Dome Concordia (Dome C) in Antarctica is an excellent calibration site for polar-orbiting Earth observation instruments due to its spectral, spatial, and temporal uniformity. These instruments also observe Dome C multiple times a day and at a variety of geometries. The MODIS Characterization Support Team uses regular observations of Dome C by Aqua and Terra MODIS to help validate and improve the calibration of the detector gain and response versus scan angle of the reflective solar bands used to generate NASA’s Level 1B reflectance products. The reflectance trends at Dome C are typically assessed on a yearly basis, due to a six-month sunlit observation period. In this work, we increase the temporal resolution of the trends from yearly to bi-monthly and reduce measurement noise using a reflectance-based snow BRDF model. We show results for Terra and Aqua MODIS BRDF-normalized reflectance using the Collection 7 calibration for bands 1-4, 8-9, and 17. The BRDF model significantly reduces the variations in the bi-monthly reflectance trends with the best results observed near nadir and for the blue bands 3, 8, and 9. The higher temporal sampling allows for better real-time identification of any calibration errors during the sunlit season. In addition, due to its polar location, Dome C is largely insensitive to the recent orbit drift of the Terra and Aqua satellites which has created challenges for MODIS calibration based on other on-board and Earth targets. Combined, these advantages will make Dome C a particularly important calibration reference target during the final years of the Terra and Aqua missions.
The NOAA-21 VIIRS has successfully operated since its launch in November 2022 in an orbital constellation that includes the S-NPP and NOAA-20 launched in 2011 and 2017, respectively. Each VIIRS instrument makes daily global observations with 22 spectral bands, covering wavelengths from 0.41 to 12μm. It includes a day-night band (DNB) with a nominal spectral bandwidth of 0.5-0.9μm. The VIIRS instrument is regularly calibrated on orbit by a set of on-board calibrators (OBC), which include a solar diffuser (SD), a solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM), a blackbody (BB), and a space view (SV) port. On-orbit calibration activities and strategies also include near-monthly lunar observations performed via spacecraft roll maneuvers. The lunar observations are often used along with SD measurements to help improve on-orbit calibration of the reflective solar bands. In this paper, we provide an update of NOAA-21 VIIRS on-orbit calibration and performance since launch, and a comprehensive assessment of on-orbit changes of its spectral band responses before and after the second mid-mission outgas (MMOG) performed in February 2024. In addition to detector noise characterization, the OBC performance of NOAA-21 VIIRS is illustrated and compared with that of S-NPP and NOAA-20 over the same operating period. Results show that the NOAA-21 VIIRS overall performance is comparable to or better than its predecessors.
The MODIS instruments on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites each use an on-board solar diffuser (SD) as the primary calibration source for the reflective solar bands (RSB). The reflectance properties of the MODIS solar diffusers were extensively characterized prior to launch and those measurements form the basis for the absolute reflectance and radiance calibration of the MODIS Level-1B data products. On orbit, additional characterization was done during early mission yaw maneuvers to verify the angular dependence of the SD reflectance and measure the transmission of an optional attenuation screen that can be placed in front of the SD. To account for degradation of the SD reflectance from cumulative solar radiation exposure, MODIS is also equipped with an on-board solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM). Regular SD and SDSM calibrations have been made throughout the duration of the Terra and Aqua missions, for more than 20 years now. In the past few years, both Terra and Aqua have been drifting away from their historically maintained orbital planes. Observations of the SD continue to be made, but with incident solar angles that are outside the limits of the pre-launch and early mission characterizations, which presents a problem for accurate calibration. Recently, in August 2024, an additional set of yaw maneuvers was performed for Aqua to help characterize the upcoming drift-induced changes in SD measurements. We discuss the current state of Terra and Aqua MODIS SD calibration, the results of the Aqua yaw maneuvers, and the various options available to extend the SD measurements and RSB calibration through the end of the Terra and Aqua missions.
The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is an Earth-observing satellite sensor. VIIRS data are used to generate about 30 products (see Ref. 3) for Earth studies and weather forecasting. Out of the 22 VIIRS spectral bands, 14 are the reflective solar bands (RSBs). Earth views from some of these RSBs onboard the NOAA-20 (N20) satellite show unexpected striping. Our investigation shows that the striping for the N20 VIIRS visible and near-infrared (VisNIR) bands comes from three sources: first, for bands M1 (412 nm) and M2 (445 nm), an obvious dependence on the sides of the half-angle-mirror (HAM), a result of a likely error in the HAM’s reflectivity extrapolated to the telescope solar diffuser (SD) view angle; second, a gradual increase in the striping over time for band M1, resulting from not accounting for the positional dependence of the SD reflectance; and finally, a small (~0.3%) but universal amount of time invariant striping for all the VisNIR bands, possibly coming from a small amount of positional dependence in the prelaunch measured SD reflectance. Here, we apply appropriate methods to resolve the unwanted striping for the N20 VIIRS VisNIR bands. The de-striping algorithms have been applied in the NASA N20 VIIRS Collection 2.1 L1B products, with the first delivery of the forward L1B F-factor LUTs (version v3.1.1.7) in November 2023.
Inaccurate solar vector orientation knowledge can considerably deteriorate calibration results for the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). We develop a methodology to use the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) VIIRS solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM) sun view data to assess the knowledge accuracy of the solar angles that reside in the onboard calibrator intermediate product (OBCIP) files used for on-orbit radiometric calibration. We applied an initial version of this methodology in 2013 and found that the solar declination angle had a relative error that varied between ∼0 deg to 0.17 deg. The relative error is referenced to the error at the SNPP satellite yaw maneuver time that occurred on February 15 to 16, 2012. Our mission long results from the current methodology show that the solar vector angular knowledge error occurred from the early mission until mission day 1129 (November 30, 2014). The error undulates yearly with the largest error in the solar declination angle increasing from ∼0.17 deg in the first year to 0.19 deg in the third year, agreeing with the solar vector error root cause understanding realized in early 2014. With the reprocessed OBCIP files, we find the solar vector declination and azimuth angular knowledge errors have near zero biases. The detection limit of this methodology strongly depends on how finely the solar angle is sampled by the SDSM detectors. With the SDSM sun view data collected when the SDSM operated once per day, this methodology yields detection standard deviations of 0.013 deg and 0.024 deg for the solar declination and azimuth angles. With a 3-sigma criterion, at the detection limits, the solar orientation errors result in a calibration error of 0.088%. This method can be applied to other Earth-orbiting sensors.
KEYWORDS: Calibration, Equipment, Stray light, Signal to noise ratio, Displays, Data transmission, Space operations, Short wave infrared radiation, Sensors, Satellites
The third VIIRS instrument, launched onboard the JPSS-2 satellite (also referred to as the NOAA-21) on November 10, 2022, is currently operated in a fleet that includes the S-NPP and NOAA-20 satellites that were launched on October 28, 2011, and November 18, 2017, respectively. In this paper, we provide an overview of NOAA-21 VIIRS initial on-orbit operation and calibration activities and a comprehensive assessment of its early on-orbit performance, including analyses made during its initial post-launch testing phase as well as under current nominal operations. The instrument performance examples presented in this paper include but are not limited to its detector signal-to-noise ratios for the reflective solar bands, the noise equivalent temperature difference for the thermal emissive bands, on-orbit changes of its spectral band responses, and the performance of its on-board calibrators, such as solar diffuser on-orbit degradation and blackbody temperature stability and uniformity. Also discussed in this paper are comparisons of NOAA-21 VIIRS on-orbit performance with its predecessors on-board the S-NPP and NOAA-20 satellites over the same operating period, as well as potential improvements for NOAA-21 VIIRS as its mission continues.
The NOAA-21 VIIRS yaw maneuver operation was carried out in March 2023 over 15 scheduled orbits to characterize the three required input functions for the standard on-orbit RSB calibration pipeline. The characterization functions of the product of the bidirectional reflectance factors (BRFs) of the solar diffuser (SD) with the vignetting function (VF) of the SD screen (SDS) are derived for the two required outgoing directions from the SD to the RSBs and from the SD to the SDSM. The VFs for the attenuation screen placed in front of the Sun-view port are also derived with the yaw measurements.
