MISR Level 3: Monthly Cloud Motion Vectors from Multi-Angle Satellite Imagery

Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) data provides cloud motion vectors derived from nine cameras viewing Earth from nine different directions. NASA's Terra satellite collects this data, which offers a proxy for horizontal atmospheric winds at cloud altitude with global coverage achieved every nine days. The instrument measures radiance in four spectral bands (443, 555, 670, and 865 nm) to monitor long-term trends in aerosols, clouds, and land surface cover.

Use Cases

• Modeling atmospheric wind fields based on retrieved cloud motion vectors.
• Analyzing long-term trends in cloud types and heights based on multi-angle observations.
• Studying the distribution and impact of atmospheric aerosols (particles) based on spectral band measurements.
• Monitoring global vegetation canopy structure and land surface cover changes over time.

Strengths

• Data is collected from nine cameras at different angles (0, 26.1, 45.6, 60.0, and 70.5 degrees), providing multi-perspective observations.
• Global coverage is achieved in a nine-day cycle, supporting frequent temporal analysis.
• The product is in netCDF format, a standard for array-oriented scientific data.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Retrievals from the MISR instrument on the Terra satellite, using geometric triangulation of cloud features from multiple camera perspectives.

Time Range

Monthly product; specific start date is not provided in the input.

Freshness

Data collection is described as ongoing, with metadata last updated 2026-03-13.

Geography

Global coverage.