MODIS Direct Broadcast Reception and Processing at the USGS Center for Earth Resources Observations

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MODIS Direct BroadcastReception and
Processingat theUSGS Center for Earth Resources
Observations and Science (EROS)

• Karen Zanter, USGS
• October 3, 2005

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Agenda

• EROS Mission
• AmericaView Program
• Ground Station Overview
• Processing Flow
• Data Capture
• Archive
• Distribution
• Products
• Applications

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EROS Mission Statement

• Science To promote and conduct applications,
  users, and knowledge of land information to
  better understand our planet
• Data Access To ensure that scientists,
  researchers, businesses, decision makers, and the
  public have ready access to land information
• Data Archives To safeguard and expand the
  national archive of remotely sensed land data

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EROS Facility in Sioux Falls, SD
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AmericaView Mission Statement

• AmericaView is a locally controlled and
  nationally coordinated program
• to advance the availability, timely
  distribution, and widespread use of remote
  sensing data and technology
• through education, research, outreach, and
  sustainable technology transfer to the public and
  private sectors.

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AmericaView Components

• AmericaView, Inc. National Consortium for
  Remote Sensing Education, Research, and
  Geospatial Applications
• http//www.americaview.org
• USGS AmericaView Project at EROS Data Center
  (included in the Land Remote Sensing Program)
• http//americaview.usgs.gov

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AmericaView Membership Status
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EROS MODIS DB Ground Station

• AmericaView Program funded the creation of an
  EROS ground station capable of receiving the
  real-time MODIS data
• Began processing and data distribution in July
  2002
• Two to four images of MODIS DB data are acquired
  daily
• E-mail notifications of each acquisition are
  automatically sent to registered users
• Available for download 2 hours after reception
• Coverage of conterminous U.S. and parts of Canada
  and Mexico

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EDC MODIS DB Users

• Approximately 410 registered users YTD
• AmericaView/StateView Consortiums
• Non-AmericaView Universities, Individual Students
• Government
• Industry
• Foreign

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EROS Ground Station Antennas

• 10m Datron
• Up to Three Simultaneous X-Band Data Downlink
  Channels (Image Data Reception)
• S-Band TTC Equipped
• 5.4m ViaSat
• Up to Two Simultaneous X-Band Data Downlink
  Channels (Image Data Reception)
• Support for Three X-Band Data Downlink Channels
• S-Band TTC Capability
• 3m ViaSat
• Used to Support AVHRR Data Reception
• DCPF Provides Advisory Support and Maintenance
• 10m and 5.4m Antennas Serve as Back-Up to Each
  Other as Schedules Permit

10M Antenna
5.4M Antenna
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EROS Acquisition Circle
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MODIS DB Processing Flow
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Data Capture System (DCS)

• Captures X-band Image Data in a Raw Computer
  Compatible (RCC) Format
• Utilized by Multiple EROS Missions
• Currently used for Landsat 5, Landsat 7, MODIS
  Direct Broadcast
• Capable of Capturing a Wide Variety of Image Data
• Also ingest Landsat Data via Tape or Network from
  International Ground Stations
• ASN (Alice Springs, Australia)
• Gilmore Creek / University of Alaska Fairbanks
• PF1 (Poker Flat, Alaska)
• DELL Commodity LINUX Servers Hosting
  Myriad/Mercury Computer Dual-Channel Capture
  Cards with USGS Device Driver and Application
• Sends Data to Processing Archive Systems
• Realtime Moving Window Display Capability

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Nearline Archive

• Implemented Capability for Nearline Archive
• Automatic Population of MODIS Level 0 Data after
  Reception

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Distribution

• Data can be downloaded at no cost from retrieval
  site
• http//modisdb.usgs.gov/modisdata/
• Retrieval site holds the most recent five days of
  data
• Registration is necessary to access the site
• Data files are compressed (lossless)
• State-based composites
• Based on the US composite
• 48 conterminous US states, as well as the
  District of Columbia, and state composite can be
  clipped on demand by users request.
• State composites are built using the 500m
  composite products
• Users can select any and/or all of bands 1-7 and
  the NDVI band
• The state composite products can be obtained at
  no cost at http//modisdb.usgs.gov/modisdata/stat
  e_comp_product.php
• Seamless Data Distribution site at
• http//seamless.usgs.gov/
• Daily United States Composite (only)

