APPLIED REMOTE SENSING

GER 5750/6750
SENSOR DESCRIPTIONS
Sensors:

AVHRR
SPOT

ASTER
MODIS

LANDSAT TM
AVIRIS

LANDSAT MSS
IRS

For more information on any of the sensors summarized below please click on
the underlined name.
MODIS Sensor
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) is the key
instrument being developed to fly on each of the EOS AM and PM satellites.
MODIS' objective is to provide a comprehensive series of global
observations of the Earth's land, oceans, and atmosphere in the visible and
infrared regions of the spectrum in such a way as to view the entire surface
of the Earth every two days. Here, the word "comprehensive" refers to the
wide spectral range and spatial coverage, as well as the continuous coverage
MODIS will provide over time.
Additionally, MODIS is "comprehensive" in that it will continue to take
measurements in spectral regions that have been and are currently being
measured by other satellite sensors, or "heritage instruments." MODIS will
extend data sets taken by such instruments as the Advanced Very High
Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), used for meteorology and monitoring sea
surface temperature, sea ice, and vegetation; and the Coastal Zone Color
Scanner (CZCS), used to monitor oceanic biomass and ocean circulation
patterns. However, it should be noted that MODIS' development pushes
state-of-the-art optical engineering--its performance will meet or exceed the
capabilities of all its heritage instruments.
"Comprehensive" also refers to the unified nature of MODIS' observations,
necessary for multidisciplinary studies of land, ocean, and atmospheric
processes and their interactions. In short, MODIS will be the primary tool
on the EOS satellites for conducting global change research.
MODIS Technical Specifications:
Orbit:

705 km, 10:30 a.m. descending node (AM-1) or 1:30 p.m.

ascending node (PM-1), sun-synchronous, near-polar, circular

Scan Rate:

20.3 rpm, cross track

Swath
Dimensions:

2330 km (cross track) by 10 km (along track at nadir)

Telescope:

17.78 cm diam. off-axis, afocal (collimated), with intermediate

field stop

Size:

1.0 x 1.6 x 1.0 m

Weight:

250 kg

Power:

162.5 W (single orbit average)

Data Rate:

10.8 Mbps (peak daytime); 6.2 Mbps (orbital average)

Quantization:

12 bits

Spatial
Resolution:

250 m (bands 1-2)

500 m (bands 3-7)
1000 m (bands 8-36)

Design Life

6 years

MODIS Applications:
These data will improve our understanding of global dynamics and processes
occurring on the surface of the Earth, in the oceans, and in the lower atmosphere.
MODIS will play a vital role in the development of validated, global, interactive
Earth system models able to predict global change accurately enough to assist
policy makers in making sound decisions concerning the protection of our
environment.
Primary Use

Band

Bandwidth
CZCS AVHRR SeaWiFS
(m)

Land / Cloud Boundaries

1
2

.620 - .670
.841 - .876

1
2

3
4
5
6
7

.459 - .479
.545 - .565
1.230 1.250
1
1.628 1.652
2.105 2.155

.405 - .420
.438 - .448
.483 - .493
.526 - .536
.546 - .556
.662 - .672
.673 - .683
.743 - .753

1
1
2

3
5
6
6
7

Land / Cloud Properties

Ocean
8
Color/Phytoplankton/Biogeochemistr 9
y
10
11
12
13
14
15

2
3
4
4
5

16

.862 - .877 -

17
18
19

.890 - .920 .931 - .941 .915 - .965 -

2
2
2

Surface/Cloud Temperature

20
21
22
23

3.660 3.840
3.929 3.989
3.929 3.989
4.020 4.080

3
-

Atmospheric Temperature

24
25

4.433 4.498
4.482 4.549

Cirrus Clouds
Water Vapor

26
27
28
29

1.360 1.390
6.535 6.895
7.175 7.475
8.400 8.700

Ozone

30

9.580 9.880

Surface/Cloud Temperature

31
32

10.780 11.280
11.770 12.270

4
5

33
34
35
36

13.185 13.485
13.485 13.785
13.785 14.085
14.085 14.385

Atmospheric Water Vapor

Cloud Top Altitude

AVHRR
The Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) is a broad-band,
4 or 5 channel (depending on the model) scanner, sensing in the visible,
near-infrared, and thermal infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
This sensor is carried on NOAA's Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites
( POES), beginning with TIROS-N in 1978.

AVHRR data are acquired in three formats:

High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT)
Local Area Coverage(LAC)
Global Area Coverage (GAC)
HRPT data are full resolution image data transmitted to a ground station as
they are collected. LAC are also full resolution data, but recorded with an on
board tape recorder for subsequent transmission during a station overpass.
GAC data provides daily subsampled global coverage recorded on the tape
recorders, and then transmitted to a ground station.
NOAA / AVHRR - Technical Specifications Sensor:
Sensor Name : Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)
Platform

NOAA 9-12/J

Type

opto-mechanical scanner

Spatial
Resolution

1.1 km (at ssp)

Spectral
Range

0.58-12.4 m

Programming Y (LAC data only)

Extent of
Coverage

The AVHRR sensor provides for global (pole to pole) on board

collection of data from all spectral channels. Each pass of the
satellite provides a 2399 km (1491 mi) wide swath. The satellite
will orbit the earth 14 times each day from 833 km (517 mi) above
its surface.

Applications and Related Data Sets:

The sensor was primarily designed for meteorological applications, but has
proved very valuable in a variety of environment linked earth observation
applications, such as:
- drought early warning
- regional and global vegetation monitoring
- snow and ice mapping
- dynamic oceanography
- hydrology
- geology
- detection of forest fires, gas flares and agricultural burning
- fire fuel mapping
- volcanology
- air and sea pollution monitoring
- toxic algal bloom detection
- continental scale mapping (less than 1 :3,000,000)

- soil moisture analysis

- observing sand-storms
ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection
Radiometer):
ASTER is an imaging instrument that will fly on EOS AM-1, a satellite
planned for launch in 1998 as part of NASA's Earth Observing System
(EOS). ASTER will be used to obtain detailed maps of surface temperature,
emissivity, and elevation. The EOS platforms are part of NASA's Mission to
Planet Earth program, whose goal is to obtain a better understanding of the
interactions between the biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.
ASTER is the only high spatial resolution instrument on the EOS-AM1
platform. It will be used with MODIS, MISR and CERES which monitor the
Earth at moderate to coarse spatial resolutions. ASTER's ability to serve as a
'zoom' lens for the other instruments will be particularly important for
change detection, and calibration/validation studies.
About the ASTER Instrument:
ASTER is a cooperative effort between NASA and Japan's Ministry of
International Trade and Industry, with the collaboration of scientific and
industry organizations in both countries. The ASTER Science Team is
composed of members from the United States and Japan, as well as from
France and Australia.
The ASTER instrument consists of three separate instrument subsystems.
Each subsystem operates in a different spectral region, has its own
telescope(s), and is built by a different Japanese company. The subsystems
are the Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR), the Short-wave Infrared (SWIR),
and the Thermal Infrared (TIR) respectively.
VNIR
The VNIR subsystem operates in three spectral bands at visible and near-IR
wavelengths, with a resolution of 15 m. It consists of two elescopes--one
nadir-looking with a three-spectral-band detector, and the other backwardlooking with a single-band detector. The backward-looking telescope
provides a second view of the target area in Band 3 for stereo observations.
Thermal control of the CCD detectors is provided by a platform-provided
cold plate. Cross-track pointing to 24 degrees on either side of the track is
accomplished by rotating the entire telescope assembly. Band separation is
through a combination of dichroic elements and interference filters that
allow all three bands to view the same ground area simultaneously. The data
rate is 62 Mbps when all four bands are operating. Two on-board halogen

lamps are used for calibration of the nadir-looking detectors. This calibration
source is always in the optical path.
SWIR
The SWIR subsystem operates in six spectral bands in the near-IR region
through a single, nadir-pointing telescope that provides 30 m resolution.
Cross-track pointing ( 8.550) is accomplished by a pointing mirror.
Because of the size of the detector/filter combination, the detectors must be
widely spaced, causing a parallax error of about 0.5 pixels per 900 m of
elevation. This error is correctable if elevation data, such as a DEM, are
available. Two on-board halogen lamps are used for calibration in a manner
similar to that used for the VNIR subsystem, however, the pointing mirror
must turn to see the calibration source. The maximum data rate is 23 Mbps.
TIR
The TIR subsystem operates in five bands in the thermal infrared region
using a single, fixed-position, nadir-looking telescope with a resolution of
90 m. Unlike the other instrument subsystems, it has a "whiskbroom"
scanning mirror. Each band uses 10 detectors in a staggered array with
optical bandpass filters over each detector element. The maximum data rate
is 4.2 Mbps. The scanning mirror functions both for scanning and crosstrack pointing (to 8.55 degrees). In the scanning mode, the mirror
oscillates at about 7 Hz and, during oscillation, data are collected in one
direction only. During calibration, the scanning mirror rotates 90 degrees
from the nadir position to view an internal black body. Because of the
instrument's high data rate, restrictions have been imposed so that the
average data rate is manageable by the spacecraft data management system.
This restriction is a one-orbit maximum average rate of 16.6 Mbps and a
two-orbit maximum average rate of 8.3 Mbps, which results in
approximately a 9.3% duty cycle.
ASTER Instrument Characteristics:
Characteristic

VNIR

SWIR

Spectral Range (m)

Band4: 1.6 - 1.7

Band5: 2.145 Band1: 0.52 - 0.6 Nadir
2.185
looking
Band5: 2.145 Band2: 0.63 - 0.6 Nadir
2.185
looking
Band7: 2.235 Band3: 0.76 - 0.86 Nadir
2.285
looking
Band8: 2.295 Band3: 0.76 - 0.86 Backing
2.365
looking
Band9: 2.360 2.430

Band9: 2.360 2.430

Band11: 8.475 8.825
Band11: 8.475 8.825
Band13: 10.25 10.95
Band14: 10.95 11.65

Ground Resolution (m)

15

90

30

TIR

Data Rate (MB/SEC)

62

23

4.2

Cross-track positioning
(deg)

24

8.55

8.55

Cross-track pointing

318

116

116

Swath Width (km)

60

60

60

Detector Type

Si

PtSi-Si

HgCdTe

Quantization (bit)

12

ProtoFlight Models
Charts

VNIR Chart

SWIR Chart

TIR Chart

SWIR Data

TIR Data

ProtoFlight Models Data VNIR Data

ASTER Application:
- Glaciology
- Urban Change
- Evapotranspiration and Surface Fluxes
- Hydrology
- Volcanology
- Geology
LANDSAT/TM Sensor
Landsat/TM - Technical Specifications Sensor
- name of sensor
- platform
- type
- spatial resolution
- spectral range
- nbr of bands
- temporal resolution
- size of image
- swath (km)
- stereo
- programmable

Thematic Mapper
LANDSAT 4-5
opto-mechanical scanner
30/120 m
0.45-12.5 m
7
16 days
185x172 km
185
N
Y

Landsat - Platforms/satellites:
Landsat-1
Landsat-2
Landsat-3
Landsat-4
Landsat-5

Launch Date
23/07/72
22/01/75
05/03/78
16/07/82
01/03/85

Sensors
MSS
MSS
MSS
MSS, TM
MSS, TM

Status
End of operation: 06/01/78
End of operation: 05/02/82
End of operation: 31/03/83
Standby since 07/87
Operational

Landsat-6
Landsat-7

Oct 93
04/99

MSS, ETM
MSS, ETM

Lost !

Landsat 4&5 satellites complete their coverage of the earth every 16 days. Working
together, Landsats 4 and 5 offer repeat coverage of any location every eight days.
At the equator, the ground track separation is 172 km, with a 7.6 percent overlap.
This overlap gradually increases as the satellites approach the poles, reaching 54
percent at 60 latitude.
Landsat- 7:
Name of Sensor
Platform
Type
Spatial Resolution
Spectral Range
Number of Bands
Temporal Resolution
Size of Image
Swath (km)
Stereo
Programmable
Altitude
Inclination
Orbit
Equatorial Crossing Time
Period of Revolution
Repeat Coverage

ETMP = Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus

LANDSAT 7
Opto-Mechanical Scanner
15/30/60 m
0.45-12.5 m
8
16 days
183x170 km
183
N
Y
705 km
98.2
Near Polar, Sun Synchronous
10h00 AM (descending node)
99 m
16 days

Landsat TM - Applications and Related Data Sets:

Thematic Mapper data are used for many varying studies, inventories and
analysis. Crop acreage inventories, timber class identifications, soil
association identification and mapping, range cover and forage production
analysis, plant stress detection, regional land use classifications, generation
of photo-maps, mineral and petroleum exploration, pollution monitoring,
geological mapping and interpretation, areal snow extent assessments,
shallow bathymetric measurements, monitoring sea ice movement,
vegetation classification and mapping studies, monitoring surface mining
operations, detection of beach erosion and flood/forest fire monitoring are
representative of the applications for TM data.
Landsat MSS:

Before the Landsat commercialization contract was signed between the

Department of Commerce and the Earth Observation Satellite Company
(EOSAT) on September 27, 1985, all Landsat activities were handled by the
Federal government. After that date all Landsat commercial rights became
the property of EOSAT. On February 23, 1993, EOSAT relinquished their
exclusive rights to sell Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) regardless of
acquisition. Approximately 640,000 MSS scenes are now available from the
National Satellite and Remote Sensing Data Archive, operated by the EROS
Data Center (EDC), at reduced prices commensurate with the cost of
reproduction. EOSAT will still retain exclusive sales rights to all Thematic
Mapper (TM) data until July 1994, at which time all Landsat Thamatic
Mapper (TM) data over ten years old will also become available from the
National Archive at EDC.
The first satellite in the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS)
program was launched July 23, 1972 and designated ERTS 1. In 1975 the
program was redesignated as the Landsat program to emphasize its primary
area of interest, land resources. The mission of Landsat is to provide for
repetitive acquisition of high resolution multispectral data of the earth's
surface on a global basis.
The complete Landsat system consisted of an observation platform in a
near-polar Earth orbit and ground installations to receive, process and
distribute the data provided by the sensors carried on board the satellite. The
platform carried two remote sensor systems, communication links, attitudecontrol and orbit-adjust systems and a power supply to send the image to
ground receiving stations and to receive ground control commands.
The Landsat satellites are in a sun-synchronous, near polar orbit and scan a
ground area extending 185 km (115 miles) in both directions.
The first three (first generation) satellites carried two sensors - the Return
Beam Vidicon (RBV) camera and the Multispectral Scanner (MSS). Due to
technical problems with the RBV and the spectral and radiometric
superiority of MSS, RBV data was seldom used.
The second generation of Landsat satellites, initiated in 1982 with the
launch of Landsat 4, carry a Thematic Mapper (TM) in addition to the MSS.
The current operational Landsat satellite, Landsat 5, was launched in March
1985. It is still performing well, and has sufficient fuel for many years to
come. Landsat 6 was lost shorthly after its launch in October 1994.
Landsat MSS - Technical Specifications Sensor:
- name of sensor :
MSS = Multi Spectral Scanner

- platform :
LANDSAT
- type :
opto-mechanical scanner
- spatial resolution :
79 m
- spectral range :
0.5-1.1 m
- nbr of bands :
4
- temporal resolution : 16/18 d
- size of image :
185x185 km
- swath (km) :
185
- stereo :
N
- programmable :
N
Landsat MSS - Applications and Related Data Sets:
Landsat MSS data are used for many varying studies, inventories and analysis.
Crop acreage inventories, timber class
identifications, soil association identification and mapping, range cover and forage
production analysis, plant stress detection,
regional land use classifications, generation of photo-maps, mineral and petroleum
exploration, pollution monitoring, geological
mapping and interpretation, areal snow extent assessments, shallow bathymetric
measurements, monitoring sea ice movement,
vegetation classification and mapping studies, monitoring surface mining
operations, detection of beach erosion and flood/forest
fire monitoring are representative of the applications for Landsat data.
Landsat MSS data are now primarily used in change detection over a long period
in time, since the data set goes back until
1972.
SPOT Sensor
SPOT - Background:
Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre (SPOT) is the European (French in cooperation with Sweden and Belgium) earth observing satellite system. SPOT data
are visible and near-infrared radiance data obtained from High Resolution Visible
(HRV) sensors carried on the SPOT-1, -2 and -3 satellites. The along-track (push
broom) scanning mode of the SPOT satellite system provides images with very
good geometric characteristics.
Each satellite carries two HRVs with the capability of scanning in either a
multispectral mode or a panchromatic mode. The multispectral mode captures data
in three spectral bands: .50-.59, .61-.68 and .79-.89 micrometers. The three bands
are co-registered and have a ground resolution of 20 meters. The panchromatic
mode images data in the spectral range .51-.73 micrometers at a 10 meter ground
resolution. The viewing angle of each HRV sensor can be adjusted to collect data
up to 27 degrees right or left of satellite nadir. This cross-track pointing capability

allows the same point on the earth to be viewed from several different orbits and
enables the acquisition of stereoscopic imagery.
SPOT / HRV - Technical Specifications Sensor:
- name of sensor :
HRV = High Resolution Visible Sensor
- platform :
SPOT
- type :
CCD push-broom scanner
- spectral range :
mode P :
0.51 - 0.73 m
- mode XS : 0.50 - 0.89 m
- spatial resolution :
mode P :
10 m
- mode XS : 20 m
- size of image :
60x60 km
- swath :
60 km
- ground coverage :
global, between 87 N and 87 S
- temporal coverage :
3/26 days
- stereo :
Y
- programmable :
Y
SPOT - Platforms/Satellites:
Launch Date
SPOT 1
SPOT 2
SPOT 3
SPOT 4

21/02/1986
21/01/1990
25/09/1993
24/03/1998

Orbital characteristics:
- altitude :
- inclination :
- orbit :
- equatorial crossing time :
- period of revolution :
- repeat coverage :

Sensors
HRV(2)
HRV(2)
HRV(2)
HRVIR(2)

Status
Backup to SPOT 2
Primary Satellite
Operational
Operational

830 km (at 45 of lattitude north)

98.7
polar, sunsynchronous
10.30 AM
101,5 minutes
26 days

SPOT list:
Sensor
(m)
Resolution
SPOT 1/2/3
0.68

Mode

Bands

Wavelength

Multispectral
(XS)

XS1
XS2

0.50 - 0.59
0.61 -

20 m
XS3

0.79 -

0.89
Panchromatic

PAN

0.51 -

0.73

10 m
(p)

SPOT 4
0.68

Multispectral
(X)

B1
B2

20 m
HRVIR

0.50 - 0.59
0.61 -

B3

0.79 -

MIR

1.58 -

0.89
1.75
Monospectral
(M)
0.68

B2

0.61 -

10 m

Vegetation
0.68

Bo
B2

0.43 - 0.47
0.61 -

1165 m
B3

0.79 -

MIR

1.58 -

0.89
1.75
SPOT5
0.68

Multispectral
(XS)
10 m
HRG

XS1
XS2

0.5 - 0.59
0.61 -

XS3

0.79 -

MIR

1.56 -

0.89
1.75

20 m
Panchromatic

0.73

PAN

0.51 -

5 and 3 m
(P)

SPOT / HRV - Applications and Related Data Sets:

Current uses of SPOT data include:

preparing basemaps for environmental impact studies

evaluating major geologic faults and structures

merging SPOT data with elevation information to produce a perspective

view used in geologic exploration

forecasting crop yields

assessing natural disaster damage and preparing thematic maps for
cartographic, urban and regional planning or
transportation
needs.

AVIRIS Sensor
AVIRIS: General Overview:
AVIRIS is an acronym for the Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer.
AVIRIS is a world class instrument in the realm of Earth Remote Sensing. It is a
unique optical sensor that delivers calibrated images of the upwelling spectral
radiance in 224 contiguous spectral channels (also called bands) with wavelengths
from 400 to 2500 nanometers (nm). The instrument flies aboard a NASA ER-2
airplane (a U2 plane modified for increased performance) at approximately 20 km
above sea level, at about 730 km/hr. AVIRIS has flown all across the US, plus
Canada and Europe.
The science objectives of the AVIRIS project are broad. In a nutshell, the main
objective is to identify, measure, and monitor constituents of the Earth's surface
and atmosphere based on molecular absorption and particle scattering signatures.
Research with AVIRIS is dominantly directed towards understanding processes
related to the global environment and climate change. AVIRIS research areas
include:
Ecology
Oceanography
Geology
Snow hydrology
Cloud and atmospheric studies
The AVIRIS Concept
The AVIRIS instrument contains 224 different detectors, each with a wavelength
sensitive range (also known as spectral bandwidth) of approximately 10
nanometers (nm), allowing it to cover the entire range between 380 nm and 2500
nm. When the data from each detector is plotted on a graph, it yields a spectrum.
Comparing the resulting spectrum with those of known substances reveals
information about the composition of the area being viewed by the instrument.
AVIRIS uses a scanning mirror to sweep back and forth ("whisk broom"
fashion), producing 614 pixels for the 224 detectors each scan. Each pixel
produced by the instrument covers an approximately 20 meter square area on the
ground (with some overlap between pixels), thus yielding a ground swath about 11
kilometers wide.

The ground data is recorded on board the instrument along with navigation and
engineering data and the readings from the AVIRIS on-board calibrator. When all
of this data is processed and stored on the ground, it yields approximately 140
Megabytes (MB) for every 512 scans (or lines) of data. Each 512 line set of data is
called a "scene", and corresponds to an area about 10km long on the ground.
Every time AVIRIS flies, the instrument takes several "runs" of data (also known
as "flight lines"). AVIRIS tapes have had anywhere from one to fifteen runs on
them, with each run having anywhere from one to almost forty scenes. A full
AVIRIS tape can yield about 16 Gigabytes (GB) of data
per day.
AVIRIS Science and Applications :
Atmosphere
Biomass Burning
Coastal and Inland Waters
Ecology
Environmental Hazards
Geology
Satellite Calibration - JERS
Snow and Ice
Vegetation
IRS Sensor
The Indian Remote Sensing satellite, IRS-1C, was launched on December 28,
1995, and a month later was declared operational. IRS-1C acquires the highest
spatial resolution remote sensing data commercially available today. The IRS-1C
data sets include: 5-meter panchromatic data, especially useful for urban planning
and mapping; 25-meter multispectral data, good for vegetation monitoring and
natural resource planning; and 180-meter wide-field data with a 740-km swath and
5-day repeat coverage, excellent for large-area vegetation monitoring.
IRS-1C data are currently being received at three ground stations: Shadnagar,
India; Norman, Okla.; and Neustrelitz, Germany. Shadnagar covers all of India,
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma and Thailand, and portions of Iran,
Oman, Cambodia and Laos. Norman acquires data of nearly all of North America,
including southern Canada, Mexico and most of Central America. Neustrelitz
covers Europe, and portions of western Asia and northern Africa.
IRS-1C has on-board recorders for data collection outside the range of ground
stations, but to increase data availability, we are rapidly expanding the IRS ground
station network. The focus will be to have ground stations in Australia, East Asia,
Africa and South America receiving and recording data, and other should be online soon.

IRS-1C data are currently being received at three ground stations: Shadnagar,
India; Norman, Okla.; and Neustrelitz, Germany. Shadnagar covers all of India,
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma and Thailand, and portions of Iran,
Oman, Cambodia and Laos. Norman acquires data of nearly all of North America,
including southern Canada, Mexico and most of Central America. Neustrelitz
covers Europe, and portions of western Asia and northern Africa.
IRS-1C has on-board recorders for data collection outside the range of ground
stations, but to increase data availability, we are rapidly expanding the IRS ground
station network. The focus will be to have ground stations in Australia, East Asia,
Africa and South America receiving and recording data, and other should be online soon.
Introductory IRS-1C Products:
Pan23 23x23km (14.5 x 14.5 mi) path or map oriented
Pan70 70x70 km (43.5 x 43.5 mi. ) path or map oriented
LISS-3 Scene 70.5x70.5km (44 x 44 mi) path oriented
LISS-3 SuperScene 141x141km (87.5 x 87.5 mi) path or map oriented
WiFS Scene 740x740km (460 x 460 mi) path oriented
IRS-1C Data Specifications:
IRS-1C Pan
sensor Panchromatic:
band wavelength 0.5-0.75microns
pixel size 5 m
spatial resolution 5.8 m
swath width 70 km
repeat coverage at equator 24 days nadir or 5 days off-track view
Multispectral:
LISS-3 (IRS-1C) 24 days
First 3 bands:
spatial resolution 23.5 meters
resampled to 25 meters
swath width 142 km
band wavelengths:
* green 0.52-0.59 microns
* red 0.62-0.68 microns
* near-IR 0.77-0.86 microns
Fourth band:
spatial resolution 70.5 meters
resampled to 25 meters
swath width 148 km

band wavelength:
* shortwave-IR 1.55-1.70 microns
Wide-Field Data:
WiFS (IRS-1C) 24 days; 5 days revisit
spatial resolution 188 meters
resampled to 180 meters
swath width 774 km
band wavelengths:
* red 0.62-0.68 microns
* near-IR 0.77-0.86 microns
Sensor Application:
IRS data has been used by India since 1988 for the same kinds of applications
that Landsat data has been used for
more than 20 years: agriculture crop acreage and yield estimation, drought
monitoring and flood mapping, land use and
land cover mapping, water resources management, ocean and marine resources
surveys and management, urban
development, mineral prospecting, and forest resources surveys and management.
The new satellites, IRS-1C and IRS-P3, will collect data in a variety of spatial
resolutions, spectral bands, and swaths, providing a wealth of new information to
anyone needing land cover and land use information.
Applications of IRS-1C Imagery
- Foresters Use IRS-1C Five-Meter Imagery
- Marine Researchers View Damage with IRS-1C
- IRS-1C Aids Wireless Communication Design
- Venezuelan Expertise Balances Resource Exploitation and Protection in South
America
- 3D Simulation, Military Looks at 5-Meter Imagery