MMR Ground Data: Surface Radiative Measurements for Satellite Calibration

FIFE field campaign data contains ground-based measurements of surface reflectance factors, radiances, and temperatures. These measurements were collected using a portable mast-mounted Modular Multiband Radiometer (MMR), coordinated with aircraft and satellite overpasses. The data supports the validation and calibration of remote sensing observations.

Use Cases

• Calibrating satellite sensor reflectance data based on ground-truth MMR measurements.
• Validating atmospheric correction algorithms using coordinated overpass data.
• Analyzing bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDF) from solar principal plane sampling.
• Studying surface temperature variations using mast-borne radiometer data.

Strengths

• Provides direct ground-truth measurements for satellite validation, a critical step in remote sensing.
• Data collection was coordinated with aircraft and satellite overpasses, ensuring temporal alignment.
• Cross-platform presence on datagov and NASA Earthdata signals recognized importance.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing: row count, file size, and specific column names are unknown.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist between sources (1989 vs. 2026), casting doubt on data freshness.
• Documentation is sparse, with no detailed schema or sampling methodology provided.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Measurements gathered with a portable mast-mounted Modular Multiband Radiometer (MMR), including periodic collections over a barium sulfate reference panel.

Time Range

The FIFE campaign suggests data was likely collected in the late 1980s.

Freshness

Last updated dates conflict: NASA Earthdata lists 1989-08-11, while datagov lists 2026-04 10.

Geography

Spatial coverage is not explicitly stated, but data was collected at a variety of field sites.