Land Processes DAAC (LP DAAC)
The LP DAAC ingests, processes, distributes, and archives data for land-related EOS sensors.
Photo: This MODIS surface reflectance mosaic is an eight day
composite collected November 8-15, 2004 and shows the eastern portion of
Africa. The false-color band combination (2, 1, and 3 as RGB) shows healthy
vegetation as red and includes the countries of Chad, Sudan, and Ethiopia. The
desert regions of Saudi Arabia and the Sahara Desert are represented in tan.
This MODIS image is in 500 meter resolution.
Photo: This ASTER image shows Lake Abhé and Dama Ali Volcano. The
lake, which is surrounded by quicksand, spans across the Djiboutian and
Ethiopian borders. In the past, this region had heavy volcanic activity. The
last eruption of Dama Ali Volcano was around 1631. This ASTER false color image
was created using band combination of 3N, 2, and 1 (red, green, and blue
respectively). This ASTER VNIR image is in 15 meter resolution.
Available Data
- Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Products
(Resolution: VNIR at 15 m; SWIR at 30 m; TIR at 90 m | Availability: March 2000 to present | Coverage: Global (on demand))Of the instruments on board Terra, ASTER offers the highest resolution image data in visible and near-infrared (VNIR), shortwave infrared (SWIR), and thermal infrared (TIR) wavelengths. Routinely acquired data and data products generated include Level 1A reconstructed unprocessed instrument data and Level 1B registered radiance at the sensor data. Higher level products, which can be requested on demand, include brightness temperature, surface reflectance, decorrelation stretch, surface radiance, surface emissivity, surface kinetic temperature, polar cloud classification, and digital elevation models. The ASTER DEM coverage map is available here.
- MODIS Products from Terra and Aqua
(Resolution: 250 m, 500 m, and 1 km | Availability: Terra, February 2000 to present; Aqua, August 2002 to present; combined Terra and Aqua products, July 2002 to present | Coverage: Global)The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) provides an integrated tool for observing a variety of terrestrial, oceanic, and atmospheric features of Earth. Data sets are Level 2 and higher and include surface reflectance, land surface temperature, vegetation indices, fire anomalies, leaf area index, bidirectional reflectance distribution function and albedo, land cover change, vegetation cover conversion, and net primary production.
These higher data products have been designed to remove the burden of certain common types of data processing from the user community and meet the more general needs of global-to-regional monitoring, modeling, and assessment.
Photo: This "blue marble" composite is the most detailed true-color
image of the entire Earth to date. Much of the information came from one remote
sensor--MODIS. This value-added surface reflectance image combines
satellite-based observations of land surface, oceans, sea ice, and clouds into a
seamless mosaic of every square kilometer of the planet. Land and coastal ocean
portions were based on surface observations collected from June through
September 2001, composited every 8 days to compensate for clouds. Ocean data
comprise shallow water true-color and global ocean color data. Topographic
shading was based on the GTOPO30 data set. MODIS and AVHRR observations of
Antarctica were combined. (Credits: NASA GSFC, MODIS Land Group, MODIS
Atmosphere Group, MODIS Ocean Group, USGS National Center for EROS, USGS
Terrestrial Remote Sensing Flagstaff Field Center, DMSP).
Future Data
The LP DAAC will archive and distribute a new collection (V005) of land products from the MODIS sensors. This will include the reprocessing of the Terra and Aqua V004 products from the beginning of missions (February 2000 and July 2002 respectively). The V005 will be released the latter part of 2005.
Photo: The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer
(ASTER) is an advanced multispectral imager that was launched on board NASA's
Terra spacecraft in December, 1999. Terra is the first of a series of
multi-instrument spacecraft forming NASA's Earth Observing System
(EOS).
Photo: The ASTER images are false color using bands 3N, 2, and 1 in red,
green, and blue. Red indicates healthy vegetation. This ASTER VNIR image is in
15 meter resolution.
The top image is a false color mosaic created from three ASTER images.
It captures the cities of Baltimore (in yellow box) and Washington D.C,
including the Chesapeake Bay Area.
The bottom image is a subset of Baltimore, Maryland. The small island on the
right is Hart-Miller Pleasant Island.
Data Access
Access to data, data search, order, and browse, and order information including information on Land Processes DAAC is available here. Data can be ordered via the EDG data search-and-order system. Before ordering, users are encouraged to use this tutorial. Data are available by FTP or on a variety of media, including CD-ROM and DVD.
For assistance or additional information, contact:
LP DAAC User Services
U.S. Geological Survey
EROS Data Center
Phone: +1 605-594-6116
U.S. Toll Free: 1-866-573-3222
Fax: +1 605-594-6963
E-mail: edc@eos.nasa.gov