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Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Data from USGS EROS Center

Entry ID: AVHRR

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Summary

Abstract: The Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data set is comprised of data collected by the AVHRR sensor and held in the archives of the U.S. Geological Survey's EROS Data Center. Carried aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite series, the AVHRR sensor is a broad-band, 4- or 5-channel scanning radiometer, sensing in the visible, ... near-infrared, and thermal infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

The EROS Data Center houses AVHRR High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT) data and Local Area Coverage (LAC) data. The HRPT data are full resolution image data transmitted to a ground station as they are collected, while LAC data (also full resolution data) are recorded with an onboard tape recorder for subsequent transmission during a station overpass.

The objective of the AVHRR instrument is to provide radiance data for investigation of clouds, land-water boundaries, snow and ice extent, ice or snow melt inception, day and night cloud distribution, temperatures of radiating surfaces, and sea surface temperature. The AVHRR data collection effort also provides opportunities for studying and monitoring vegetation conditions in ecosystems, including forests, tundra, and grasslands with applications that include agricultural assessment, land cover mapping, production of large-area image maps (e.g., country maps, continental maps, world maps), and evaluation of regional and continental snow cover.

The average instantaneous field-of-view (IFOV) of 1.4 milliradians yields a LAC/HRPT ground resolution of approximately 1.1 km at the satellite nadir from the nominal orbit altitude of 833 km (517 mi). Additional data sets include the Alaska twice-monthly AVHRR and the U.S. Conterminous bi-weekly composites. These comprehensive time series data sets are calibrated, georegistered daily observations and twice-monthly NDVI composites for each annual growing season. Global Experimental Bi-Weekly Normalized Difference data, computed from Global Vegetation Index (GVI) data, are analyzed to monitor global vegetation as a potential tool in global climatic studies.

Data_Set_Credit

The EROS Data Center (EDC) AVHRR Data Acquisition and Processing System (ADAPS), which began operation in May 1987, receives approximately six daytime passes per day of HRPT data over the conterminous United States. Night acquisitions are acquired upon request only. As of March 1990, all data received at EDC are permanently archived. Prior to March 1990, approximately 40 percent of the data received were archived. The EROS Data Center AVHRR Data Acquisition and Processing System was expanded on June 15, 1990, to acquire LAC data via a communications satellite for areas recorded throughout the entire globe. Priority is given to LAC acquisitions of the North American continent not covered by EDC's direct reception. NOAA/NESDIS receives both world-wide recorded and direct readout AVHRR data from the Wallops Island, Virginia, and Gilmore Creek, Alaska, stations. These stations then redirect the data via a satellite relay to NOAA/NESDIS in Suitland, Maryland, where the data are processed, archived, and reproduced. The EROS Data Center ADAPS system was reconfigured in July of 1997 to acquire LAC via electronic transfer from NOAA/NESDIS, replacing the DOMSAT communications link.

Related URL

Link: GET DATA

Description: Dataset searching and ordering capabilities are available through Earth Explorer at the above URL.

Geographic Coverage

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Spatial coordinates

N: 90.0

S: -90.0

E: 180.0

W: -180.0

Data Set Citation

Dataset Originator/Creator: U.S. Geological Survey

Dataset Title: Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer

Dataset Release Date: 1980

Dataset Release Place: Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA

Dataset Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey

Data Presentation Form: Remote Sensing Image

Online Resource: http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 1979-06-27

Location Keywords

GEOGRAPHIC REGION > GLOBAL

Science Keywords

SPECTRAL/ENGINEERING > INFRARED WAVELENGTHS > INFRARED IMAGERY

SPECTRAL/ENGINEERING > VISIBLE WAVELENGTHS > VISIBLE IMAGERY

ISO Topic Category

IMAGERY/BASE MAPS/EARTH COVER

Platform

NOAA-10 > National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration-10

NOAA-11 > National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration-11

Instrument

AVHRR > Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer

Quality Logical_Consistency_Report:
The AVHRR sensor was designed to view cold space and one or more
internal warm blackbodies for each scan sequence while in orbit. In
general, radiometric calibration involves exposing a radiometer to
sources of radiation that have been calibrated against primary or
secondary standards and determining a ...

Access Constraints None

Use Constraints There is no guarantee of warranty concerning the accuracy of these data. Users should be aware that temporal changes may have occurred since the data was collected and that some parts of these data may no longer represent actual surface conditions. Users should not use these data for critical applications without a full awareness of their limitations. Acknowledgement of the originating agencies would be appreciated in products derived from these data. Any user who modifies the data set is obligated to describe the types of modifications they perform. User specifically agrees not to misrepresent the data set, nor to imply that changes made were approved or endorsed by the U.S. Geological Survey. Please refer to http://www.usgs.gov/privacy.html for the USGS disclaimer.

Ancillary Keywords

DIGITAL IMAGES

AVHRR

Data Set Progress

IN WORK

Originating Center

USGS EROS

Data Center

Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior

Data Center URL: http://eros.usgs.gov/
Dataset ID: AVHRR

Data Center Personnel
Name: EROS CENTER Phone: 605-594-6151 Phone: 800-252-4547 Fax: 605-594-6589 Email: lta at usgs.gov Contact Address: LTA Customer Services U.S. Geological Survey EROS Center 47914 252nd Street City: Sioux Falls Province or State: SD Postal Code: 57198-0001 Country: USA

Distribution

Distribution Media: Download

Distribution Size: Varies

Distribution Format: Standard

Fees: This free service is intended to satisfy low volume data requests.

Distribution Media: Download

Distribution Size: Varies

Distribution Format: GeoTIFF

Fees: This free service is intended to satisfy low volume data requests.

Personnel

DATABASE SPECIALIST USGS EROS CENTER

Role: DIF AUTHOR

Phone: 605-594-6151

Fax: 605-594-6953

Email: lta at usgs.gov

Contact Address:

Long Term Archive

USGS EROS Center

U.S. Geological Survey

City: Sioux Falls

Province or State: SD

Postal Code: 57198-0001

Country: USA

Publications/References

Kidwell, K.B., 1995, NOAA polar orbiter data user's guide: Washington, D.C., National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [variously paged].

Extended Metadata Properties

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Creation and Review Dates

DIF Creation Date: 2008-05-07

Last DIF Revision Date: 2013-05-02

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