Oregon Transect Ecosystem Research Project

Sunphotometers are passive optical sensors that measure the amount of sunlight. They are pointed directly at the sun to measure direct sunlight and not sunlight scatter from aerosols. These measurements can be used to determine the aerosol optical depth by following Beer’s Law. Sunphotometers have been deployed on aircraft, research vessels, and field sites for aerosol research and monitoring.

The Advanced Solid-state Array Spectroradiometer (ASAS) is an airborne, passive multi-angle spectrometer operated by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). ASAS measures reflectance across 30 spectral channels in the 450 to 880 nm wavelength range to help characterize the directional variability of various land surface cover types. At typical flight altitudes of 4,500 to 5,000 m, ASAS has a spatial resolution of 3 to 4 m at nadir. It has a frame rate ranging from 3 to 64 frames per second.

Digital cameras are used to provide imagery for research applications. Cameras are used on aircraft to collect aerial imagery for mapping and surveying, environmental monitoring, cloud observations, agriculture, geological studies, and other Earth science applications. They are also used at field sites to capture visual observations to monitor changes in land cover, vegetation, clouds, air quality, glaciers, and other phenomena.

The Thematic Mapper Simulator (TMS) is an airborne imaging spectrometer developed to simulate the Landsat Thematic Mapper instrument. It collects radiance measurements and imagery for the mapping of vegetation and land cover. TMS operates across ten spectral channels in the visible and near-infrared (0.42-2.35 μm) and two spectral channels in the thermal infrared (8.5-14 μm). It has a horizontal spatial resolution of 25 m and a swath width of 15.6 km at a flight altitude of 19.8 km. TMS has a scan rate of 12.5 scans per second and a total field of view of 42.5 degrees.

The Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) is an airborne thermal infrared spectrometer used for geologic mapping. It collects multispectral thermal imagery across six channels in the 8.2-12.2 μm wavelength range. TIMS has a horizontal spatial resolution at nadir of 3 to 20 m at an altitude of 1,200 to 8,000 m. It operates at four discrete scan rates: 7.3, 8.7, 12, and 25 scans per second.

The Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) was an airborne P-, L-, and C-band radar system developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It was able to penetrate through clouds and operate at night to provide measurements of radar backscatter. It also could penetrate forest canopy, dry snow cover, and sand in two of its imaging modes. AIRSAR operated across three frequencies: 0.45 GHz, 1.26 GHz, and 5.31 GHz. It had a horizontal resolution of 10 m and a swath width of around 10-15 km at a flight altitude of 8,000 m. AIRSAR is now retired and flew its last mission in 2004.

The Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) is an airborne push-broom imaging spectrometer developed by Itres Research Ltd. CASI measures reflectance in the visible/near-infrared (VNIR) spectral region, which can be used to derive vegetation characteristics. It operates in the 430-870 nm spectral range and has a 35-degree field of view (FOV). CASI has a cross-track ground resolution of 1.23 m per 1 km altitude above ground level (AGL). The along-track resolution is determined by the integration time and the aircraft speed. CASI has a frame rate of 85 lines per second.

This data will be added in future versions

The Spectron Engineering-590 (SE-590) Spectroradiometer is an airborne or ground-based portable spectroradiometer manufactured by Spectron Engineering. SE-590 uses a charge-coupled device (CCD) area array detector to measure reflectance. It operates in the visible/near-infrared to short-wave infrared spectral range (350-2500 nm). SE-590 has a ground resolution of 4.5 meters at a flight altitude of 300 meters.

The Modular Multiband Radiometer (MMR) is an airborne multispectral radiometer manufactured by Barnes Engineering Company. MMR measures radiance across 8 spectral bands in the infrared and visible wavelengths (0.4-12.5 μm) to provide imagery of vegetation and other surface features. At an altitude of 300 m, the MMR has an instantaneous field of view (IFOV) of approximately 79 m and a 15-degree field of view (FOV). It is typically deployed on small aircraft such as helicopters but can be deployed on ground-based platforms as well.

Generic-Radiometers refer to non-specific radiometers on a platform. These are typically passive microwave radiometers that measure brightness temperature. Radiometers can be used to retrieve temperature and water vapor profiles, soil moisture content, ocean salinity, precipitation and cloud properties, and vegetation.

The Spectron Engineering-590 (SE-590) Spectroradiometer is an airborne or ground-based portable spectroradiometer manufactured by Spectron Engineering. SE-590 uses a charge-coupled device (CCD) area array detector to measure reflectance. It operates in the visible/near-infrared to short-wave infrared spectral range (350-2500 nm). SE-590 has a ground resolution of 4.5 meters at a flight altitude of 300 meters.

