NCDC: NASA ER-2 - TSCC Camera

NASA ER-2 AIRCRAFT - TILT SCAN CCD CAMERA (TSCC)

J. Spinhirne (NASA/GSFC, USA)
D. Hlavka (NASA/GSFC, USA)

Announced availability: 1 February 1996

Data Access

NASA ER-2 Tilt Scan SSC Camera (former Electro Optic Camera (EOC)) products are available upon request from NASA/GSFC.

Background

The NASA ER-2, operated by the High Altitude Mission Branch at NASA/Ames Research Center, is used as a readily deployable high altitude sensor platform to collected remote sensing and in situ data on earth resources, celestial phenomena, atmospheric dynamics, and oceanic processes. During TOGA COARE, the ER-2 flew 19 missions between 3 January and 4 March 1993.

Data from the Tilt Scan CCD Camera or TSCC are being used to develop observations of:
1) the bi-directional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of clouds and
2) polarization measurements.

For TOGA COARE eleven case studies were indentified consisting of full tilt sequences which met the viewing criteria. Each tilt sequence consists of approximately six datatakes which view the cloud or earth scene at view angles stepping from 45 degrees ahead of the aircraft to 45 degrees behind the aircraft.

Data Processing

The digital raw output arrays have been calibrated to radiance values using a known calibration sphere light source. A processing model package has been developed to systematically analyze case studies pixel by pixel. For a detailed description of the instrument and the data processing model, refer to Spinhirne et al., 1996. Output products per datatake consist of digital image arrays (1 byte pixels) corresponding to:

1) total radiance
2) polarized radiance ratio (perpendicular rad. / parallel rad.)
3) total reflectance and
4) phase angle (180 degrees - scatter angle).

Each image array contains a header record which contains the corresponding conversion factor to convert the one byte digital values to the correct parameter values.

The following table lists the processing status for the TSCC instrument for TOGA COARE:

                  CASE STUDIES PROCESSED (680 nm only)

                    Nadir Tilt   Image ID's   Tracking
Date (UTC)  Sortie  Time (UTC)  in Tilt Seq.   Ht.(km)       Remarks
__________  ______  __________  ____________   _______   ______________________

08Jan93     93052    00:01:30    1194-1241       9.0     1 layer Ci over water
                                                         with scattered Cu
21Feb93     93065    00:07:40    4242-4285       9.0     High thin Ci over
                                                         water
21Feb93     93065    00:11:42    4374-4421       9.0     Ci over dense Cb

21Feb93     93065    00:46:40    5592-5633       9.0     High thin Ci over
                                                         water
22Feb93     93066    21:27:08    0060-0107       9.0     High dense Ci over
                                                         water
23Feb93     93067    23:35:36    2958-3005       9.0     Complex mix of 3 cloud
                                                         layers over water
24Feb93     93067    01:36:03    7236-7283       9.0     Ci at 10km above
                                                         opaque layer at 7km
04Mar93     93068    00:41:51    0750-0797       9.0     1 layer Ci over water


                    CASE STUDIES TO BE PROCESSED BY
                          6/96 (680 nm only)

                    Nadir Tilt   Image ID's   Tracking
Date (UTC)  Sortie  Time (UTC)  in Tilt Seq.   Ht.(km)       Remarks
__________  ______  __________  ____________   _______   ______________________

07Jan93     93052    23:30:24    0186-0233       9.0     1 layer Ci over water
                                                         with scattered Cu
21Feb93     93065    00:03:51    4104-4151       9.0     High Ci over water

04Mar93     93068    00:45:42    0888-0935       9.0     Clear sky over water

The TSCC dataset is very narrow in its application potential, but very important in its main focus - observing the BRDF. We therefore think that making raw TSCC data tapes available would have very limited usefulness. The added-value products discussed here that we are making available are letting the science community take advantage of the complicated processing software that we developed specifically for BRDF applications. Upon request, data will be made available through ftp or ship it on 8 mm tape using TAR format. Each image array is 320,080 bytes, including the header. A README file in ASCII describing how to read the datafiles is also available.

For more information, please contact:

Dennis Hlavka
Code 912, NASA/GSFC
Greenbelt, MD 20771
USA

email: sgdlh@virl.gsfc.nasa.gov
Phone: (301) 286-5578
FAX: (301) 286-1762

Reference

Spinhirne, J.D., D.L. Hlavka, and T. Hildem, 1996: Tilt Scan CCD Camera Radiometer for Cloud Bi-directional Reflectance and Polarization Measurements, J. Atmos Oceanic Technol., (submitted)

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