Documentation Revision Date: 2024-09-12
Dataset Version: 1
Summary
The MASTER instrument is a modified Daedalus Wildfire scanning spectrometer that flies on a variety of multi-altitude research aircraft and provides spectral information similar to that provided by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), which are aboard two NASA Earth Observing System satellites: Terra and Aqua. MASTER provides data in 50 channels spanning visible to thermal infrared wavelengths (0.4 – 13 µm). Its data have been used to study geological patterns, land covers, ecological disturbances, and other phenomena that affect Earth surface properties.
This dataset includes a total of 728 data files: 120 text (*.txt) files, 30 archives of text files that are zipped (*.zip), 30 flight maps as GIF (*.gif) images, and 274 browse images in JPEG (*.jpg) format.
Figure 1. Single band images and an RGB composite image from flight track 1 acquired on 02 April 2024 over Primm, Nevada, US (approx. 35.60 lat, -115.40 lon). Source: MASTERL1B_2493400_01_20240402_1859_1902_V01.jpg
Citation
Hook, S.J., J.S. Myers, K.J. Thome, M. Fitzgerald, A.B. Kahle, Airborne Sensor Facility NASA Ames Research Center, and R.F. Kokaly. 2024. MASTER: Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx), Spring 2024. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/2370
Table of Contents
- Dataset Overview
- Data Characteristics
- Application and Derivation
- Quality Assessment
- Data Acquisition, Materials, and Methods
- Data Access
- References
Dataset Overview
This dataset includes Level 1B (L1B) data products from the MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER) instrument. The spectral data were collected during 30 flights aboard a NASA ER-2 aircraft over California, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona, US, from 2024-04-02 to 2024-06-28. Data products include L1B georeferenced multispectral imagery of calibrated radiance in 50 bands covering wavelengths of 0.460 to 12.879 micrometers at approximately 50-meter spatial resolution. The L1B file format is HDF-4. In addition, the dataset includes the flight path, spectral band information, instrument configuration, ancillary notes, and summary information for each flight, and browse images derived from each L1B data file.
The Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx) research project used NASA's Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES), and MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER) instruments to collect the measurements over the country's arid and semi-arid regions, including parts of California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico, to map portions of southwest US for critical minerals.
Level 2 products from these GEMx flights will be added to this dataset when they become available.
The MASTER instrument is a modified Daedalus Wildfire scanning spectrometer that flies on a variety of multi-altitude research aircraft and provides spectral information similar to that provided by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), which are aboard two NASA Earth Observing System satellites: Terra and Aqua. MASTER provides data in 50 channels spanning visible to thermal infrared wavelengths (0.4 – 13 µm). Its data have been used to study geological patterns, land covers, ecological disturbances, and other phenomena that affect Earth surface properties.
Project: MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator
The MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER) is a scanning spectrometer which flies on a variety of multi-altitude research aircraft and provides data similar to the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER). MASTER first flew in 1998 and has ongoing deployments as a Facility Instrument in the NASA Airborne Science Program (ASP). MASTER is a joint project involving the Airborne Sensor Facility (ASF) at the Ames Research Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and the Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS).
Related Publication
Hook, S.J. Myers, J.J., Thome, K.J., Fitzgerald, M. and A.B. Kahle. 2001. The MODIS/ASTER airborne simulator (MASTER) - a new instrument for earth science studies. Remote Sensing of Environment 76:93–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(00)00195-4
Related Datasets
Hook, S.J., J.S. Myers, K.J. Thome, M. Fitzgerald, A.B. Kahle, Airborne Sensor Facility NASA Ames Research Center, and R.F. Kokaly. 2024. MASTER: Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx), California-Arizona, Summer 2023. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/2319
- Level-1 and Level-2 products from MASTER for GEMx in 2023.
Additional MASTER datasets are available on the ORNL DAAC MASTER project page
Acknowledgments
The MASTER instrument is maintained and operated by the Airborne Sensor Facility (ASF) at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, under the oversight of the EOS Project Science Office at NASA Goddard. Data processing was conducted at NASA Ames Research Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California.
Data Characteristics
Spatial Coverage: Portions of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona, U.S.
