MASTER Airborne Multispectral Imagery Over Southwestern U.S.

MASTER instrument data from a 1999 flight captures calibrated radiance in 50 spectral bands from visible to thermal infrared wavelengths. The dataset provides georeferenced imagery at approximately 10-meter spatial resolution over parts of California, Nevada, and Arizona. It was collected by the U.S. Department of Energy's Remote Sensing Laboratory and includes ancillary flight information and browse images.

Use Cases

• Land surface temperature analysis using calibrated radiance in thermal infrared bands.
• Vegetation and mineralogical studies through spectral analysis across 50 bands from 0.460 to 12.879 micrometers.
• Geospatial mapping and registration of surface features using the 10-meter resolution georeferenced imagery.
• Flight path and instrument configuration analysis for airborne campaign planning.
• Cross-comparison with satellite sensor data (e.g., MODIS, ASTER) for validation purposes.

Strengths

• Provides data across 50 distinct spectral bands, offering detailed spectral information.
• Features high spatial resolution of approximately 10 meters for detailed surface analysis.
• Includes ancillary data such as flight paths, band information, and instrument configuration for context.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov indicates recognized importance and curation.

Limitations

• Data is from a single flight on 1999-05-11, limiting temporal analysis and modern applicability.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date (1999-05-11 vs. 2026-03-13), creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.
• Core data is in HDF-4 format, which may require specialized tools for access and processing.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Collected by the MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER) instrument aboard a DOE B 200 aircraft.

Time Range

1999-05-11

Freshness

2026-03-13 00:49:59.650837

Geography

California, Nevada, and Arizona, U.S.