MISR Level 1B1: Multi-Angle Satellite Radiance Data for Earth Observation

MISR Level 1B1 Local Mode Radiance Data version 2 contains radiometrically scaled spectral radiance values from nine push-broom cameras across four spectral bands. The data is produced by NASA's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer instrument, which achieves global coverage in nine days by viewing each surface location from nine different angles. This ongoing data collection supports monitoring of atmospheric aerosols, clouds, and land surface cover.

Use Cases

• Analyze atmospheric aerosol types and amounts based on multi-angle radiance measurements.
• Study cloud height, type, and amount using radiance data from nine different view angles.
• Monitor land surface cover and vegetation structure changes using four spectral bands (blue, green, red, near-infrared).
• Perform vicarious calibration of satellite instruments using the described onboard calibrator (OBC) methodology.

Strengths

• Data is collected from nine cameras at fixed view angles (0, 26.1, 45.6, 60.0, and 70.5 degrees) for comprehensive angular sampling.
• Spectral bands are centered at specific wavelengths (443, 555, 670, and 865 nm) for consistent measurement.
• Calibration uses coefficients from an onboard calibrator (OBC) with Spectralon panels and vicarious methods.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data is not geometrically corrected or resampled, which may require additional processing for analysis.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Collected by the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on a satellite platform.

Time Range

Data collection is described as ongoing; specific start date is not provided.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:39:59.179152; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage achieved in nine days.