MISR Level 2
Entry Title: MISR Level 2 Land Surface Product subset for the VBBE region V002
Entry ID: VBEMI2LS_2
Radiation Budget
Description
VBEMI2LS_2 is the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) Level 2 Land Surface Product subset for the VBBE region version 2. It contains information on land directional reflectance properties; albedos (spectral and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) integrated); fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR); associated radiation parameters; and terrain-referenced geometric parameters. MISR itself is an instrument designed to view Earth with cameras pointed in 9 differentD28 directions. As the instrument flies overhead, each piece of Earth's surface below is successively imaged by all 9 cameras, in each of 4 wavelengths (blue, green, red, and near-infrared). The goal of MISR is to improve our understanding of the fate of sunlight in Earth environment, as well as distinguish different types of clouds, particles and surfaces. Specifically, MISR monitors the monthly, seasonal, and long-term trends in three areas: 1) amount and type of atmospheric particles (aerosols), including those formed by natural sources and by human activities; 2) amounts, types, and heights of clouds, and 3) distribution of land surface cover, including vegetation canopy structure.
Resources and Documentation
DOWNLOAD SOFTWARE
MISR Paths Tool - Direct File Download (.kml)
GET RELATED VISUALIZATION
Image of VBBE Local Mode (.jpg)
ASDC webpage for MISR Support of Field Campaigns
ASDC webpage for MISR VBBE Images
ASDC List of MISR Imagery and Articles
GOTO WEB TOOL
PROFESSIONAL HOME PAGE
PROJECT HOME PAGE
VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
- NASA EOS ATB Documents: MISR
ALGORITHM THEORETICAL BASIS DOCUMENT (ATBD)
- How to cite ASDC data
DATA CITATION POLICY
- ASDC Data and Information for MISR
- ASDC Overview of MISR File Naming and Versioning Conventions
- ASDC webpage for MISR Regional VBBE Imagery Overview
- Links to tools available through the ASDC
- MISR Observing Concept Fact Sheet
- MISR VBBE Campaign Information - Direct File Download (.kml)
- Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) Overview Fact Sheet
GENERAL DOCUMENTATION
- MISR Version 23 Aerosol Product Publication Release Announcement
IMPORTANT NOTICE
- MISR Workshop Presentations, June 2002 - August 2010
- Obtaining MISR Data and Information, Presented by Jeff Walter Atmospheric Science Data Center - April 17, 2009 - Direct File Download (.ppt)
PI DOCUMENTATION
- ASDC MISR Acquisition Schedule for VBBE
PROCESSING HISTORY
- MISR Level 2 Aerosol/Surface Products Quality Statement - July 01, 2014
PRODUCT QUALITY ASSESSMENT
- Data Product Specification for MISR Data Products
- Data Product Specification for MISR V4.2 Software Delivery Updates - Revision P, November 19, 2007
- Data Product Specification for Specific Products MISR Data Products
- Data Product Specification for the MISR Level 2 Land Surface Product - Incorporating the Science Data Processing Interface Control Document
- MISR Science Data Product Guide - May 7, 2012
PRODUCT USAGE
- ASDC Overview of MISR Data Versioning Index
- ASDC overview of MISR Level 2 Aerosol and Land Versioning for Aerosol and Land Surface Products
PRODUCTION HISTORY
- MISR Peer-Reviewed Publications
- NASA Earth Observatory Article: Looking at the Moon to Better See Earth - Terra satellite performs manuver that allows all nine of MISR's camera to capture images of the moon.
- NASA Earth Observatory Article: Squeezing Water from Rock - Survivors of the New Madrid earthquakes reported not only intense ground shaking and land movement, but also an unfamiliar phenomenon of water and sand spouting up through cracks in the Earth's surface.
- NASA Earth Observatory Article: Tracking Clouds - Tune in to the evening weather report on any given day, and you'll no doubt see satellite images of clouds.
- NASA Earthdata Content Delivery Network (CDN) Article: Aerosols over Australia - Researchers explore the links between atmospheric aerosols, climate change, and ultraviolet rays.
- NASA Earthdata Content Delivery Network (CDN) Article: Cloudy with a chance of Drizzle - By analyzing data from the MISR instrument, scientists discover that a unique type of cloud formation is much more prevalent than was previously believed.
- NASA Earthdata Content Delivery Network (CDN) Article: Following the World Trade Center plume - Remote sensing helps track the drift of harmful pollutants following the World Trade Center collapse.
- NASA Earthdata Content Delivery Network (CDN) Article: Smoke over Athens - The effects of forest fires show up in a multi-satellite view of pollution.
- NASA JPL Images: Tropical Storm Harvey over Texas - After making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane the day before, striking images are captured by MISR as the storm maintained a dangerous tropical storm status.
- NASA JPL Photojournal: New Images of Irma's Towering Clouds - MISR passes over Irma over the Dominican Republic as a Category 5 hurricane.
PUBLICATIONS
Keywords
From GCMD Science Keywords:
- CANOPY CHARACTERISTICS
- REFLECTANCE
- PLANT CHARACTERISTICS
- VEGETATION COVER
- LAND USE/LAND COVER CLASSIFICATION
- PHOTOSYNTHETICALLY ACTIVE RADIATION
- VEGETATION INDEX > LAND USE/LAND COVER CLASSIFICATION
- LAND USE CLASSES
- NORMALIZED DIFFERENCE VEGETATION INDEX (NDVI) > VEGETATION INDEX > LAND USE/LAND COVER CLASSIFICATION
- ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION
- Bidirectional Reflectance Factor (BRF)
- Bihemispherical Reflectance
- Directional Hemispherical Reflectance
- Fractional Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR)
- LAI (Leaf Area Index)
- Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)
- Radiant Exitance
Data Distribution
File Format(s):
HDF-EOS2
Note: "Get Dataset" is a link to our recommended order method. The down arrow will show you additional options.
Spatial Information

Spatial Coverage Type: Horizontal
Longitude Resolution: 1.1 km - 17.6 km
Latitude Resolution: 1.1 km - 17.6 km
Horizontal Resolution Range: 10 km - < 50 km or approximately .09 degree - < .5 degree
Coordinate System: Cartesian
Granule Spatial Representation: Cartesian
Locations
GLOBAL LAND
Temporal Information
Temporal Coverage: 2007-08-01 - 2007-11-30
Temporal Resolution: about 15 orbits/day