The Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is a payload scientific instrument launched into Earth orbit by NASA in 1999 on board the Terra (EOS AM) Satellite, and in 2002 on board the Aqua (EOS PM) satellite. The instruments capture data in 36 spectral bands ranging in wavelength from 0.4 µm to 14.4 µm and at varying spatial resolutions (2 bands at 250 m, 5 bands at 500 m and 29 bands at 1 km). Together the instruments image the entire Earth every 1 to 2 days. They are designed to provide measurements in large-scale global dynamics including changes in Earth's cloud cover, radiation budget and processes occurring in the oceans, on land, and in the lower atmosphere. Three on-board calibrators (a solar diffuser combined with a solar diffuser stability monitor, a spectral radiometric calibration assembly, and a blackbody) provide in-flight calibration. MODIS has used the Marine Optical Buoy for vicarious calibration.
The MODIS Characterization Support Team (MCST) is dedicated to the production of high quality MODIS calibrated product which is a precursor to every geophysical science product. A detailed description of the MCST mission statement and other details can be found at MCST Web.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Orbit | 705 km, 10:30 a.m. descending node (Terra) or 1:30 p.m. ascending node (Aqua), sun-synchronous, near-polar, circular |
| Scan Rate | 20.3 rpm, cross track |
| Swath | 2330 km (cross track) by 10 km (along track at nadir) |
| Dimensions | |
| Telescope | 17.78 cm diam. off-axis, afocal (collimated), with intermediate field stop |
| Size | 1.0 x 1.6 x 1.0 m |
| Weight | 228.7 kg |
| Power | 162.5 W (single orbit average) |
| Data Rate | 10.6 Mbit/s (peak daytime); 6.1 Mbit/s (orbital average) |
| Quantization | 12 bits |
| Spatial Resolution | 250 m (bands 1-2) 500 m (bands 3-7) 1000 m (bands 8-36) |
| Design Life | 6 years |
Contents |
| Band | Wavelength (nm) |
Resolution (m) |
Primary Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 620–670 | 250m | Land/Cloud/Aerosols Boundaries |
| 2 | 841–876 | 250m | |
| 3 | 459–479 | 500m | Land/Cloud/Aerosols Properties |
| 4 | 545–565 | 500m | |
| 5 | 1230–1250 | 500m | |
| 6 | 1628–1652 | 500m | |
| 7 | 2105–2155 | 500m | |
| 8 | 405–420 | 1000m | Ocean Color/ Phytoplankton/ Biogeochemistry |
| 9 | 438–448 | 1000m | |
| 10 | 483–493 | 1000m | |
| 11 | 526–536 | 1000m | |
| 12 | 546–556 | 1000m | |
| 13 | 662–672 | 1000m | |
| 14 | 673–683 | 1000m | |
| 15 | 743–753 | 1000m | |
| 16 | 862–877 | 1000m | |
| 17 | 890–920 | 1000m | Atmospheric Water Vapor |
| 18 | 931–941 | 1000m | |
| 19 | 915–965 | 1000m | |
| Band | Wavelength (µm) |
Resolution (m) |
Primary Use |
| 20 | 3.660–3.840 | 1000m | Surface/Cloud Temperature |
| 21 | 3.929–3.989 | 1000m | |
| 22 | 3.929–3.989 | 1000m | |
| 23 | 4.020–4.080 | 1000m | |
| 24 | 4.433–4.498 | 1000m | Atmospheric Temperature |
| 25 | 4.482–4.549 | 1000m | |
| 26 | 1.360–1.390 | 1000m | Cirrus Clouds Water Vapor |
| 27 | 6.535–6.895 | 1000m | |
| 28 | 7.175–7.475 | 1000m | |
| 29 | 8.400–8.700 | 1000m | Cloud Properties |
| 30 | 9.580–9.880 | 1000m | Ozone |
| 31 | 10.780–11.280 | 1000m | Surface/Cloud Temperature |
| 32 | 11.770–12.270 | 1000m | |
| 33 | 13.185–13.485 | 1000m | Cloud Top Altitude |
| 34 | 13.485–13.785 | 1000m | |
| 35 | 13.785–14.085 | 1000m | |
| 36 | 14.085–14.385 | 1000m |
The following MODIS Level 3 (L3) datasets are available from NASA, as processed by the Collection 5 software. [1]
| Daily | 8-day | 16-day | 32-day | Monthly | Yearly | Grid | Platform | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MxD08_D3 | MxD08_E3 | — | — | MxD08_M3 | — | 1° CMG | Terra, Aqua | Aerosol, Cloud Water Vapor, Ozone |
| MxD10A1 | MxD10A2 | — | — | — | — | 500 m SIN | Terra, Aqua | Snow Cover |
| MxD11A1 | MxD11A2 | — | — | — | — | 1000 m SIN | Terra, Aqua | Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity |
| MxD11B1 | — | — | — | — | — | 6000 m SIN | Terra, Aqua | Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity |
| MxD11C1 | MxD11C2 | — | — | MxD11C3 | — | 0.05° CMG | Terra, Aqua | Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity |
| — | — | MxD13C1 | — | MxD13C2 | — | 0.05° CMG | Terra, Aqua | Vegetation Indices |
| MxD14A1 | MxD14A2 | — | — | — | — | 1000 m SIN | Terra, Aqua | Thermal Anomalies, Fire |
| — | — | — | — | MCD45A1 | — | 500 m SIN | Terra+Aqua | Burned Area |
| 250 m SIN | 500 m SIN | 1000 m SIN | 0.05° CMG | 1° CMG | Time window | Platform | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MxD09Q1 | MxD09A1 | — | — | — | 8-day | Terra, Aqua | Surface Reflectance |
| — | — | — | MxD09CMG | — | Daily | Terra, Aqua | Surface Reflectance |
| — | MCD12Q1 | MCD12Q2 | MCD12C1 | — | Yearly | Terra+Aqua | Land Cover Type |
| MxD13Q1 | MxD13A1 | MxD13A2 | MxD13C1 | — | 16-day | Terra, Aqua | Vegetation Indices |
| — | — | MxD13A3 | MxD13C2 | — | Monthly | Terra, Aqua | Vegetation Indices |
| — | MCD43A1 | MCD43B1 | MCD43C1 | — | 16-day | Terra+Aqua | BRDF/Albedo Model Parameters |
| — | MCD43A3 | MCD43B3 | MCD43C3 | — | 16-day | Terra+Aqua | Albedo |
| — | MCD43A4 | MCD43B4 | MCD43C4 | — | 16-day | Terra+Aqua | Nadir BRDF-Adjusted Reflectance |
Raw MODIS data stream could be received in real-time using a tracking antenna, thanks to the instrument's direct broadcast capability.[2]
Alternatively, the scientific data is made available to the public via several World Wide Web sites and FTP archives, such as:
ftp://ladsftp.nascom.nasa.gov/ — LAADS underlying FTP server;ftp://e4ftl01.cr.usgs.gov/ — Earth land surface datasets;ftp://n4ftl01u.ecs.nasa.gov/ — snow and ice datasets.Most of the data is available in the HDF-EOS format — a variant of Hierarchical Data Format prescribed for the data derived from Earth Observing System missions.[4]
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