Spatial Resolution: 50 m
Temporal Coverage: 2024-04-02 to 2024-06-28
Temporal Resolution: One-time estimate
Study Area: All latitudes and longitudes given in decimal degrees.
| Site | Westernmost Longitude | Easternmost Longitude | Northernmost Latitude | Southernmost Latitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California, Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona, U.S. | -124.2642 | -108.0828 | 43.1983 | 31.1419 |
Data File Information
This dataset includes a total of 728 data files: 120 text (*.txt) files, 30 archives of text files that are zipped (*.zip), 30 flight maps as GIF (*.gif) images, and 274 browse images in JPEG (*.jpg) format.
There are different numbers of each type of file, which corresponds to the number of "flights" and "flight tracks. A "flight" is flown on a single day, and a "flight track" typically refers to a segment of a given flight. The number of flight tracks varies among flights (Table 2).
- There are 30 flights with 274 flight tracks (Table 2).
- For each of 274 flight tracks, there is one L1B data file in HDF format and an auxiliary browse image (*.jpg).
- For each flight, there is a collection of auxiliary files providing information about the flight and instrument configuration.
The primary data files are named MASTERLAA_BBBBBBBB_CC_YYYYMMDD_EEFF_GGHH_V0J-X.ext (e.g., MASTERL1B_2493400_01_20240402_1859_1902_V01.hdf).
The flight track-level browse images are named MASTERLAA_BBBBBBBB_CC_YYYYMMDD_EEFF_GGHH_V0J.jpg (e.g., MASTERL1B_2493400_01_20240402_1859_1902_V01.jpg).
The deployment-level auxiliary files are named MASTER_BBBBBBBB_YYYYMMDD_X.ext (e.g., MASTER_2493400_20240402_config.txt).
- AA = ”1B” or “2”, indicating L1B or L2 data level,
- BBBBBBBB = flight number (Table 2),
- CC = flight track (Table 2),
- YYYYMMDD = date of sampling,
- EEFF = starting time at EE hour and FF minute,
- GGHH = ending time at GG hour and HH minute,
- J = version number for file,
- X = the file content (see Table 1), and
- ext = "hdf", "gif", "jpg", "txt", or "zip", indicating the file extension.
Table 1. File names and descriptions.
| File Name | Level | File Type | Total Files | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Data Files | ||||
| MASTERL1B_BBBBBBB_CC_YYYYmmDD_EEFF_GGHH_V0J.hdf | L1B | HDF-4 | 274 | Multispectral radiance in 50 bands, pixel coordinates, sensor configuration, aircraft platform data, analysis parameters. The "CalibratedData" variable provides estimates of radiance in units of W m-2 sr-1 per micron. |
| Auxiliary Files | ||||
| MASTERL1B_BBBBBBB_CC_YYYYMMDD_EEFF_GGHH_V0J.jpg | L1B | JPEG | 274 | Browse figures; one image per flight track; multiple tracks per flight. |
| MASTER_BBBBBBB_YYYYMMDD_ancillary.txt | - | Text | 30 | Ancillary information about flight including notes on aircraft platform, mission objective, and data evaluation. |
| MASTER_BBBBBBB_YYYYMMDD_config.txt | - | Text | 30 | Instrument configuration information for flight. |
| MASTER_BBBBBBB_YYYYMMDD_flightpath.gif | - | GIF | 30 | Map showing flight paths. |
| MASTER_BBBBBBB_YYYYMMDD_spectral_band_info.txt | - | Text | 30 | Spectral band information for flight. |
| MASTER_BBBBBBB_YYYYMMDD_spectral_response_table.zip | - | Text | 30 | Spectral response tables by band (ZIP archive of 50 text files). |
| MASTER_BBBBBBB_YYYYMMDD_summary.txt | - | Text | 30 | Time and coordinates for start and end of flight tracks along with the number of scan lines, solar and instrument angles, and aircraft altitude. FTLT = flight track number. |
Data File Details
The HDF-4 files contain swath trajectory data using longitude, latitude coordinates. The spatial resolution is function of aircraft altitude. Resolution is approximately 50 m for these ER-2 flights.
