ASTER Antarctic Satellite Imagery with Radiometric Calibration

Approximately 2500 scenes of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data are held by the Australian Antarctic Data Centre. Over 1500 of these scenes are Level 1B data, which have been radiometrically calibrated and geometrically resampled. The data originates from NASA's ASTER instrument on the Terra satellite.

Use Cases

• Analyzing land surface temperature and thermal emission patterns from the calibrated Level 1B image data.
• Conducting geometric analysis of Antarctic terrain using the geometric coefficients provided in the Level 1A data.
• Performing radiometric calibration comparisons between the unprocessed Level 1A and the processed Level 1B data.
• Mapping glacial features and ice sheet changes across the Antarctic continent using the full-resolution image data.

Strengths

• Approximately 2500 total scenes provide substantial spatial coverage.
• Over 1500 scenes (3/5 of the collection) are processed to Level 1B, offering calibrated data ready for analysis.
• Data includes both raw instrument data (L1A) and calibrated, resampled products (L1B) for flexibility.

Limitations

• The specific number of rows, columns, and file size is unknown, making storage and processing requirements unclear.
• The temporal range and exact geographic extents for the scenes are not specified, limiting time-series or regional studies.
• Sample data and specific file formats are unavailable, hindering initial evaluation of data structure.

Provenance

Source

NASA's Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on the Terra satellite.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data collected and processed to Level 1A (reconstructed, unprocessed) and Level 1B (radiometrically calibrated and geometrically resampled).

Geography

Antarctic region, as curated by the Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AADC).