MASTER Airborne Multispectral Imagery for Fire and Range Assessment

Fifty spectral bands of calibrated radiance data were collected by the MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER) instrument during six flights over California, Arizona, and New Mexico in October 2010. The dataset provides georeferenced Level 1B imagery at approximately 10-meter spatial resolution, along with flight paths, instrument configuration, and browse images. This deployment was coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy's Remote Sensing Laboratory for fire-burn emergency response and ecological research.

Use Cases

• Mapping fire-burn severity and recovery using calibrated radiance across 50 spectral bands.
• Studying vegetation and soil properties in the Jornada Experimental Range with 10-meter spatial resolution imagery.
• Analyzing flight path data alongside georeferenced imagery for precise spatial context of collected samples.
• Comparing visible (0.460 µm) and thermal infrared (up to 12.879 µm) spectral responses for land cover classification.
• Using provided browse images for quick visual assessment and selection of specific data files for download.

Strengths

• Provides data from 50 distinct spectral bands covering wavelengths from 0.460 to 12.879 micrometers.
• Offers high spatial resolution of approximately 10 meters for detailed landscape analysis.
• Includes ancillary data such as flight paths, instrument configuration, and band information for full context.
• Covers six specific flights over a focused time period (October 4-13, 2010) for consistent data collection.

Limitations

• Core data files are in the legacy HDF-4 format, which may require specialized software for access and processing.
• Conflicting metadata exists: one platform lists a last updated date of 2026-03-13, while another lists 2010-10 13.
• Specific file sizes, row counts, and detailed column names are not provided across the available sources.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Department of Energy's Remote Sensing Laboratory (RSL) at Nellis Air Force Base, coordinated for NASA.

Collection Method

Data collected via the MASTER instrument aboard a DOE B-200 aircraft during six airborne science flights.

Time Range

2010-10-04 to 2010-10-13

Freshness

2026-03-13 00:50:21.587995

Geography

Flights over California, Arizona, and New Mexico, United States, targeting fire-burn areas and the Jornada Experimental Range.