Table 2. Number of flight tracks for each MASTER flight during this 2024 deployment over California, Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona.
| Date | Flight Number | Locations (USA) | Flight Tracks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-04-02 | 2493400 | Ivanpah Playa | 7 |
| 2024-04-03 | 2493500 | Southwestern Arizona (GEMx AZ116) | 8 |
| 2024-04-10 | 2493600 | South Central Arizona (GEMx AZ122) | 7 |
| 2024-04-11 | 2493700 | South Central Arizona (GEMx TY107) | 7 |
| 2024-04-16 | 2493800 | South Central Arizona (GEMx TY107) | 7 |
| 2024-04-17 | 2493900 | South Central Arizona (GEMx TY107) | 7 |
| 2024-04-23 | 2494000 | Southeastern Arizona (GEMx AZ146) | 6 |
| 2024-04-24 | 2494100 | California/Arizona (GEMx TY103) | 8 |
| 2024-04-30 | 2494200 | Central California (GEMx CA223) | 7 |
| 2024-05-01 | 2494300 | Central California (GEMx TY202) | 8 |
| 2024-05-02 | 2494400 | Central California (GEMx CA211) | 13 |
| 2024-05-06 | 2494500 | Southern California (GEMx TY001) | 18 |
| 2024-05-08 | 2494600 | Southern California (GEMx CA253) | 10 |
| 2024-05-09 | 2494700 | Southern California (GEMx CA261) | 9 |
| 2024-05-13 | 2494800 | Southern CA and NV (GEMx CA279) | 11 |
| 2024-05-16 | 2494900 | Southern California (GEMx CA245) | 9 |
| 2024-05-21 | 2495000 | California Nevada Border (GEMx CA214) | 10 |
| 2024-05-22 | 2495100 | Northwestern Arizona (GEMx AZ203) | 6 |
| 2024-05-28 | 2495200 | Northwestern Arizona (GEMx AZ207) | 8 |
| 2024-05-30 | 2495300 | Southeastern Arizona (GEMx AZ156) | 6 |
| 2024-05-31 | 2495400 | Southern California (GEMx CA112) | 22 |
| 2024-06-04 | 2495500 | Yosemite NEON Box (Line 11) | 11 |
| 2024-06-05 | 2495600 | Southern California (GEMx CA245) | 11 |
| 2024-06-06 | 2495700 | Lake Tahoe | 7 |
| 2024-06-10 | 2495800 | Southeastern Arizona (GEMx AZ152) | 6 |
| 2024-06-14 | 2495900 | Ivanpah Tie Line part1 (GEMx X03) | 8 |
| 2024-06-21 | 2496000 | Lake Tahoe Box (Line 11) | 12 |
| 2024-06-24 | 2496100 | Northwestern California (GEMx TY407) | 9 |
| 2024-06-26 | 2496200 | Santa Barbara Box (Line 1) | 7 |
| 2024-06-28 | 2496300 | Santa Barbara Box (Line 7) | 9 |
| Total | 274 | ||
Application and Derivation
The primary objective of MASTER is to: (a) collect ASTER-like and MODIS-like land datasets to support the validation of the ASTER and MODIS geophysical retrieval algorithms; (b) collect these datasets at a higher resolution than the spaceborne datasets to permit scaling studies and comparisons with in-situ measurements; and (c) under fly the EOS-AM1 ASTER and MODIS sensors to provide an additional radiometric calibration to assist with in-flight instrument performance characterization. Calibration is particularly important for ASTER where on-board calibration is dependent on a single black body in the TIR and only partial aperture illumination in the VNIR.
A secondary objective of MASTER is to: (a) provide both a backup instrument and backup modules for the current MODIS Airborne simulator, which is committed to a program of atmospheric and oceanic measurements; and (b) provide a wider spectral and dynamic range alternative to the use of the Thematic Mapper (TM) airborne simulator and Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) airborne scanners (JPL, 2021b).
MASTER imagery has been used for mapping wildfires and their impacts (Veraverbeke et al., 2011), land covers (Li and Moon, 2004), coral reefs (Capolsini et al., 2003), and urban heat islands (Zhao and Wentz, 2016).
The Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx) research project will use NASA's Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES), and MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER) instruments to collect the measurements over the country's arid and semi-arid regions, including parts of California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico, to map portions of southwest US for critical minerals.
Quality Assessment
The MASTER instrument channels are calibrated spectrally and radiometrically in the laboratory preflight and postflight. The mid-infrared and thermal infrared channels (26–50) are also radiometrically calibrated in-flight by viewing an internal hot and cold blackbody with each scanline (Hook et al., 2001). Three calibration and validation experiments were conducted in 1998–2001 (Hook et al., 2001; JPL, 2021a). Spectral response information for this deployment is included in the MASTER_BBBBBBBB_YYYYMMDD_spectral_response_table.zip files.
