science

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer rather than just read about it. In short: The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is a satellite-based sensor used for earth and climate measurements. There are two MODIS sensors in Earth orbit: one on board the Terra (EOS AM) satellite, launched by NASA in 1999; and one on board the Aqua (EOS PM) satellite, launched in 2002.

Key takeaways

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is a satellite-based sensor used for earth and climate measurements. There are two MODIS sensors in Earth orbit: one on board the Terra (EOS AM) satellite, launched by NASA in 1999; and one on board the Aqua (EOS PM) satellite, launched in 2002. Since 2011, MODIS operations have been supplemented by VIIRS sensors, such as the one aboard Suomi NPP. The systems often conduct similar operations due to their similar designs and orbits (with VIIRS data systems designed to be compatible with MODIS), though they have subtle differences contributing to similar but not identical uses. The MODIS instruments were built by Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. They capture data in 36 spectral bands ranging in wavelength from 0.4 μm to 14.4 μm and at varying spatial resolutions (2 bands at 250 m, 5 bands at 500 m and 29 bands at 1 km). Together the instruments image the entire Earth every 1 to 2 days. They are designed to provide measurements in large-scale global dynamics including changes in Earth's cloud cover, radiation budget and processes occurring in the oceans, on land, and in the lower atmosphere. Support and calibration is provided by the MODIS characterization support team (MCST).

Applications

With its high temporal resolution although low spatial resolution, MODIS data are useful to track changes in the landscape over time. Examples of such applications are the monitoring of vegetation health by means of time-series analyses with vegetation indices, long term land cover changes (e.g. to monitor deforestation rates), global snow cover trends, water inundation from pluvial, riverine, or sea level rise flooding in coastal areas, change of water levels of major lakes such as the Aral Sea, and the detection and mapping of wildland fires in the United States. The United States Forest Service's Remote Sensing Applications Center analyzes MODIS imagery on a continuous basis to provide information for the management and suppression of wildfires.

Specifications

Calibration MODIS utilizes four on-board calibrators in addition to the space view in order to provide in-flight calibration: solar diffuser (SD), solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM), spectral radiometric calibration assembly (SRCA), and a v-groove black body. MODIS has used the marine optical buoy for vicarious calibration.

MODIS bands

MODIS data

MODIS Level 3 datasets The following MODIS Level 3 (L3) datasets are available from NASA, as processed by the Collection 5 software.

See also Imaging spectroscopy NASA WorldWind Aqua (satellite) Terra (satellite) Fire Information for Resource Management System

References

External links

ECHO Reverb – the next generation metadata and service discovery tool, which has replaced the former Warehouse Inventory and Search Tool (WIST); LAADS Web – Level 1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System (LAADS) web interface; LANCE-MODIS – Land Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS "FTP link". ladsftp.nascom.nasa.gov (FTP). (To view documents see Help:FTP) – LAADS underlying FTP server; https://e4ftl01.cr.usgs.gov/ – Earth land surface datasets; "FTP link". n4ftl01u.ecs.nasa.gov (FTP). (To view documents see Help:FTP) – snow and ice datasets. Official NASA site MODIS bands and spectral ranges (broken link) (archived 15 July 2007) MODIS Images of the Day MODIS Image of the Day – Google Gadget referring to MODIS image of the day. Gallery of Images of Interest (archived 25 August 2001) MODIS Land Product Subsetting Tool for North America from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (archived 27 May 2010) MODIS Rapid Response system (near real time images) NASA OnEarth (Web service for MODIS imagery) (archived 12 July 2003) Visible Earth: Latest MODIS images (archived 1 July 2006) MODIS Sinusoidal: Projection 6842 – MODIS Sinusoidal Python: accessing near real-time MODIS images and fire data from NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites (Python)

Modis has 36 spectral bands

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer

In research: Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics NASA, Satellite imaging sensors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer in simple terms?

Why does Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer.