83rd Annual

Monday, 10 February 2003
MODIS/AIRS instrument direct broadcast products and applications
Kathleen I. Strabala, CIMSS/Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; and L. E. Gumley, T. Rink, H. L. Huang, and R. Dengel
Poster PDF (1.1 MB)
The MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument provide high spatial and spectral resolution views of each point on the earth four times per day. Both Terra and Aqua platforms have a direct broadcast X-band downlink that allows MODIS (Terra) and MODIS/AIRS (Aqua) data to be received in real time by sites having the proper reception hardware. In order to facilitate use of the data, science production software is being freely distributed through the International MODIS/AIRS processing package (IMAPP). The current suite of IMAPP MODIS products includes navigation and calibration (L1B), cloud mask and cloud top properties, including thermodynamic phase, and atmospheric profiles and water vapor retrievals. AIRS utilities will be added in early 2003. The applications have been modified from the operational versions running at the Goddard Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) such that the only required external toolkit is NCSA HDF4. Distribution of this software provides scientists around the world with the capability to produce local real-time high spatial resolution science products. MODIS data produced from the University of Wisconsin direct broadcast automated processing is used for a variety of science applications, including calibration and product validation. The data is also being used by other institutions for a range of purposes including assisting USA National Weather Service forecasters and the monitoring of Hudson Bay shipping routes by the Canadian Ice Service. The science software is being implemented globally from Australia to South America. IMAPP has been successful in providing a portable, relatively easy to install and user friendly software package for converting direct broadcast MODIS data into valuable science products. This paper focuses mainly on the MODIS portion of IMAPP and presents the current product suite and applications. AIRS data and products will be presented on the conference poster companion to this paper.

Supplementary URL: http://eosdb.ssec.wisc.edu/modisdirect/