MASTER Airborne Multispectral Imagery for Instrument Validation

50 spectral bands of calibrated radiance data were collected by the MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER) instrument during a single flight over California on January 17, 1999. The dataset provides Level 1B georeferenced imagery at approximately 20-meter spatial resolution, covering wavelengths from 0.460 to 12.879 micrometers. This deployment was coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy's Remote Sensing Laboratory for the primary purpose of instrument validation.

Use Cases

• Validating atmospheric correction and radiometric calibration algorithms for satellite sensors using airborne spectral radiance data.
• Analyzing surface material properties and land cover using 50 bands of calibrated radiance across visible, near-infrared, and thermal infrared wavelengths.
• Studying instrument performance and spatial resolution characteristics of the MASTER sensor at approximately 20-meter ground sampling.
• Correlating flight path and georeferenced imagery data for precise spatial analysis of the surveyed California region.

Strengths

• Contains calibrated radiance data across 50 specific spectral bands from 0.460 to 12.879 micrometers.
• Provides georeferenced imagery at a defined spatial resolution of approximately 20 meters.
• Includes ancillary data such as flight paths, instrument configuration, and spectral band information for context.

Limitations

• Sources conflict on the last updated date: one lists 1999-01-17, another lists 2026-03 13.
• Core data size, row count, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• Data is from a single flight on a specific date, limiting temporal analysis.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Collected by the MASTER instrument aboard a DOE B-200 aircraft.

Time Range

1999-01-17

Freshness

2026-03-13 00:58:02.109346

Geography

California, U.S.