The Modular Multiband Radiometer (MMR) is an airborne multispectral radiometer manufactured by Barnes Engineering Company. MMR measures radiance across 8 spectral bands in the infrared and visible wavelengths (0.4-12.5 μm) to provide imagery of vegetation and other surface features. At an altitude of 300 m, the MMR has an instantaneous field of view (IFOV) of approximately 79 m and a 15-degree field of view (FOV). It is typically deployed on small aircraft such as helicopters but can be deployed on ground-based platforms as well.

The Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) is an airborne thermal infrared spectrometer used for geologic mapping. It collects multispectral thermal imagery across six channels in the 8.2-12.2 μm wavelength range. TIMS has a horizontal spatial resolution at nadir of 3 to 20 m at an altitude of 1,200 to 8,000 m. It operates at four discrete scan rates: 7.3, 8.7, 12, and 25 scans per second.

Digital cameras are used to provide imagery for research applications. Cameras are used on aircraft to collect aerial imagery for mapping and surveying, environmental monitoring, cloud observations, agriculture, geological studies, and other Earth science applications. They are also used at field sites to capture visual observations to monitor changes in land cover, vegetation, clouds, air quality, glaciers, and other phenomena.

The Thematic Mapper Simulator (TMS) is an airborne imaging spectrometer developed to simulate the Landsat Thematic Mapper instrument. It collects radiance measurements and imagery for the mapping of vegetation and land cover. TMS operates across ten spectral channels in the visible and near-infrared (0.42-2.35 μm) and two spectral channels in the thermal infrared (8.5-14 μm). It has a horizontal spatial resolution of 25 m and a swath width of 15.6 km at a flight altitude of 19.8 km. TMS has a scan rate of 12.5 scans per second and a total field of view of 42.5 degrees.

The Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer - Classic (AVIRIS-C) is a passive imaging spectrometer developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for Earth remote sensing. AVIRIC-C was designed to operate aboard NASA’s Earth Resources 2 (ER-2) aircraft. It has a spatial resolution of 20 meters and takes 12 scans per second. AVIRIS-C operated in the spectral region of 0.41 µm to 2.45 µm, making it particularly useful for a wide variety of Earth Science applications. It has been replaced by the Next Generation Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS-NG), though AVIRIS-C remains in operation.

The Modular Multiband Radiometer (MMR) is an airborne multispectral radiometer manufactured by Barnes Engineering Company. MMR measures radiance across 8 spectral bands in the infrared and visible wavelengths (0.4-12.5 μm) to provide imagery of vegetation and other surface features. At an altitude of 300 m, the MMR has an instantaneous field of view (IFOV) of approximately 79 m and a 15-degree field of view (FOV). It is typically deployed on small aircraft such as helicopters but can be deployed on ground-based platforms as well.

The LI-COR Plant Canopy Analyzer is an in situ analyzer manufactured by LI-COR for leaf area index (LAI) measurements. It measures diffuse sky radiation that passes through the canopy across five zenith angels to determine LAI and other canopy characteristics. It can be used for most sky conditions and canopy types, such as row crops, grasslands, isolated trees, and forests. The optical sensor within the Plant Canopy Analyzer has a wavelength range of 320-490 nm. It has a field of view of 148 degrees and an operating temperature range of -20 to 50 degrees Celsius.

The Spectron Engineering-590 (SE-590) Spectroradiometer is an airborne or ground-based portable spectroradiometer manufactured by Spectron Engineering. SE-590 uses a charge-coupled device (CCD) area array detector to measure reflectance. It operates in the visible/near-infrared to short-wave infrared spectral range (350-2500 nm). SE-590 has a ground resolution of 4.5 meters at a flight altitude of 300 meters.

Ceptometers are ground-based radiation sensors used to measure photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) in plant canopies. Ceptometers make PAR measurements above and below the canopy to calculate the leaf area index (LAI). Ceptometers are used for vegetation and agriculture research into plant growth, canopy structure, light interception, and other canopy characteristics.

Sunphotometers are passive optical sensors that measure the amount of sunlight. They are pointed directly at the sun to measure direct sunlight and not sunlight scatter from aerosols. These measurements can be used to determine the aerosol optical depth by following Beer’s Law. Sunphotometers have been deployed on aircraft, research vessels, and field sites for aerosol research and monitoring.

Digital cameras are used to provide imagery for research applications. Cameras are used on aircraft to collect aerial imagery for mapping and surveying, environmental monitoring, cloud observations, agriculture, geological studies, and other Earth science applications. They are also used at field sites to capture visual observations to monitor changes in land cover, vegetation, clouds, air quality, glaciers, and other phenomena.

