AirMISR BARC 2001: Multi-Angle Airborne Imagery for Agricultural Research

Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) was the target for this Airborne Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (AirMISR) flight on July 21, 2001. The dataset contains imagery from nine distinct viewing angles (0°, ±26.1°, ±45.6°, ±60.0°, ±70.5°) across four spectral bands, collected by a single camera on a NASA ER-2 aircraft. This multi-angle, multi-spectral data is designed to support studies of Earth's ecology and climate, simulating the satellite-borne MISR instrument.

Use Cases

• Calibrating and validating satellite-derived surface reflectance models based on the nine simulated MISR look angles.
• Analyzing vegetation canopy structure and bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) using multi-angle imagery.
• Studying land surface properties and ecological changes at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center from the four spectral bands.

Strengths

• Provides highly specific multi-angle coverage with nine distinct viewing angles, simulating the satellite MISR instrument.
• Offers detailed spatial resolution information, with a nadir instantaneous field-of-view of 7m x 6m.
• Data acquisition parameters are explicitly documented, including flight date (July 21, 2001), aircraft (NASA ER-2), and a 13-minute run time.

Limitations

• Metadata conflicts exist: one platform lists a last updated date in 2026, while another lists 2001, creating uncertainty about data currency.
• Column names and a precise row/size count are unknown, limiting understanding of the data's internal structure.
• The dataset's availability and specific license terms are unclear, with one source listing 'other-license-specified'.

Provenance

Source

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, California, built for NASA.

Collection Method

Acquired via an airborne instrument (AirMISR) on a NASA ER-2 aircraft using a pivoting gimbal mount.

Time Range

2001-07 21

Freshness

2026-03-13 15:47:15.197796 (from datagov, but conflicts with the acquisition date of 2001-07-21)

Geography

Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), with a swath width varying from 11 km (nadir) to 32 km (oblique).