To develop and validate our algorithms, we used MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) data. MAS is a modified Daedulus Wildfire scanning spectrometer that images surface features from aboard a NASA ER-2 high-altitude research airplane. MAS has a total of 50 spectral bands (from 0.55 to 14.3 microns), allowing it to provide spectral information similar to that of the MODIS instrument.
We are concerned with the seven MAS infrared bands:
We have used MAS data from these bands in our field campaigns at Mammoth Lakes (April 1996), Death Valley CA (March 1997), and Railroad Valley NV (August 1995, June 1996, and June 1997).
To validate our algorithms, we compare ground-based measurements of temperature (data from contact sensors, hand-held infrared thermometers, and spectrometers) with the temperature retrieved from MAS. Our first field campaign at Railroad Valley (August 1995) showed a good agreement between field data and MAS temperatures retrieved by the generalized split-window algorithm. The Death Valley campaign provided a validation for the physics-based day/night algorithm in retrieval of the surface emissivities. Other field campaigns at Mammoth Lakes and Railroad Valley (in 1996 and 1997) also showed good agreement between the in-situ temperature measurements and both the generalized split window and day/night LST retrieved MAS temperatures.
Here is the result of the 1997 field campaign at Railroad Valley. This file is approximately 210K!
We also have surface temperature and emissivity images retrieved from the March 1997 field campaign at Death Valley. This file is approximately 290K!