temperatures from MASTER TIR (5 m)

Courtesy of JPL

Mount Saint Helens 10-14-2004

>300 oC (highest temp = 330 oC)

200-300 oC
75-90 oC
150-200 oC
60-75 oC
105-150 oC
45-60 oC
90-105 oC
30-45 oC

2007 Bullion Fault

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outline text format
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outline text format
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Ocean Color: Mayaguez Bay and Rio Grande de Anasco

River Outfall, Puerto Rico

11/17/91

12/5/93

Airborne Ocean Color Imager

(50 m. resolution, Natural Color. From ER-2 Aircraft at 65,000 ft)

55

SARP 2010

(Sheely Farm Site)

R-G-B Natural
Color
Composite

August 26, 2004: AVIRIS & MAS acquisitions

(two of five lines)

Stirring and seeding in progress?

(Courtesy J. Ryan, MBARI)

Selected MASTER publications

Hook, S. J., Myers, J. S., Thome, K. J., Fitzgerald, M. and A. B. Kahle, The MODIS/ASTER
Airborne Simulator A New Instrument for Earth Science Studies. Remote Sensing of
Environment, Vol. 79, Issue 1, pp 93-102, 2001

Yang-Lang Chang, Chin-Chuan Han, Kuo-Chin Fan, K.S. Chen, and Jeng-Horng Chang.
2002. A Modular Eigen Subspace Scheme for High-dimensional Data Classification with
NASA MODIS/ASTER (MASTER) airborne simulator datasets of Pacrim II project.

F. A. Kruse. 2002. Combined SWIR and LWIR Mineral Mapping Using MASTER/ASTER.

RG Vaughan, SJ Hook, WM Calvin, JV Taranik. 2005. Surface mineral mapping at

Steamboat Springs, Nevada, USA, with multi-wavelength thermal infrared images

R. G. Vaughan, S. J. Hook, M. S. Ramsey, V. J. Realmuto, and D. J. Schneider. 2005.

Monitoring eruptive activity at Mount St. Helens with TIR image data.

http://asapdata.arc.nasa.gov/
http://masterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/