SE-590 Helicopter Spectral Measurements for FIFE Sites

NASA's SE-590 Reflectance Factors and Radiances Measured from a Helicopter Data Set provides intermediate-scale spectral characterization of land surfaces. Data were collected at 17 grid locations over 6 clear-sky days in 1989 during the FIFE IFC-5 campaign. The helicopter-borne SE-590 instrument was used to bridge measurements between ground radiometers and higher-altitude aircraft or satellite sensors.

Use Cases

• Calibrating satellite-derived reflectance estimates using SE-590 radiance measurements as an intermediate reference.
• Modeling bi-directional reflectance with off-nadir observations from 17 distinct FIFE grid locations.
• Characterizing spectral properties of land surfaces for comparison with surface-based radiometer data.
• Providing a spatial sampling bridge between point-scale ground measurements and broader aircraft/spacecraft imagery.

Strengths

• Data collection targeted 17 specific grid locations, providing structured spatial sampling.
• Measurements were taken over 6 days under clear sky conditions, ensuring consistent atmospheric interference.
• Instrumentation (SE-590) was chosen for compatibility with both surface radiometers and TM spacecraft sensors.
• Off-nadir measurements were explicitly made to improve hemispherical reflectance estimates.

Limitations

• Critical quantitative details are missing, including row count, file size, and specific column names.
• Conflicting last update dates exist between sources (1989-08-08 vs. 2026-03-12), indicating potential metadata inconsistency.
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without clear terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected using a helicopter-borne SE-590 spectroradiometer during the FIFE Intensive Field Campaign 5 (IFC-5).

Time Range

1989-07-28 to 1989-08-08

Freshness

2026-03 12 22:05:05.334809

Geography

FIFE (First ISLSCP Field Experiment) study area.