The MODIS instruments on the Terra and Aqua spacecraft employ a solar diffuser (SD) and a solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM) system to calibrate their reflective solar bands (RSBs), covering a spectral range from 0.4 to 2.1 μm. The UV exposure of the SD, from its sun-view port as well as the scattered light (sunlight reflected from top-of-atmosphere), has led to a wavelength dependent degradation of the SD, with larger degradation observed at shorter wavelengths. The scatter off the diffuser onto the scan mirror is in the forward direction, whereas the scatter off the diffuser onto the SDSM fold mirror is in the backward direction. Since the outgoing angles (viewed by MODIS detectors) are the same as the scheduled SD calibration, the gain derived from scattering light facilitates monitoring the dependence of the SD’s degradation on incident angles. In this paper, we present a method that uses multiple orbits over each mission to obtain a SD response to the nadir port illumination. The SD degradation estimated from the nadir port illumination is compared with the degradation derived from the sun-illuminated SD. As both Terra and Aqua spacecraft continue to drift from their nominal orbits, the SD calibration mechanism has been adapted to these drifts, especially in terms of characterizing the transmission screen function. This paper also presents the utility of this scattering light data to support the RSB calibration in the post-nominal orbit drift era of operations.
The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is a key instrument on the recently launched NOAA-21 (previously JPSS-2) satellite. The VIIRS, like its predecessors on the SNPP and NOAA-20 satellites, provides daily global coverage in 22 spectral bands from 0.41 to 12.0 micrometers. The geometrically and radiometrically calibrated observations are the basis for numerous operational applications and scientific research studies. Fourteen of the 22 bands are reflective solar bands (RSBs), covering wavelengths from 0.41 to 2.25 micrometers. The RSBs were radiometrically calibrated prelaunch and are regularly calibrated on orbit through the onboard solar diffuser (SD) and scheduled lunar observations. The on-orbit SD’s reflectance change is determined by the onboard solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM). Here, we report our findings on the early mission NOAA-21 VIIRS RSB radiometric performance, and the performance of the SD and the SDSM.
After more than 20 years in orbit, NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites have both started drifting away from their historically maintained orbits. The MODIS instruments on Terra and Aqua continue to collect valuable Earth observation data, but the changing orbits present a challenge for maintaining accurate calibration. The MODIS reflective solar bands (RSB), spanning the wavelength range from 412 nm to 2130 nm, are calibrated on orbit using a combination of regular data collections from an on-board solar diffuser, the Moon, and pseudo-invariant Earth scenes. Starting in the Collection 6 Level 1B (L1B) data products, the RSB calibration began using data from desert targets for a few of the visible bands to better track changes in the response versus scan angle that could not be captured by the on-board calibration. The use of Earth scene data has been extended recently for Terra MODIS calibration in Collection 6.1 (C6.1) and the upcoming Collection 7 (C7) L1B to also include data from ocean scenes and deep convective clouds (DCC). Drifts in both the orbit inclination and ground track of Terra and Aqua lead to changes in the solar illumination angles and satellite view angles of the Earth scenes. We discuss how these orbital changes impact the desert and DCC targets used for MODIS RSB calibration and present the accompanying changes made to our C6.1 and C7 calibration algorithms. We also discuss remaining future challenges, such as better characterization of bi-directional reflectance distribution functions, and possible alternative calibration strategies.
Since its launch in May, 2002, Aqua MODIS has successfully operated for more than 20 years and has continuously generated a wide range of data products that have enabled and supported the remote sensing community and users worldwide for their studies of the Earth’s system by monitoring changes in its key environmental parameters. Although Aqua MODIS, designed with a lifetime requirement of 6 years, is currently operated in its extended mission phase, it continues to make high quality global observations of the Earth’s surface via its 36 spectral bands that cover wavelengths from visible to long-wave infrared. To date, all instrument on-board calibrators (OBC) remain capable of performing their design functions, providing various calibration data sets to help monitor on-orbit changes in sensor responses and performance characteristics. In addition to the OBC, regularly scheduled lunar observations and select Earth-view targets are used extensively to support sensor on-orbit calibration, especially for the calibration of the visible channels (or bands). We provide an overview of Aqua MODIS on-orbit calibration activities and methodologies for both reflective solar bands and thermal emissive bands, illustrate its on-orbit performance over the past 20 years using examples derived from OBC measurements, lunar observations, and Earth-view response trends, and describe various calibration improvements made over its entire mission. We focus on key issues identified since launch, such as solar diffuser degradation, electronic crosstalk, and on-orbit changes in sensor response versus scan-angle, along with approaches and strategies developed to mitigate their impact on sensor calibration quality. Also discussed in this paper are some of the key calibration enhancements incorporated recently in the Collection 6.1 and the upcoming Collection 7 Level-1B algorithms.
Aqua MODIS has successfully operated for more than 20 years and continuously generated a wide range of data products to enable and support the remote sensing community and users worldwide for their studies of the Earth’s system. Although it is currently operated in its extended mission phase, Aqua MODIS continues to make high quality global observations of the Earth’s surface and its on-board calibrators (OBC) remain capable of performing their design functions, providing essential calibration data sets to help monitor on-orbit changes in sensor responses. In this paper, we provide an overview of Aqua MODIS on-orbit calibration methodologies for both reflective solar bands and thermal emissive bands, illustrate its on-orbit performance over 20 years using examples derived from OBC measurements, lunar observations, and Earth view response trends, and describe various calibration improvements made over its entire mission. We focus on several issues identified since launch, such as solar diffuser degradation, electronic crosstalk, and on-orbit changes in sensor response versus scan-angle, and discuss the approaches developed to mitigate their impact on sensor calibration quality.
The detectors in the reflective solar bands (RSB) of Terra and Aqua MODIS use a linear relationship to relate the instrument response to the observed top-of-atmosphere radiance. Recently, we reported that Aqua MODIS bands 1 (645 nm) and 2 (858 nm) have deviations from gain linearity that change on-orbit, leading to errors in the NASA Level 1B radiance products for low radiance scenes. In this paper, we expand on these findings to assess the linearity of detector responses in both Aqua and Terra MODIS for all RSB using data from the on-board solar diffuser (SD) and spectro-radiometric calibration assembly (SRCA). We use comparisons of SD observations taken at two different radiance levels: with and without an attenuation screen. The SRCA, operated in radiometric mode, takes observations of RSB detector response at multiple radiance levels using a set of lamps and a neutral density filter. While the lamps do not provide a stable enough source for an accurate radiometric calibration, we can use the relative response with and without the neutral density filter to track changes in gain linearity. Unlike the SD, the SRCA results can be used for nearly all RSB of both instruments. We show that most RSB for both Terra and Aqua MODIS continue to have very linear responses throughout the missions. Some notable exceptions are bands 1 and 2 for both Aqua and Terra, which are used primarily for land imaging applications, and band 26 for Terra, which is used for cirrus cloud identification. The results from the SD and SRCA are in reasonably good agreement with each other.
MODIS is an imaging spectroradiometer onboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites with visible to short-wave infrared capability enabled through 20 reflective solar bands (RSB) in the wavelength range of 400 to 2200 nm. RSB gain changes are monitored by using observations of a fully sunlit solar diffuser (SD) for the on-orbit radiometric calibration. SD signal changes, due to degradation of the SD surface, are monitored by using the SD Stability Monitor (SDSM), which has 9 detectors in the wavelength range of 400 to 936 nm. These calibration approaches depend on the geometry of the spacecraft’s orbit. Both Terra and Aqua have recently started to exit their respective constellations and are (or soon will be) in the process of drifting from their nominal orbits. These orbital changes will cause changes in the solar diffuser (SD) and solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM) viewing geometry and calibration conditions. This, in turn, will drive a variation in the calibration parameters used to calculate reference adjustments for the MODIS reflective solar bands (RSB). We examine the expected effect of orbital drift on the reflectance and transmittance functions, the evaluation of on-going SDSM detector response, the variation of SD surface incidence angle ranges, and the estimation of fully-illuminated observing condition for SD signal monitoring.
