MISR Level 1B1 Local Mode Radiance Data V002

MIB1LM_002 is the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) Level 1B1 Local Mode Radiance Data version 2. It contains the data numbers (DNs) radiometrically scaled to radiances with no geometric resampling. Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) Level 1B1 Radiance data product contains spectral radiances for all MISR channels. Each value represents the incident radiance averaged over the sensor's total band response. Processing includes both radiance scaling and conditioning steps. Radiance scaling converts the Level 1A data from digital counts to radiances, using coefficients derived from the onboard calibrator (OBC) and vicarious calibrations. The OBC contains Spectralon calibration panels, deployed monthly and reflect sunlight into cameras. The OBC detector standards then measure this reflected light to provide the calibration. No out-of-band correction is done for this product, nor are the data geometrically corrected or resampled. Data collection for this product is ongoing.

The MISR instrument consists of nine push-broom cameras that measure radiance in four spectral bands. Global coverage is achieved in nine days. The cameras are arranged with one camera pointing toward the nadir, four forward, and four aftward. It takes seven minutes for all nine cameras to view the same surface location. The view angles relative to the surface reference ellipsoid are 0, 26.1, 45.6, 60.0, and 70.5 degrees. The spectral band shapes are nominally Gaussian, centered at 443, 555, 670, and 865 nm.
MISR is designed to view Earth with cameras pointed in 9 different directions. As the instrument flies overhead, each piece of Earth's surface below is successively imaged by all nine cameras in 4 wavelengths (blue, green, red, and near-infrared). The goal of MISR is to improve our understanding of the effects of sunlight on Earth and 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.