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Web Site
MODIS Direct Broadcast provides the most
recent 5 days of MODIS Aqua and Terra data and
composites of the conterminous United States.
http//modisdb.usgs.gov
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MODIS DB Products

• L1B (HDF format)
• 250m product contains bands 1 and 2 at their
  native 250m resolution
• 500m product contains bands 3 through 7 at their
  native 500m resolution, along with bands 1 and 2
  aggregated to 500m
• 1000m product contains bands 8 through 36 at
  their native 1000m resolution, along with bands
  1-7 aggregated to 1000m
• L2R (HDF format)
• Estimates of the true land surface reflectances
  for the 250m and 500m bands, corrected for
  atmospheric scattering and absorption. Current
  and forecast ozone and atmospheric data are used
  in these corrections
• L3V (HDF format)
• Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and
  Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) products for the
  250m and 500m bands, using the surface
  reflectance products as input

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MODIS DB Products (cont.)

• L2G (HDF and GeoTIFF format)
• L1B products that have been gridded (projected)
  to the Lambert Azimuthal equal-area projection
  and corrected for over-sampling at off-nadir view
  angles (bow-tie effect)
• L2RG (HDF and GeoTIFF format)
• L2R products that have been gridded (projected)
  to the Lambert Azimuthal equal-area projection
  and corrected for over-sampling at off-nadir view
  angles (bow-tie effect)
• L3VG (HDF and GeoTIFF format)
• L3V products that have been gridded (projected)
  to the Lambert Azimuthal equal-area projection
  and corrected for over-sampling at off-nadir view
  angles (bow-tie effect)

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MODIS DB Products (cont.)

• Rolling seven-day composites (GeoTIFF format)
• L2R data
• 7-day period using Aqua acquisitions
• The highest NDVI value for each pixel in the
  composite is then determined from the group of
  L2R products
• The composite products are available in 250m,
  500m, and 1000m resolutions
• Caveat Certain pixels are being repeated in the
  seven-day composites, creating artifacts
• Appears only in areas of high terrain (e.g. Rocky
  Mountains)
• Most obvious when using pixels far from nadir
• Plans to address
• Install the new L1 processing software, which
  contains SRTM DEMs
• Reassess the terrain correction using the new L1
  software
• Revise existing composite algorithm to include
  distance from nadir

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Seamless Data Distribution
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Select Area of Interest and Download
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Drought Monitoring
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Near-RT Drought Monitoring Support

• In FY06, NASA and USGS collaborative project to
  expand operational use of MODIS VI data in
  Drought Decision Support
• MODIS DB to supply U.S. MODIS VI data into VegDRI
  modeling subsystem
• Timely delivery of VI data versus standard MODIS
  products
• Flexibility of composite period (rolling 7-day
  vs. fixed 16-day)
• In the next three years, this system will
• expand from current 7-state area to 48 states
• automate calculation and delivery of VegDRI
• Operational use of products in the construction
  of the U.S. Drought Monitor

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Evolution of Fire Science Approach
Current Fire Danger Scenario
Current NDVI From AVHRR
Departure from Average NDVI
AVHRR Time Series 1989-present
AVHRR Weekly Average NDVI

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Transform AVHRR To MODIS
New Development
MODIS DB Time Series 2003-present
Include
Long Term Continuity
Create
Current NDVI From MODIS DB
Departure from Average NDVI
Weekly Average NDVI Derived from AVHRR and MODIS
-

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Improved Fire Danger Monitoring

• Greater temporal and spatial resolution (250m) of
  vegetation condition information
• Use of MODIS DB enhances capability to integrate
  daily vegetation updates with daily weather data
• Extends the Decision Support Systems beyond the
  AVHRR era
• New or improved fire danger forecasting
  algorithms

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Long-Term Relevance to USGS/EROS

• An important component for Terrestrial
  Monitoring, enabling multi-resolution (1000m,
  500m, 250m)
• Long term continuity of wide field of view sensor
  data products with high temporal resolution to
  complement moderate spatial resolution Landsat
  data continuity
• Continue to develop the institutional knowledge
  base for developing new products, new uses, and
  new users
• Leverage funding opportunities, cross-project
  requirements, and strengths in science,
  engineering, and operations for timely delivery
  of relevant information for decision support

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Contact Information

• Karen Zanter
• AmericaView Project Chief
• USGS Center for EROS
• Voice [phone]
• E-mail kzanter_at_usgs.gov