The VIIRS instrument on the NOAA-20 satellite continues to have excellent performance in its reflective solar bands (RSB), with detector gains changing by less than 0.5% over the first four and a half years of the mission. The calibration of the RSB for NASA’s Collection 2 Level 1B product relies primarily on data from the on-board solar diffuser (SD). Recently, we updated the calibration algorithm to include corrections to the long-term gain trends based on regularly scheduled lunar observations. Earlier in the NOAA-20 mission, due to insufficient lunar data, the long-term correction applied to the SD trends was based on scaled results from the first VIIRS instrument on the SNPP satellite. In this paper, we show updated NOAA-20 data trends of the solar diffuser degradation and the RSB gains derived from every-orbit SD observations. We also show updated lunar data and describe our algorithm for using the lunar data to correct the long-term gain trends. The gain differences between the previous algorithm, using scaled SNPP lunar data, and new algorithm, directly using NOAA-20 lunar data, are largest for bands M2 (0.4%), M3 (0.4%), M4 (0.5%), and I1 (0.6%), and negligible (<0.2%) for the other RSB. The updated algorithm began to be implemented in forward production of the NASA VIIRS Level 1B product starting in September 2021 and will allow for more accurate tracking of the long-term RSB gain in the future.
KEYWORDS: MODIS, Calibration, Sensors, Reflectivity, Short wave infrared radiation, Long wavelength infrared, Detection and tracking algorithms, Polarization, Mirrors, Algorithm development
Moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) continues to be an important instrument for NASA’s earth observing system. Terra and Aqua MODIS have produced more than 22 and 20 years of global datasets that have significantly helped scientists better understand the Earth’s systems, respectively. The MODIS level-1B (L1B) algorithms use the uncalibrated, geolocated Earth scene observations as input and convert the instrument response into calibrated reflectance and radiance, which are used to generate the downstream science products. The sustained calibration and characterization activities undertaken by the MODIS characterization support team have resulted in several upgrades to the L1B algorithms to maintain accurate calibration in the data products. We present an overview of the L1B algorithm designated as Collection 7. Various algorithm enhancements both in the reflective bands and thermal bands characterization are currently under science testing and evaluation. Once applied in data processing (projected in early 2023), they are expected to manifest in improved science products, both in terms of radiometric accuracy and long-term stability.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board the Terra and Aqua platforms has 20 reflective solar bands (0.4 to 2.1 μm), for which the on-orbit detector gain changes are tracked using the on-board solar diffuser (SD) and SD stability monitor. SD and lunar observation data, supplemented by Earth-view (EV) observations for some bands, are used to characterize the scan-mirror response versus scan angle (RVS). The short-wave infrared (SWIR) bands (1.2 to 2.1 μm) have issues, such as electronic crosstalk and an out-of-band optical leak from the thermal bands, which complicate the use of the Moon for reliably characterizing the on-orbit RVS. Before Collection 7 (C7), the pre-launch RVS was deemed sufficient for both Aqua and Terra MODIS SWIR bands throughout the missions. However, recent studies have found that the RVS behavior does change with time in some SWIR bands, up to 2% and 1% for Terra MODIS bands 5 and 26, respectively. We assess the residual RVS effects present in the current MODIS calibration at desert sites and deep convective clouds (DCC). Due to the large uncertainties caused by the water vapor absorption effects from desert sites, especially for band 26 (1.375 μm), EV observations from DCCs are chosen to characterize the on-orbit RVS behavior for the SWIR bands. A time-dependent RVS characterization method for the SWIR bands is described and assessed by comparing the results with Collection 6.1 (C6.1) Level 1B (L1B) reflectance products. This new algorithm will be used in the upcoming C7 L1B reprocessing for Terra MODIS, providing more stable and accurate SWIR band reflectance data over time and across the scan range compared with the C6.1 results. For Aqua MODIS SWIR bands, performance evaluations with desert and DCC data indicate stable performance, so the pre-launch RVS will continue to be used in C7.
Calibration of Terra and Aqua MODIS reflective solar bands (RSB) has evolved significantly since the launch of the first MODIS instrument on the Terra satellite more than 21 years ago. In NASA’s current Collection 6 and 6.1 Level 1B products (C6/C6.1 L1B), the RSB calibration algorithm continues to rely primarily on the onboard solar diffuser to calibrate the instrument gain. Lunar observations are used to track on-orbit changes in the response versus scan angle (RVS), and data from pseudo-invariant desert sites are used to apply adjustments to the gain and RVS calibration for select bands. The resulting reflectance products have in general shown a very stable performance. In recent years, some performance degradation has been noted for a few bands and algorithm changes have been tested to further improve the calibration accuracy for the upcoming Collection 7 (C7) L1B reprocess. In this paper, we present the MODIS RSB calibration improvements that will be included in C7. Major improvements include: applying polarization correction to the desert data before using it to generate RVS for Terra bands 8, 9, 3, and 10; using ocean scene data and an interband calibration approach to correct for long-term drift of Terra bands 11 and 12; applying an updated crosstalk correction to Terra SWIR bands over the entire mission; and using data from deep convective clouds in Terra SWIR band calibration, including the addition of time-dependent RVS for bands 5 and 26. All other minor calibration changes are also covered. Overall, the reflectance differences at nadir between C6.1 and C7 are within a few percent, though the differences increase in some cases at large scan angles. The Terra visible (3, 8-12) and SWIR bands (5-7, 26) have the most significant improvements. For all other Terra bands and all Aqua bands, the C7-C6.1 differences are mostly within 1%.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on-board the Aqua and Terra spacecraft have collected valuable Earth data for the last 19 and 21 years, respectively. MODIS is equipped with various on-orbit calibrators, including a solar diffuser (SD) and solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM), that are used to monitor changes in the instrument’s gain over time. Nominally, SD calibrations alternate between two configurations: screen open and screen closed. Terra MODIS, however, experienced an anomaly in 2003, which has left the SD door and screen in a permanent open-closed configuration. This resulted in accelerated degradation of the SD on Terra MODIS due to the direct solar radiation exposure every orbit. It also led to an unexpected divergence between the calibration coefficients, m1, or the inverse of the gain, generated using SD data and those generated using lunar observations at the time of the 2003 anomaly. This paper examines the effect of the screen configuration on the Terra SD degradation by analyzing Terra SDSM data and comparing to Aqua. We generate “pseudo-open” Terra SDSM data by modeling the ratio of Aqua screen open and screen closed SDSM data and calculate the Terra SD degradation using this new screen open data. We then examine the effects on our m1 values calculated using this new pseudo-open SD degradation for Terra. Implementing this new degradation results in a smaller discrepancy between the lunar and SD m1 values after the door anomaly, indicating that there may be a systematic error in the SD degradation calculated with screen closed data.
The MODIS instruments aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites and the VIIRS instruments aboard the SNPP and NOAA-20 satellites each contain several arrays of Si detectors that measure Earth-reflected radiance in the visible and near-infrared spectral range. Even in the absence of incident light, the Si detectors are occasionally excited by high energy charged particles that pass through the spacecraft. These particle radiation events are, fortunately, infrequent enough that they do not lead to significant degradation of the detectors and they do not have a significant impact on the Earth scene radiance images. On the other hand, they are frequent enough that the cumulative data from many years on orbit may provide valuable diagnostic information about the sensors. In this paper, we provide some basic statistics on the frequency and magnitude of the particle excitation events for MODIS and VIIRS and explore the usefulness of this data as a measure of electronic crosstalk. Large amounts of crosstalk can degrade the quality of the Earth images, so it is crucial to have methods to characterize and correct for it on-orbit, which has previously been done for MODIS using lunar image analysis. The particle excitations can manifest as single-pixel spikes in the otherwise dark space view background, which may be an ideal source for evaluating crosstalk. We derive crosstalk coefficients between the NIR band detectors of Terra MODIS, and compare them to coefficients previously derived from lunar observations. The same approach is applied to SNPP VIIRS, which does not show any significant electronic crosstalk. While the HgCdTe detectors used in the MODIS and VIIRS infrared bands can also be excited by particle radiation, the magnitudes of the excitations are much smaller compared to the Si detectors and in general are not large enough to be useful for examining crosstalk.