Data Acquisition, Materials, and Methods
The MASTER instrument was developed by the NASA Ames Research Center in conjunction with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The instrument consists of three key components: the scanning spectrometer, the digitizer, and the storage system. The scanning unit was built by Sensys Technology (formerly Daedalus Enterprises) and the digitizer was a collaborative effort between Berkeley Camera Engineering and the Ames Airborne Sensor Facility (ASF). The data storage system and overall system integration were also provided by the ASF.
The MASTER instrument is similar to the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) developed by the MODIS project (King et al., 1996). However, it has two key differences. First, MASTER supports a variety of scan speeds allowing it to acquire contiguous imagery from a variety of altitudes with different pixel sizes. Second, the channel positions are configured to closely match those of ASTER and MODIS. A detailed description of the instrument and optical system are provided by Hook et al. (2001) and King et al. (1996), respectively.
For this deployment, the MASTER instrument was flown on NASA's ER-2 aircraft at altitudes of 19,500 - 20,655 m above sea level.
Figure 2. Flight tracks in this dataset represented as blue rectangular polygons over California, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. Basemap: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Figure 3. Typical flight path is shown for 02 April 2024. Flight 2493400 and 7 flight tracks occurred over southern California and Nevada. Source: MASTER_2493400_20240402_flightpath.gif
Data Access
These data are available through the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC).
MASTER: Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx), Spring 2024
Contact for Data Center Access Information:
- E-mail: uso@daac.ornl.gov
- Telephone: +1 (865) 241-3952
References
Capolsini, P., S. Andréfouët, C. Rion, and C. Payri. 2003. A comparison of Landsat ETM+, SPOT HRV, Ikonos, ASTER, and airborne MASTER data for coral reef habitat mapping in South Pacific islands. Canadian J. Remote Sensing 29:187-200. https://doi.org/10.5589/m02-088
Coll, C., V. Caselles, E. Rubio, F. Sospedra, and E. Valor. 2001. Temperature and emissivity separation from calibrated data of the Digital Airborne Imaging Spectrometer. Remote Sensing of Environment 76:250-259. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(00)00207-8
Hook, S.J. Myers, J.J., Thome, K.J., Fitzgerald, M., and A.B. Kahle. 2001. The MODIS/ASTER airborne simulator (MASTER) - a new instrument for earth science studies. Remote Sensing of Environment 76:93-102. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(00)00195-4
Hook, S.J., J.S. Myers, K.J. Thome, M. Fitzgerald, A.B. Kahle, Airborne Sensor Facility NASA Ames Research Center, and R.F. Kokaly. 2024. MASTER: Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx), California-Arizona, Summer 2023. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/2319
JPL. 2021a. Calibration and Validation, MASTER: MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA. https://masterprojects.jpl.nasa.gov/cal-val
JPL. 2021b. Science objectives, MASTER: MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA. https://masterprojects.jpl.nasa.gov/objectives
King, M.D., W.P. Menzel, P.S. Grant, J.S. Myers, G.T. Arnold, S.E. Platnick, L.E. Gumley, S.C. Tsay, C.C. Moeller, M. Fitzgerald, K.S. Brown, and F.G. Osterwisch. 1996. Airborne scanning spectrometer for remote sensing of cloud, aerosol, water vapor and surface properties. J. Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology 13:777-794. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0426(1996)013<0777:ASSFRS>2.0.CO;2
Li, P., and W.M. Moon. 2004. Land cover classification using MODIS-ASTER airborne simulator (MASTER) data and NDVI: A case study of the Kochang area, Korea. Canadian J. Remote Sensing 30:123-126. https://doi.org/10.5589/m03-061
Veraverbeke, S., S. Harris, and S. Hook. 2011. Evaluating spectral indices for burned area discrimination using MODIS/ASTER (MASTER) airborne simulator data. Remote Sensing of Environment 115:2702-2709. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2011.06.010
Zhao, Q., and E.A. Wentz. 2016. A MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER) imagery for urban heat island research. Data 1:7. https://doi.org/10.3390/data1010007