MODIS Policies

Radiation Budget Variables

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MODIS Overview

The MODIS instrument is operating on both the Terra and Aqua spacecraft. It has a viewing swath width of 2,330 km and views the entire surface of the Earth every one to two days. Its detectors measure 36 spectral bands and it acquires data at three spatial resolutions: 250-m, 500-m, and 1,000-m.

MODIS Naming Conventions

MODIS filenames (i.e., the local granule ID) follow a naming convention which gives useful information regarding the specific product. For example, the filename MOD09A1.A2006001.h08v05.005.2006012234657.hdf indicates:

• MOD09A1 - Product Short Name
• .A2006001 - Julian Date of Acquisition (A-YYYYDDD)
• .h08v05 - Tile Identifier (horizontalXXverticalYY)
• .005 - Collection Version
• .2006012234567 - Julian Date of Production (YYYYDDDHHMMSS)
• .hdf - Data Format (HDF-EOS)

The MODIS Long Name (i.e., Collection-Level) convention also provides useful information. For example, all products belonging to the MODIS/Terra Surface Reflectance 8-Day L3 Global 500m SIN Grid V005 collection have the following characteristics:

• MODIS/Terra - Instrument/Sensor
• Surface Reflectance - Geophysical Parameter
• 8-Day - Temporal Resolution
• L3 - Processing Level
• Global - Global or Swath
• 500m - Spatial Resolution
• SIN Grid - Gridded or Not
• V005 - Collection Version

MODIS Temporal Resolution

The high level MODIS Land products distributed from LP DAAC are produced at various temporal resolutions, based on the instruments' orbital cycle. These time steps are possible in the generation of MODIS Land products:

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China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS) / Ziyuan series (International), Spacecraft - Earth observation

Current Status
The third China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite, CBERS-2B, was launched by Long March 4B on 19 September 2007 and the mission was terminated on 16 April 2010. CBERS-1 ceased operations in August 2003. CBERS 2 was launched on 21 October 2003 as an identical replacement and was retired from service on 10 January 2009. CBERS-3 and 4 are expected to be launched in 2011 and 2014, respectively. Note that the name Ziyuan is also used by a series of Chinese Earth imaging satellites (see separate entry under Jianbing).

Background
An agreement calling for the development and launch of two remote sensing satellites was signed in November 1993, between China and Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE). The project was 70 per cent funded by China and 30 per cent by Brazil. The Chinese name for the satellites is Ziyuan, meaning 'Resource'. The joint programme is called the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS). The satellites are primarily used for monitoring changes in land use and natural resources, e.g. estimation of forest reserves, crop land, damage due to floods and earthquakes; and environmental pollution.In June 2004, INPE introduced free access to CBERS images over the internet. By July 2009 more than 500,000 of these images had been acquired by 20,000 private and public institutions. In 2009, free access to images for African countries was introduced by both Brazil and China.The CBERS satellite consists of a payload module and a platform. The main body is box-shaped, with a single solar array on one side of the satellite. Thermal control is mainly passive, such as thermal coatings, multilayer insulation blankets, and heat pipes. Only in special circumstances is an electric heater employed. The power supply subsystem includes a solar array, NiCd batteries, regulators and converters. The satellite is designed to operate in a Sun-synchronous orbit and the local time at the descending node is 10:30. The repeat cycle is 26 days and the satellite can provide global imaging coverage. CBERS-1 (Ziyuan-1) and CBERS-2 (Ziyuan-1B) carried three imaging sensors with

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Earth monitoring satellite launched by China and Brazil

The second half of a joint Sino-Brazilian environmental satellite program streaked into space today, less than a week after China made history with its first manned spaceflight.

The blastoff also came two months after a tragic launch pad accident at the Alcantara launch base in Brazil that killed 21 workers in an explosion as final preparations were underway.

Today's liftoff of the second China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite, or CBERS 2, was at 0316 GMT (11:16 p.m. EDT Tuesday) aboard the sixth Long March 4B rocket from the Taiyuan space center in China's Shanxi province.

File image of Long March 4B rocket launching the CBERS 1 satellite in 1999. Photo: INPE

CBERS 2 was placed in a 483-mile high Sun-synchronous orbit inclined 98.5 degrees about 12 minutes into the flight, followed during the craft's first orbit by deployment of the electricity-producing solar panel and initial housekeeping tasks to get the satellite into controlled flight.

After an intensive checkout period, CBERS 2 will commence normal operations about 80 days after launch to begin a two-year mission that will revolve around three cameras aboard the 3,190-pound satellite.

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CBERS 1, 2, 2B / ZY 1A, 1B, 1B2

The CBERS (China Brazil Earth Resources Satellite) or ZY 1 (Zi Yuan) satellites are designed for global coverage and include cameras to make optical observations and a data collecting system to gather data on the environment. They are unique systems due to the use of on-board sensors which combine features that are especially designed to resolve the broad range of space and time scales involved in the monitoring and preservation of the ecosystem.

The CBERS satellites will enhance and complement the existing remote sensing systems in an effort to improve our knowledge about the Earth environment and resources.

A unique characteristic of CBERS is its multi-sensor payload with different spatial resolutions and data collecting frequencies.

• Wide Field Imager (WFI)
  The WFI has a ground swath of 890 km which provides a synoptic view with spatial resolution of 260 m. The Earth surface is completely covered in about 5 days in two spectral bands: 0,66 mm (green) and 0,83 mm (near infra-red).
• High Resolution CCD Camera
  The CCD camera provides images of a 113 km wide strip with 20 m spatial resolution. Since this camera has a sideways pointing capability of ±32 degrees it is capable of taking stereoscopic images of a certain region. In addition, any phenomenon detected by the WFI may be "zooned" by the oblique view of the CCD camera with a maximum time lag of 3 days. The CCD camera operates in 5 spectral bands that include a panchromatic band from 0,51 to 0,73 mm. The two spectral bands of the WFI are also present in the CCD camera to allow complementing the data of the two types of remote sensing images. A complete coverage cycle of the CCD camera takes 26 days.
• Infrared Multispectral Scanner (IR-MSS) (only in CBERS 1 and 2)
  The IR-MSS operates in 4 spectral bands such as to extend the CBERS spectral coverage up to the thermal infrared range. It images a 120 km swath with a resolution of 80 m (160 m in the thermal channel). In 26 days one obtains a complete Earth coverage that can be correlated with the images of the CCD camera.
• High-Resolution Panchromatic Camera (HRC) (only in CBERS 2B)

The CBERS satellite is composed of two modules. The payload module houses the optical and electronic systems used for Earth observation and for data collecting. The service module incorporates the equipment that ensures the power supply, the control, the telecommunications and all other functions needed for the satellite operation.

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Frequently asked questions on CBERS program

1. What CBERS means? What is that?

It means China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite. It is a program for technological cooperation between Brazil and China, whose objective is the development and in-orbit operation of two remote sensing satellites. A protocol was signed in 2002 for the development of two more satellites.

2. What is the purpose of CBERS satellite?

Its purpose is to generate image of the Earth surface, that are used for applications in diverse sectors like agriculture, environment, hydrological and ocean resources, forest, geology and other. This field of knowledge is called Remote Sensing.

3. Who are the participants in the CBERS program?

For Brazil, INPE-National Institute for Space Research, as responsible for development, and AEB, Brazilian Space Agency, as well as the industrial Brazilian sector. For China, CAST-Chinese Academy for Space Technology, as responsible for development, CNSA-China National Space Administration, CRESDA-China Center for Resource Satellite Data and Applications, in the ground images segment, and CLTC-China Satellite Launch and Tracking General, in the control ground segment.

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CBERS-2 Satellite Sensor

The CBERS-2 identical to CBERS-1 Program was born from a partnership between Brazil and China in the space technical scientific segment. CBERS-1 was launched successfully on October 21, 2003 from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China. The launch time was 11:16AM (Beijing local time), which corresponds to 1:16AM (Brasilia local time). Satellite images from CBERS-2 are used in important areas, as deforestation and fire control in the Amazon Region, water resources monitoring, urban growth, soil occupation, education and several other applications. One important application is the hydrological basin monitoring by the ANA and SIVAM platform networks, which provides Brazilian river and rain data.

CBERS Satellite Sensor

Image Credit: China Brazil Earth Resources Satellite/INPE

The CBERS satellite is composed of two modules. The payload module houses the optical system (CCD - High Resolution CCD Cameras, IRMSS - Infra-Red Multispectral Scanner e WFI - Wide Field Imager) and the electronic system used for Earth observation and data collecting with a resolution capability ranging from 20 meters to 260 meters. The service module incorporates the equipment that ensures the power supply, control, telecommunications and all other functions needed for the satellite operation.

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Application of Remote Sensing and GIS for Law Enforcement — Crime Mapping - Application

GIS (geographic information systems) and remote sensed data mapping applications for crime fighting and prevention has become a necessary tool in law enforcement agencies worldwide, probably one of the most valuable tools available. Crime mapping is a key component of crime analysis.

Satellite imagery and aerial photography display important information about criminal activities happening around the nation and around our world. The added functionality of satellite imagery and GIS in computer mapping has increased the capabilities of crime fighting due to the efficiency and speed of the analysis.

Aerial Photo - Houston, TX	QuickBird Image - Houston, TX

Mapping crime, using GIS and remote sensed data allows analysts to identify hot spots, along with other trends and patterns. GIS also allows analysts to overlay other datasets such as census demographics, locations of stores, banks and schools, etc., to better understand the underlying causes of crime and help law enforcement administrators to devise strategies to deal with the problem. GIS is also useful for law enforcement operations, such as allocating police officers and dispatching to emergencies.

GIS Mapping — Friendswood, TX

Police departments employ GIS and remote sensing technology in various applications, including criminal intelligence and crime analysis, crime prevention, public information, and community policing. Typical GIS applications involve taking a georeferenced crime database, filtering the data as needed, and mapping it over a street database to put the crime data in its spatial context. Other data layers may be used, such as census tracts, ZIP Codes, or council districts, but the most frequent underlying context is city streets.

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