To provide the best science data quality, an accurate characterization of the response versus scan angle (RVS) function is critical for the MODIS reflective solar bands (RSB) on-orbit calibration. In every MODIS operational scan, the Earth’s surface, referred to here as Earth view (EV), the space view (SV) port, and the onboard calibrators are viewed via a twosided scan mirror. The RVS is defined as the sensor’s relative response as a function the angle of incidence (AOI) to the scan mirror. Many different approaches have been developed to derive the time-dependent RVS and its look-up table (LUT) applied to MODIS Level 1B (L1B) products since calibration Collection 4. For most MODIS RSB, the on-board calibrators can reasonably track the RVS change with time. In practice, their RVS is derived using data from on-board calibrators and the EV mirror side ratio (for mirror side 2). For Terra bands 1-4, 8-10 and Aqua bands 1-4, 8-9, an enhancement has been employed in Collections 6 and 6.1 (C6/C6.1) by using Earth scene response trending from pseudoinvariant desert sites in addition to the onboard calibrators. The current C6/C6/1 RVS algorithm is focused on fitting the EV data at each AOI over time and then deriving the relative change at different AOI. The EV response trending is currently fitted with multiple segments over time. Alternatively, the EV responses can be fit first as a function of AOI before fitting temporally in order to reduce the dependence on the stability of the desert site. These pre-treatment methods on the EV data provide improvement in the derived calibration coefficients. However, evidence of insufficient calibration is still observed in the MODIS L1B reflectance data, especially in the form of differences between the mirror sides. In this paper, we review the current methodologies that utilize the EV response trends from the pseudo-invariant Libyan desert targets to supplement the gain derived from the onboard calibrators. An improvement is then proposed and investigated such that a sliding window average (SWA) is used to pre-process the raw EV data. The SWA parameters are carefully selected using trade-off studies to accurately track the Earth scene response trending in multiple cases to overcome the reflectance differences between two mirror sides. Calibration results show improvements for both Aqua and Terra MODIS RSB L1B data products. This new adjustment has been included in the recently delivered Collection 7 LUT that will be evident in the L1B products expected to be released in late 2021.
The MODIS imaging spectroradiometer instruments on-board NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites have 20 reflective solar bands (RSB) covering a wavelength range from 400 to 2200 nm. Radiance is calculated from processing raw signals with background, temperature, and electronic contamination corrected. Measured gain is calibrated with a fully Sunlit solar diffuser (SD) at a stable radiance level, considering a slowly changing SD reflectance degradation. These measurements provide time-dependent gain adjustment factors, and the calibration assumes a linear response for each band and detector. Hence, an analysis of the dependence on different radiance levels is warranted. The MODIS design has no mechanism for varying radiance levels, except for an attenuator screen. However, it has been in static configuration for Terra since mid-2003. An external source of radiance attenuation can be utilized during solar eclipse events, while maintaining high stability and accuracy of solar calibration standards. Due to its long mission lifetime, Terra has seen several Sun-Moon near-conjunction events when it coincides with the orbit path where the SD is directly illuminated. As of August 2020, we have identified 7 viable partial solar eclipses in the Terra mission data. We will discuss several results of our study, including comparison of measured SD signal to predicted radiance reduction based on a solar disk radiance model; nominal and outlier behavior as a function of bands, detectors, and mirror-sides; and comparison with other data sets. Our main conclusion from this study is that there is no notable correlation of detector-dependent trend with radiance level for most RSB bands.
The short-wave infrared (SWIR) bands (5 to 7, 26) of Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), which are colocated with the midwave infrared bands (20 to 25) on the short- and mid-wave infrared focal plane assembly, have a known issue related to 5.3-μm out-of-band (OOB) thermal leak and electronic crosstalk that was identified prelaunch. As a result, a crosstalk correction algorithm was designed and implemented in the MODIS level 1B (L1B) calibration. Shortly after the Terra launch, extensive efforts were undertaken to help characterize and mitigate the impact due to the OOB response and crosstalk on the SWIR on-orbit calibration and, consequently, the associated L1B data products. In addition, special night-time-day-mode operations have been regularly scheduled to derive the crosstalk correction coefficients. Since MODIS does not have a spectral band centered at 5.3 μm, its band 28 (7.325 μm) was chosen as the surrogate sending band to simulate the OOB radiances at 5.3 μm. This was largely based on the measurements from the MODIS Airborne Simulator spectrometer field campaigns in the early months after the Terra launch. In the case of Aqua MODIS, the magnitude of the SWIR crosstalk was much smaller and band 25 (4.52 μm) was found to be more effective as the sending band for the crosstalk correction. In recent years, the Terra MODIS photovoltaic (PV) long-wave infrared (LWIR) bands (27 to 30) electronic crosstalk has increased considerably, especially after the spacecraft safe-mode event occurred in February 2016. This accentuated degradation in the PV LWIR performance has also impacted the performance of the SWIR crosstalk correction and thus its calibration and data quality. We examine the use of band 25 as the sending band for the Terra MODIS SWIR crosstalk correction and compare its performance with that based on band 28 as the sending band. Results indicate an improvement of on-orbit gain stability for the SWIR calibration and reduced detector to detector and subframe to subframe striping in the calibrated L1B imagery, especially during the period when the PV LWIR electronic crosstalk has become more severe. This approach has been implemented in the forward production of Terra MODIS Collection 6 and Collection 6.1, starting from July 2019, and is planned to be used for the future reprocessing of MODIS L1B and to help improve the mission-long reflectance calibration and trending stability of the SWIR bands.
The first VIIRS instrument is aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite. The instrument has 14 reflective solar bands (RSBs) to passively collect photons reflected from the Earth surface in the design wavelengths from 412 to 2250 nm. The instrument uses a solar diffuser (SD) to radiometrically calibrate its RSBs. When lit by the Sun through an attenuation screen (the SD screen), the SD diffusely reflects off the incident sunlight to act as a radiance source for the calibration. An onboard solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM) yields the on-orbit change of the SD bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) by comparing the signal strength from the SD with that from the Sun attenuated by another attenuation screen (the SDSM screen). Complications arise due to the discovery that the on-orbit change of the BRDF is angle dependent. Additionally, the SDSM does not cover the wavelengths for the short-wave infrared bands in the RSBs. Furthermore, satellite yaw maneuvers were performed in the early mission to yield data for refining the prelaunch SDSM screen relative effective transmittance and the relative product of the SD screen transmittance and the BRDF at the mission start. But the yaw maneuver data are coarse in the solar azimuth angles and thus are unable to yield accurate values between the measurement angles. Over the years of performing on-orbit radiometric calibration through the SD for the VIIRS RSBs, we have developed several highly effective calibration algorithms to address the issues mentioned above. We review these algorithms.
In part I (Lei et al., J. Appl. Remote Sens., Vol. 14, Issue 4), we gave detailed reviews of the algorithms Version 2.0 used for the on-orbit radiometric calibration of the reflective solar bands (RSBs) of the first Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument. These algorithms improve the accuracy of the measured on-orbit change factor of the solar diffuser bidirectional reflectance distribution function, the H-factor, and reveal that the H-factor is angle dependent. With the help of lunar observations and the improved H-factor, the algorithms give more accurate values for the RSB detector on-orbit F-factor changes (F-factor is a correction factor to the initially retrieved scene spectral radiance). We review the RSB radiometric calibration performances. We show the H-factor temporal trend, the estimated uncertainty of the retrieved H-factor, and the F-factor temporal trend. Additionally, we show the detector signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the estimated uncertainty of the top-of-the-atmosphere solar spectral reflectance, the reflectance temporal trend for the Libya 4 desert, and the differences in the reflectances among the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) and the NOAA-20 VIIRS and the Aqua Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Our results show that, although the SNRs trend downward, they exceed the requirements by large margins. The reflectances from the Libya 4 desert show that the SNPP VIIRS’ reflectance is higher than those of the Aqua MODIS and the NOAA-20 VIIRS.
