MISR Level 3: Monthly Global Radiance Summary at 0.5° Resolution

MIL3MRD_005 is the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer Level 3 Component Global Radiance Product version 5 from NASA. It provides a monthly statistical summary of spectral top-of-atmosphere Bidirectional Reflectance Factor and spectral expansive albedos on a 0.5-degree geographic grid. Data collection is ongoing, with global coverage achieved in nine days using nine cameras measuring four spectral bands.

Use Cases

• Monitoring monthly trends in aerosol types and amounts based on spectral radiance data.
• Analyzing cloud amounts, types, and heights based on multi-angle reflectance measurements.
• Studying the distribution and structure of land surface vegetation cover based on spectral albedo summaries.
• Modeling the effects of sunlight on Earth's atmosphere and surface based on bidirectional reflectance factors.

Strengths

• Provides global coverage achieved in nine days.
• Reports data on a geographic grid with a resolution of 0.5 degrees by 0.5 degrees.
• Collects data from nine cameras at view angles of 0, 26.1, 45.6, 60.0, and 70.5 degrees.
• Measures radiance in four spectral bands centered at 443, 555, 670, and 865 nm.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is provided in BIN and ISO file formats, which may require specialized tools for access.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data is gathered by the MISR instrument, consisting of nine push-broom cameras on a satellite.

Time Range

Monthly summaries; data collection is ongoing.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:37:47.498431; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage.