MODIS - receiving and processing at DFD

Abstract

With the launch of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in December 1999, a new era in hyperspectral satellite remote sensing began. MODIS makes possible continuous monitoring of the environment by measuring atmospheric trace gases and aerosol density, and mapping the surface of clouds, land and sea in a variety of spectral ranges from the blue to the thermal infra-red. This information is primarily used in investigations of ocean pollution, changes in landscape and vegetation, and of such climate-relevant parameters as the greenhouse effect and the amount of bound carbon. The German Remote Sensing Data Centre (DFD) is receiving MODIS data since January 2001 using the Direct Broadcast (DB) facility. Based on this technique, MODIS data are acquired by DFD on a daily basis for whole Europe. The paper presents an overview of the technical specifications of MODIS, the DB reception facility in Oberpfaffenhofen, the pre-processing of the data as well as the operational generation of level 1b data (radiometrically calibrated and georeferenced data in sensor projection).