Aqua MODIS has successfully operated for more than 18 years since its launch in May 2002 and has generated numerous science products in support of studies of the Earth’s system and its changes via a set of geophysical and environmental parameters. On-orbit calibration and characterization activities have played a vital role in maintaining the quality of MODIS data products. In addition to data collected from sensor on-board calibrators (OBC), near-monthly lunar observations and select earth view targets have been used to monitor and characterize on-orbit changes in sensor responses and to derive and update the calibration look-up tables. In this paper, we provide an overview of Aqua MODIS on-orbit operations, calibration activities and approaches, and algorithm improvements and also illustrate the sensor on-orbit performance using examples derived from various calibration sources and targets. We will focus on issues identified from instrument operations and calibrations, such as solar diffuser degradation, electronic crosstalk, variations in the cold focal plane temperatures, and changes in response versus scan-angle. Also discussed in this paper are remaining challenges and future improvements.
An accurate on-orbit characterization of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites is essential to satisfy the requirements from the scientific community for high-quality operational and research products. In this study, NASA’s C6.1 L1B data are utilized to assess the stability of the calibrated top of atmosphere reflectance retrieved from individual detectors within a spectral band over deep convective clouds (DCCs) and desert sites. The results from these invariant Earth targets show detector-to-detector (D2D) differences in the L1B reflectance products for select MODIS reflective solar bands. For Aqua MODIS, the D2D differences have no significant change over time for the bands studied. However, the D2D differences exhibit an increase in magnitude over time for Terra MODIS bands 1, 3-7, and 26, which can induce noticeable striping and higher uncertainties in the downstream data products. The D2D stability assessment results over DCCs are consistent with those observed over desert sites. In addition, the view-angle dependence of the D2D differences is investigated by separating the frames along scan into five zones. The D2D assessment is performed for each of the five zones, and the results will further benefit any improvements in the calibration of a detector-dependent response versus scan angle that can be considered for future MODIS Level 1B Collections.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board the Terra and Aqua platforms is a multi-spectral, whiskbroom scanning radiometer with 36 spectral bands covering wavelengths from 0:4 - 14:2 μm. Among these bands, the 20 reflective solar bands (RSB, 0:4 - 2:1 μm) use an on-board solar difuser (SD) and SD stability monitor (SDSM) to track the detector gain changes on orbit. In addition to this, lunar and Earth-view (EV) observations are used in order to characterize the scan-mirror response versus scan angle (RVS), which improves the Earth-view retrieval over the full width of each scan. For the short-wave infrared bands (SWIR, 1:2 - 2:1 μm), the prelaunch RVS has been used for both Aqua and Terra MODIS throughout each mission. While these bands are not expected to have a significant change in the RVS on-orbit, issues such as electronic crosstalk and an out-of-band optical leak have prevented the use of the Moon for deriving the on-orbit RVS for validation. However, recent improvements to the MODIS lunar calibration for the SWIR bands allow us to mitigate the electronic crosstalk impact and derive the RVS for the SWIR bands. In this work, we will assess the impact of this newly derived RVS on the EV data compared to MODIS Collection 6.1. By comparing to EV data obtained from pseudo-invariant calibration sites at different angles-of-incidence on the scan mirror, we can assess the effectiveness of the newly derived RVS from the Moon. We find that while the change in the RVS on-orbit for the SWIR bands is relatively small, applying a correction to the RVS based on the Moon and SD data can provide an improvement for some bands.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on-board the Aqua and Terra spacecraft have provided valuable science data for the last 18 and 20 years, respectively. Each instrument is equipped with 36 spectral bands, 20 of which are reflective solar bands (RSBs). These bands cover a wavelength range of 0.4 - 2.2 μm and are calibrated on-orbit using several on-board calibrators (OBCs), such as a solar diffuser (SD) and a solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM), along with regularly-scheduled lunar observations through the space view (SV) port. The gain (1/m1) and response-verses-scan angle (RVS) are updated on a near-monthly basis and act as the primary look-up-tables (LUTs) for the RSB calibration. A set of separate uncertainty LUTs for each of the RSBs are also delivered regularly and incorporated into the Level 1B (L1B) product to generate a pixel-level Uncertainty Index (UI). In addition to the gain, RVS and uncertainty, there are several other LUTs associated with the reflective bands that are either updated less frequently or remain static. The accuracy of both the forward-predicted and historical RSB LUTs, which are derived by the MODIS Characterization Support Team (MCST), is important in maintaining the quality and accuracy of the L1B and science products. To ensure a timely and accurate LUT update, MCST has established a comprehensive set of procedures. This paper provides an overview of the calibration process, along with the current LUT delivery process for the RSBs in Collection 6 (C6) and Collection 6.1 (C6.1). Improvements to be implemented in future collections are also discussed.
The NOAA-20 (N20) satellite, previously the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 satellite, was launched on November 18, 2017. One of the five major scientific instruments aboard the satellite is the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). VIIRS scans the Earth’s surface in 22 spectral bands, 14 of which are the reflective solar bands (RSBs) with band center wavelengths from 0.412 to 2.25 μm. VIIRS regularly performs on-orbit radiometric calibration of its RSBs, primarily through the observations of the onboard solar diffuser (SD). The on-orbit change of the SD’s bidirectional reflectance distribution function, known as the H-factor, is determined by the onboard SD stability monitor (SDSM). Since the Hfactor exhibits angular dependence, obtaining the H-factor along the SD to the telescope direction is a challenge for the NOAA-20 VIIRS. Recently, Collection 2.0 of the NASA Land Science Investigator-led Processing Systems (SIPS) products were released. As a part of this reprocessing effort, we made two major improvements in the N20 VIIRS RSB radiometric calibration. One is the improved SD and SDSM attenuation screen transmittance functions, obtained by using calibration data collected during both the yaw maneuver and a small portion of regular orbits, resulting in a higher quality H-factor for the SDSM view. Another is the use of the H-factor for the telescope view, derived from the H-factor for the SDSM view, by using the results for the SNPP VIIRS. In June 2019, we delivered a set of mission-long N20 VIIRS Collection 2.0 RSB radiometric calibration look-up-tables. These tables have been employed by the NASA Land SIPS group to reprocess the entire time series of the NOAA-20 VIIRS products. In this paper, we discuss the Collection 2.0 NOAA-20 VIIRS RSB calibration algorithms and results.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on-board the NASA’s Earth Observing System Terra satellite has continued successful Earth-sensing operations for over 20 years. To aid in its mission in providing calibrated science data to the worldwide user community, the MODIS instrument is equipped with several on-board calibrators designed to measure changes in the instrument response over time. One such calibrator is the Spectro- Radiometric Calibration Assembly (SRCA), which can provide a source signal for radiometric, spectral, or spatial characterization. When commanded into its spatial calibration mode, the SRCA is able to produce light across the MODIS band spectral range (0.412μm to 14.2μm) at a variety of signal levels thanks to several internal halogen lamps, an IR glow bar, and a neutral density filter. This signal, used in combination with commanded sub-sample measurements of the MODIS detectors, provides a basis for determining changes in the spatial performance of the MODIS spectral bands. This work summarizes the spatial calibration process using the SRCA and presents 20 years of Terra MODIS spatial performance characterized through co-registration between MODIS bands, detectors, and focal plane assemblies. Results from pre-launch testing using the Integration and Alignment Collimator and the SRCA are incorporated in the history of the Terra MODIS mission-long spatial performance. We also note modifications to the spatial characterization methodology brought on by changes to the SRCA’s operational configuration and changes to the MODIS spectral band performance, particularly after the recovery from the safe-mode event in February 2016. Results are compared against the MODIS design specifications.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on-board the Terra spacecraft has provided valuable Earth data to the science community for the last 20 years. Equipped with several on-board calibrators (OBCs), MODIS has continued to operate nominally since its launch in December 1999. The Spectro- Radiometric Calibration Assembly (SRCA) is one such OBC that is able to provide on-orbit measurements of the MODIS reflective solar bands (RSBs) in radiometric, spatial and spectral modes. While the SRCA is operating in spectral mode, it is able to monitor the center wavelength (CW), bandwidth (BW) and in-band relative spectral response (RSR) of most RSBs. Prelaunch measurements of the CWs, BWs and RSRs of the RSBs were performed at the system level using the Spectral measurement Assembly (SpMA). Using both the prelaunch measurements and the measurements obtained on-orbit using the SRCA, the changes in the spectral response of the MODIS reflective bands can be monitored throughout the mission. This paper will provide a brief description of the spectral calibration approach and report on-orbit changes in these spectral performance parameters and their uncertainties over the last 20 years. It will also address changes to the SRCA operation on-orbit and their impact on measured spectral calibration results. Despite two decades in orbit, the spectral responses for most Terra MODIS re ective bands continue to remain within their design specifications.
KEYWORDS: Equipment, Crosstalk, Short wave infrared radiation, Calibration, MODIS, Sensors, Long wavelength infrared, Staring arrays, Signal to noise ratio, Algorithm development
Since its launch in December 1999, Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) has successfully operated for more than 20 years, with its observations generating a broad range of science data products that have greatly enabled the remote sensing community and users worldwide in their studies of many key geophysical parameters of the Earth’s systems. MODIS collects data in 36 spectral bands, covering wavelengths from 0.41 to 14.4 μm, which are calibrated by a set of onboard calibrators (OBCs). Also contributing to the sensor’s mission-long on-orbit calibration and characterization are near-monthly scheduled lunar observations and multiple time series of the sensor’s responses over select ground targets at a variety of scan angles. To a large extent, the quality of MODIS data products relies strongly on the dedicated efforts to operate and calibrate the instrument, to derive and update calibration parameters, and to develop and implement new calibration strategies and algorithms in response to on-orbit changes of the sensor’s characteristics and its OBC functions. We provide an overview of the Terra MODIS on-orbit operation and calibration activities over the last 20 years, including changes made to extend and preserve the instrument and OBC functions and their operation strategies. It also illustrates the sensor’s on-orbit performance with results derived from its OBC, lunar observations, and select ground targets and discusses major changes in sensor characteristics and corrections applied to the L1B algorithms as well as calibration lookup table updates. To date, the Terra MODIS instrument and its OBCs continue to operate and function normally. Except for those identified prelaunch, most spectral bands and detectors continue to meet their specified calibration requirements. Also discussed in our paper are lessons learned from Terra MODIS operation and calibration, as well as future efforts to further extend and maintain the quality of its long-term data records.
Calibration of the on-orbit gain changes of the narrow bandwidth reflective solar bands (RSB) of Terra and Aqua MODIS is usually based on the band center wavelength. The relative spectral response (RSR) of each band is assumed to be constant on orbit, and the time dependence of an overall gain factor is calculated. Any on-orbit changes to the RSR of the MODIS bands will introduce some error into the calibration and may also have an impact on the Earth scene radiance retrieval. We consider two different ways to track how the RSR of the MODIS RSB may change on orbit and the effects that these changes have on the calibration. First, we study the broadband degradation of the MODIS scan mirror and how it may change the effective out-of-band response of the RSB. Second, we examine in-band RSR measurements from the spectroradiometric calibration assembly carried on-board both MODIS instruments. We find that RSR changes have a relatively small effect on the radiance calibrated using the on-board solar diffuser, generally <0.5 % for all RSB at any time in the missions, though the effect may be slightly larger for some scan angles. The impact of RSR changes on the Earth scene radiance retrieval is highly dependent on the spectral properties of the scene and could be significantly larger. The bands showing the largest impacts are Terra bands 1, 4, 8, 9, 17, and 19 and Aqua bands 8 and 9.
The VIIRS instruments aboard the SNPP and NOAA-20 (N20) satellites have 14 reflective solar bands (RSB) covering a spectral range from 412 nm to 2250 nm. The radiance of each VIIRS RSB is calculated from a quadratic function of the background-subtracted digital count, 𝑑𝑛, with the quadratic coefficients determined during pre-launch testing. On orbit, calibration is maintained using observations of a sunlit solar diffuser (SD), which views the Sun every orbit through a fixed attenuation screen. The SD observations, which are at nearly the same radiance level every orbit, provide a timevarying overall calibration adjustment factor, the F-factor. But there is no designed on-orbit mechanism for calibration at multiple radiance levels, so the relative strengths of the quadratic coefficients continue to be fixed at the pre-launch values. On a few rare occasions, the VIIRS instruments have passed through a partial solar eclipse during the part of the satellite orbit when the SD is illuminated by the Sun (near the South Pole). As of August 2019, the SNPP and N20 VIIRS SDs have observed five and three partial solar eclipses, respectively. While these events are rare, they offer a unique opportunity to test the RSB calibration using the SD at different radiance levels. In this paper, we compare the reduction in the measured SD signals during an eclipse to the predicted radiance reduction based on the Sun-Moon geometry and a solar radiance model. We find good agreement between the data and model for all events, indicating that the VIIRS RSB gain linearity has remained fairly stable on-orbit. The most significant deviation is for the N20 short-wave infrared bands, which had non-linearity concerns during pre-launch testing. We also investigate the SNPP results using different versions of the prelaunch quadratic gain coefficients.
The VIIRS instruments on board the SNPP and NOAA-20 (N20) satellites have 14 reflective solar bands covering a spectral range from 412 nm to 2250 nm. Three of these are imaging bands (I bands) with a nadir spatial resolution of 375 m and 11 are moderate resolution bands (M bands) with a resolution of 750 m. The higher resolution in the I bands is achieved by a combination of more detectors, with the I bands having twice as many detectors of half the size for every M band detector, and a higher data rate, with the I bands having two sub-samples for every sample of M band data. To ensure calibration accuracy, any systematic difference in the response of the two sub-samples needs to be monitored and corrected in the calibrated products. In this paper, we use the solar diffuser calibrations to monitor the gain differences between the two sub-samples of the I bands both as a function of time and signal level. We find gain differences of about 0.1% for I1, 0.3% for I2, and <0.1% for I3 that are mostly constant over the range of signal values available in the SD calibration. These values are mostly consistent throughout the mission for both instruments. The results are remarkably similar for the two VIIRS instruments, including a slightly out-of-family behavior seen in a few detectors. We discuss possible causes for the difference and the impact on the aggregated Earth view images.
Once on orbit, the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of the solar diffuser (SD) of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the NOAA-20 satellite changes over time. The change factor is determined by an onboard solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM). However, the design band central wavelengths (412 to 926 nm) of the SDSM detectors do not cover the VIIRS short wave infrared (SWIR) bands which have band central wavelengths from 1.238 to 2.257 μm. Although it is known that the SD BRDF changes at a much slower rate in time over longer wavelengths, the change over some of the SWIR bands’ central wavelengths may still be large enough to be ignored. To determine the NOAA-20 VIIRS SD BRDF change factor over the SWIR band wavelength region, we use the solar photon wavelength power law approach that has been applied to the VIIRS instrument onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite. In this work, we show the results for the NOAA-20 VIIRS.
On-orbit characterization of the response versus scan-angle (RVS) is one of the most challenging aspects of the reflective solar band (RSB) calibration for the MODIS instruments onboard the Terra and Aqua spacecraft. The degradation of the solar diffuser, together with the lack of onboard calibrators (OBCs) to cover additional scan angles, other than the one for the lunar observations, has resulted in the use of Earth view responses from the pseudo-invariant desert sites to track the on-orbit RVS changes. This approach has been implemented in Collection 6 (C6) and C6.1 for bands 1-4, 8 and 9 of both instruments and also band 10 of Terra MODIS. As the missions continue to operate over a decade beyond their designed life and the instrument optics continue to degrade, it is expected that the OBC based RVS currently applied to other bands, specifically the high-gain ocean bands, will be inadequate to maintain the long-term calibration stability. An interband calibration approach is formulated and implemented in this paper. The proposed approach relies on the use of a spectrally matching stable reference band to evaluate the long-term calibration stability of the high-gain ocean bands that typically saturate while viewing the selected calibration deserts. Results from this approach indicate a noticeable drift for Terra MODIS bands 11 and 12 whereas the Aqua bands continue to show excellent temporal stability. These results are consistent with the corrections derived by the NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG) and are expected to have minimum impacts on the downstream science products.
For nearly 20 years, Terra MODIS observations have generated a broad range of data products, enabling the remote sensing community and users worldwide for their studies of many key geophysical parameters of the Earth’s system. MODIS collects data in 36 spectral bands, covering wavelengths from 0.41 to 14.4 μm, that are calibrated by a set of on-board calibrators (OBC). Also contributed to sensor on-orbit calibration and characterization are near monthly-scheduled lunar observations and long-term trends of sensor responses over select ground targets. The quality of MODIS data products relies strongly on the dedicated efforts to the operate instrument, derive and update calibration parameters, and improve calibration strategies and algorithms in order to address on-orbit changes of sensor characteristics and its OBC functions. This paper provides an overview of Terra MODIS on-orbit operation and calibration activities over the last 20 years, including changes made to extend and preserve instrument and OBC functions and their implementation strategies. It illustrates sensor on-orbit performance using data from its OBC, lunar observations, and select ground targets and discusses major changes in sensor characteristics and corrections applied to the L1B algorithms or updates of calibration look-up tables (LUTs). Also described in this paper are lessons learned from Terra MODIS and future efforts to further extend its long-term data records.
The MODIS instruments on the Terra and Aqua spacecraft use a sunlit solar diffuser (SD), with an optional SD attenuation screen (SDS), to calibrate the reflective solar bands. A solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM) is used to track the SD reflectance degradation on orbit, by taking a ratio of the detector response when viewing the SD compared to the response when viewing the sun. The MODIS SDSMs have been operated both with and without the SDS in place. The SDSMs have also been operated in both a fixed and an alternating mode. In the alternating mode, the SDSM detectors view the SD, sun, and a dark background in an alternating pattern with the view changing on every MODIS scan within a single orbit. In the fixed mode, the SDSM detectors are fixed on the sun view for one orbit, and then are fixed on the SD view for the following orbit. This paper reviews the history of the SDSM operational configurations used throughout the MODIS missions and discusses the differences in the SD degradation results, which may be due to differences in sun-satellite geometry, SD signal level, and stray light effects. We highlight Aqua SDSM results from two recent dates in October 2017 and July 2019, where both the fixed and alternating mode calibrations were run on the same day, providing clear examples of the calibration differences. Additionally, we show how mixing the results from calibrations done with and without the SDS for Aqua MODIS can provide more stable results.
The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership visible infrared imaging radiometer suite instrument has successfully operated since its launch in October 2011. Stray-light contamination is much larger than prelaunch expectations, and it causes a major decrease in quality of the day-night band night imagery when the spacecraft is crossing the Northern or Southern day-night terminators. The stray light can be operationally estimated using Earth-view data that are measured over dark surfaces during the new moon each month. More than 7 years of nighttime images have demonstrated that the stray-light contamination mainly depends on the Earth–Sun–spacecraft geometry, so its intensity is generally estimated as a function of the satellite zenith angle. In practice, stray-light contamination is also detector- and scan-angle-dependent. Previous methods of stray-light prediction generally rely on using the known stray light level from the same month in the previous year, when the Earth–Sun–spacecraft geometries had been similar. We propose a new method to predict stray-light contamination. The Kullback–Leibler similarity metric is used as a method to combine data from multiple years with appropriate adjustments for degradation and geometry drifts in order to calculate a fused stray-light contamination correction. The new method provides an improved prediction of stray-light contamination compared to the existing methods and may be considered for future use in the real-time NASA Level-1B products.
The Earth-observing Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NOAA-20 satellite (formerly the Joint Polar Satellite System-1) is the follow-on sensor to the early launched VIIRS on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite. The on-orbit radiometric calibration of its reflective solar bands (RSBs) is regularly performed primarily through observations of an onboard sunlit solar diffuser (SD). The on-orbit change of the SD bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) value, denoted as the H-factor, is determined by an onboard solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM). The scene spectral radiance is calculated by a quadratic polynomial of the background subtracted detector digital number for most of the RSBs and a cubic polynomial for the M8-11 bands. A numerical factor, denoted as the F-factor, provides an on-orbit adjustment to the prelaunch polynomial coefficients through observations of the sunlit SD. The accuracy and change in the F-factor directly affect the sensor radiometric performance. The accuracy of the F-factor is proportionally affected by the accuracy in the H-factor. In this paper, we show the time trends of the Hand F-factors and the SDSM detector gain, and also compare the trends with those for the previous VIIRS instrument on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite. We derive the Earth view signal-to-noise ratio at the typical spectral radiance level and estimate the calibration bias between the two VIIRS instruments through observations of the Moon and pseudo-invariant Earth sites.
KEYWORDS: Calibration, Sensors, Signal to noise ratio, Long wavelength infrared, Black bodies, Stray light, Contamination, Bidirectional reflectance transmission function, Near infrared, Satellites
The first Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument has been in operation for more than 6 years on-board the S-NPP satellite and the second instrument, with the same design and performance requirements, was launched in November, 2017 on-board the JPSS-1 satellite (named NOAA-20 after reaching its orbit) and is currently in normal operation conditions. This paper provides a brief description of VIIRS on-orbit calibration and characterization activities and presents performance assessments and comparisons of S-NPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS using data collected from their on-board calibrators (OBC) and regularly scheduled lunar observations. Results show that NOAA-20 VIIRS is performing as well or better than S-NPP VIIRS in all of the key performance metrics. The NOAA-20 reflective solar bands, including the day-night band, have experienced less than 1% change in gain in the first 250 days since launch and did not suffer from the contamination related rapid degradation experienced by S-NPP VIIRS. Some of the NOAA- 20 thermal emissive bands had larger than expected gain degradation after launch due to ice buildup on the dewar window of the long-wave IR focal plane assembly but a mid-mission outgassing operation was able to restore their gains and maintain stable behavior. Though this study is focused on the sensor’s key performance parameters, such as detector responses (gains), signal-to-noise ratios, and noise-equivalent temperature differences, challenges identified and lessons learned through different phases of on-orbit calibration and characterization are also discussed.
Calibration of the on-orbit gain changes of the narrow bandwidth reflective solar bands (RSB) of Terra and Aqua MODIS is usually based on the band center wavelength. The relative spectral response (RSR) of each band is assumed to be constant on orbit and the time dependence of an overall gain factor is calculated. Any on-orbit changes to the RSR of the MODIS bands will introduce some error into the calibration and may also have an impact on the Earth scene radiance retrieval. We consider two different ways to track how the RSR of the MODIS RSB may be changing on orbit, and the effect that these changes will have on the calibration. First, we examine in-band RSR measurements from the spectro-radiometric calibration assembly (SRCA) carried on-board both MODIS instruments. Second, we study the broadband degradation of the MODIS scan mirror and how it may be changing the effective out-of-band response of the RSB. We find that RSR changes have a small effect on the radiance calibrated using the on-board solar diffuser, generally less than 0.5% in all cases at any time in the missions, with bands 1, 8, and 9 impacted the most.
The MODIS reflective solar bands (RSB) are calibrated on-orbit using a solar diffuser (SD) with its on-orbit degradation, or change in the bi-directional reflectance factor (BRF) monitored using a solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM). By performing alternate observations of direct sunlight via an attenuation screen and of sunlight reflected diffusely off the SD, the SDSM monitors the on-orbit degradation of the SD. The MODIS SDSM has 9 detectors, covering wavelengths from 0.41 to 0.94 μm. Both Terra and Aqua MODIS instruments have successfully operated for more than 16 years on-orbit, with the SD experiencing significant degradation at the shortest wavelength (about 50% for Terra MODIS and about 20% for Aqua MODIS at 0.41 μm). The first VIIRS instrument on the Suomi NPP spacecraft was launched in October, 2011 and the follow-on instrument was launched in November, 2017 on the JPSS-1 spacecraft (now NOAA-20). Both the VIIRS instruments carry a MODIS-like SD and SDSM system with an improved design based on the lessons learned from MODIS. Unlike MODIS, the VIIRS SDSM collects data using 8 detectors covering a similar wavelength range as MODIS. A similar wavelength dependent SD degradation pattern is also observed in both VIIRS instruments. This paper provides a comparison of the on-orbit performance of the four instruments in terms of the on-orbit changes in the SDSM detector responses and on-orbit degradations of their SDs. The NOAA-20 VIIRS instrument is still in its first year of operation and hence the early performance of the Terra and Aqua MODIS and SNPP VIIRS is discussed to provide a perspective comparison.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on board the Terra and Aqua space- craft are equipped with several on-board calibrators (OBCs) and continue to operate normally since launch. One such calibrator is the Spectro-Radiometric Calibration Assembly (SRCA), whose regular calibrations provide accurate measurements in radiometric, spatial and spectral modes. The SRCA is able to monitor and measure the center wavelength (CW) shift, the bandwidth (BW) shift and a major portion of the relative spectral response (RSR) for each of the MODIS reflective solar bands (RSBs) while operating in spectral mode. However, there are several factors that influence the uncertainties when calculating these results. This paper provides a brief overview of the SRCA in spectral mode, along with how the CWs, BWs and RSRs of the MODIS RSBs are calculated. The operational factors that contribute to the spectral uncertainty are also discussed, including the variation of the half-included angle (β) and the grating motor offset angle (θoff ) of the monochromator. A comparison between the theoretical and on-board CW uncertainty is also provided.
KEYWORDS: Signal to noise ratio, Calibration, MODIS, Sensors, Diffusers, Reflectivity, Signal detection, Interference (communication), Space operations, Sun
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on-board the Terra and Aqua space- craft are equipped with several on-board calibrators (OBCs) and continue to operate normally since launch. One such calibrator is the solar diffuser (SD), which allows for the calibration of the 20 reflective solar bands (RSBs) with wavelengths ranging from 0.41 to 2.3 μm. In order to accurately characterize the RSBs on-orbit, the changes associated with the SD bi-directional reflectance factor (BRF) are tracked using a solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM). The SDSM consists of nine detectors located within a spherical integration source (SIS) and covers wavelengths from 0.41 to 0.94 μm. During each calibration event, the SDSM alternately views sunlight through an attenuation screen and the sunlight reflected from the SD in order to accurately characterize the degradation of the SD at those nine wavelengths. This paper provides a brief overview of the SD/SDSM calibration and operation, with more emphasis on the recent performance of the SD degradation and the SDSM detectors. A methodology to compute the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for each of the SDSM detectors is formulated and the noise performance is tracked over the mission lifetime. The importance of the detector noise to the RSB calibration uncertainty and to other instruments, such as the VIIRS SDSM, is also discussed.
The MODIS instruments on the Terra and Aqua spacecraft are cross-track scanning radiometers that view the Earth scene, a space view port, and the on-board calibrators using a two-sided scan mirror. The reflectivity of the scan mirror varies with the angle of the incident light, and changes in this response versus scan angle (RVS) need to be tracked on orbit in order to maintain accurate calibration. In this paper, we review various methods of RVS calibration of the reflective solar bands using pseudo-invariant desert targets and discuss potential advantages and disadvantages for use in future calibration.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments have successfully operated for more than 18 and 16 years, respectively, on-board the NASA’s Earth Observing System Terra and Aqua spacecraft. Both Terra and Aqua MODIS have significantly contributed to the advance of global Earth remote sensing applications with a broad range of science products that have been continuously produced since the beginning of each mission and freely distributed to users worldwide. MODIS collects data in 20 reflective solar bands (RSB) and 16 thermal emissive bands (TEB), covering wavelengths from 0.41 to 14.4 μm. Its level 1B (L1B) data products, which provide the input for the MODIS high-level science products, include the top of the atmosphere reflectance factors for the RSB, radiances for both the RSB and TEB, and associated uncertainty indices (UI) at a pixel-by-pixel level. This paper provides a brief review of MODIS L1B calibration algorithms, including a number of improvements made in recent years. It presents an update of sensor calibration uncertainty assessments with a focus on several new contributors resulting from on-orbit changes in sensor characteristics, approaches developed to address these changes, and the impact due to on-orbit changes on the L1B data quality. Also discussed are remaining challenges and potential improvements to be made to continuously maintain sensor calibration and data quality, particularly those related to the quality of MODIS L1B uncertainty.
The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite has 14 reflective solar bands (RSBs) covering a spectral range from 410 nm to 2250 nm. We provide an overview of the noise characterization of the VIIRS RSB from pre-launch through more than five years of on-orbit operation. On orbit, the noise is measured as the variation in the signal level observed at the sunlit solar diffuser (SD) within each instrument scan. The SD signal level changes from scan to scan as the solar angle changes during the SD illumination time period of each orbit, allowing us to establish a functional dependence of the noise on signal level. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for all RSB has been slowly decreasing on-orbit, but remains above specification performance values (given at fixed typical radiance for each band) and is projected to remain above specification for at least ten more years based on the current trends in the performance of the electronic and optical sub-systems. We show a comparison to pre-launch measurements, and also discuss the importance of data quantization and sample aggregation in the interpretation of the SNR values.
There are two nearly identical MODIS instruments currently operating on-board the NASA EOS Terra and Aqua spacecraft. Each MODIS is equipped with several on-board calibrators (OBCs) including a Spectro-Radiometric Calibration Assembly (SRCA). The SRCA is a multi-configuration calibrator that aids in determining the performance parameters of MODIS detectors on-orbit. Depending on its configuration, scheduled operations of the SRCA provide measurements to assess the on-orbit radiometric, spatial, and spectral performance. The SRCA was designed to utilize various combinations of three 10 Watt lamps and one 1 Watt lamp and included a spare of each type. On-orbit lamp degradation and failures reduced the available number of 10 Watt lamps from four to two for each mission by 2006. Over the past year, each instrument experienced an issue on-orbit. The nadir door of Terra MODIS closed as the instrument was autonomously commanded into safe-mode after a spacecraft commanding issue. The instrument and spacecraft operations were successfully recovered shortly after the event. For Aqua, a failure occurred for one of the two remaining 10 Watt lamps. We investigate each issue as it relates to the SRCA’s operation and its ability to properly characterize MODIS detector performance. For Terra MODIS, we present changes in MODIS spectral and spatial performance due to changes in the instrument environment. In the case of Aqua MODIS, losing a lamp reduces the output potential of the SRCA. We present the results from this impact and the adjustments made to calibration activities to maximize the effectiveness of the remaining lamps.
The MODIS instruments aboard the Terra and Aqua spacecraft have 20 reflective solar bands (RSB) with wavelengths spanning 412 nm to 2130 nm. The primary on-board calibration source for the RSB is a sunlit solar diffuser (SD), with its degradation tracked by a SD stability monitor (SDSM). The SDSM measurements show that the decrease in SD reflectance over time has a strong wavelength dependence, with longer wavelengths showing less degradation. The SDSM has 9 detectors to track the SD degradation at wavelengths from 412 nm to 936 nm, but is not designed to track the degradation at short-wave infrared (SWIR) wavelengths. In recent years, the SDSM has measured non-negligible degradation in the SD reflectance at 936 nm for both Terra (>;2%) and Aqua (>0.5%) MODIS. In addition, comparison of SD calibration results to earth view targets suggests that smaller but non-negligible SD degradation also exists at the SWIR band wavelengths. In this paper, we review the current status of the MODIS SD degradation as measured by the SDSM. We present efforts to extend the SD degradation measurements to the SWIR band wavelengths (1240 nm to 2130 nm) by fitting a wavelength-dependent model to the SDSM results from the visible and NIR wavelength detectors. The predicted degradation results are used to correct the MODIS SWIR band degradation, and comparisons are made with trends from pseudo-invariant earth targets. Results are presented for both Terra and Aqua MODIS.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments have successfully operated for more than 17 and 15 years, respectively, on-board the NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) Terra and Aqua spacecraft. MODIS level 1B (L1B) data products include top of the atmosphere (TOA) reflectance factors for the reflective solar bands (RSB) and radiances for both the RSB and the thermal emissive bands (TEB), and their associated uncertainty indices (UI) at a pixel-by-pixel level. This paper provides a brief review of MODIS L1B calibration algorithms, including improvements made in recent years. It presents an update of sensor calibration uncertainty assessments with a focus on several new contributors resulting from changes in sensor characteristics and on-orbit calibration approaches and the impact due to these changes on the L1B data quality. Also discussed in this paper are potential changes that could be made to continue improving the quality of MODIS L1B uncertainty product.
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