This data will be added in future versions

Rain gauges are ground-based instruments that provide in situ measurements of liquid precipitation amounts over a set time. There are multiple types of rain gauges that each collect and record data differently such as the tipping bucket rain gauge and weighing precipitation gauge. Rain gauges can be deployed in various locations due to their relatively small size and easy set-up and are typically colocated with other precipitation instruments such as disdrometers to provide more details about precipitation being collected such as precipitation rate and size distribution.

This data will be added in future versions

Spectrophotometers are passive photometers that measure the light intensity of the sample solution as a function of the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation. Spectrophotometers are typically used for ground-based or shipborne observations. They can operate either in the ultraviolet to visible (185-700 nm) spectral range or the infrared (700-15000 nm) range. They are typically used in vegetation studies, air pollution monitoring, and water and soil quality analysis.

Generic-Atmospheric State (Gen-AtmsState) refers to non-specific instruments on a platform used for measurements of atmospheric state parameters. These are typically in situ sensors that measure temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind speed/direction. Types of atmospheric state instruments include thermometers, hygrometers, barometers, and anemometers.

The Modular Multiband Radiometer (MMR) is an airborne multispectral radiometer manufactured by Barnes Engineering Company. MMR measures radiance across 8 spectral bands in the infrared and visible wavelengths (0.4-12.5 μm) to provide imagery of vegetation and other surface features. At an altitude of 300 m, the MMR has an instantaneous field of view (IFOV) of approximately 79 m and a 15-degree field of view (FOV). It is typically deployed on small aircraft such as helicopters but can be deployed on ground-based platforms as well.

The LI-COR Plant Canopy Analyzer is an in situ analyzer manufactured by LI-COR for leaf area index (LAI) measurements. It measures diffuse sky radiation that passes through the canopy across five zenith angels to determine LAI and other canopy characteristics. It can be used for most sky conditions and canopy types, such as row crops, grasslands, isolated trees, and forests. The optical sensor within the Plant Canopy Analyzer has a wavelength range of 320-490 nm. It has a field of view of 148 degrees and an operating temperature range of -20 to 50 degrees Celsius.

The Spectron Engineering-590 (SE-590) Spectroradiometer is an airborne or ground-based portable spectroradiometer manufactured by Spectron Engineering. SE-590 uses a charge-coupled device (CCD) area array detector to measure reflectance. It operates in the visible/near-infrared to short-wave infrared spectral range (350-2500 nm). SE-590 has a ground resolution of 4.5 meters at a flight altitude of 300 meters.

Ceptometers are ground-based radiation sensors used to measure photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) in plant canopies. Ceptometers make PAR measurements above and below the canopy to calculate the leaf area index (LAI). Ceptometers are used for vegetation and agriculture research into plant growth, canopy structure, light interception, and other canopy characteristics.

Sunphotometers are passive optical sensors that measure the amount of sunlight. They are pointed directly at the sun to measure direct sunlight and not sunlight scatter from aerosols. These measurements can be used to determine the aerosol optical depth by following Beer’s Law. Sunphotometers have been deployed on aircraft, research vessels, and field sites for aerosol research and monitoring.

Digital cameras are used to provide imagery for research applications. Cameras are used on aircraft to collect aerial imagery for mapping and surveying, environmental monitoring, cloud observations, agriculture, geological studies, and other Earth science applications. They are also used at field sites to capture visual observations to monitor changes in land cover, vegetation, clouds, air quality, glaciers, and other phenomena.

This data will be added in future versions

Rain gauges are ground-based instruments that provide in situ measurements of liquid precipitation amounts over a set time. There are multiple types of rain gauges that each collect and record data differently such as the tipping bucket rain gauge and weighing precipitation gauge. Rain gauges can be deployed in various locations due to their relatively small size and easy set-up and are typically colocated with other precipitation instruments such as disdrometers to provide more details about precipitation being collected such as precipitation rate and size distribution.

This data will be added in future versions

The Spectron Engineering-590 (SE-590) Spectroradiometer is an airborne or ground-based portable spectroradiometer manufactured by Spectron Engineering. SE-590 uses a charge-coupled device (CCD) area array detector to measure reflectance. It operates in the visible/near-infrared to short-wave infrared spectral range (350-2500 nm). SE-590 has a ground resolution of 4.5 meters at a flight altitude of 300 meters.

Generic-Radiometers refer to non-specific radiometers on a platform. These are typically passive microwave radiometers that measure brightness temperature. Radiometers can be used to retrieve temperature and water vapor profiles, soil moisture content, ocean salinity, precipitation and cloud properties, and vegetation.