IGARSS 2010

1

IGARSS 2010July 28, 2010

TERRA, AQUA, AND AURA DIRECT BROADCAST-PROVIDING EARTH SCIENCE DATA FOR REAL-TIME

APPLICATIONSAngelita C. Kelly, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Patrick L. Coronado, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterWarren F. Case, SGT Inc., NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Amelia Franklin, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Terra

Aqua

Aura

IGARSS 2010

2

Purpose

• Provide an overview of the Earth Observing Missions

• Describe the EOS Direct Broadcast (DB) and DB/Direct Readout (DR) ground stations

• Discuss the benefits of DB and examples of how it is being used

IGARSS 2010

3

Earth Observing Missions• NASA and other space agencies have invested in Earth observing

missions, including NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS), consisting of Terra, Aqua, and Aura :

– Sun-synchronous polar orbits– 705 km altitude– 98.2 degree inclination

Terra

Aqua

Aura

IGARSS 2010

4

Earth Observing Constellations

Afternoon Constellation

2010 07 27

Morning Constellation

Landsat-7Landsat-7

EO-1EO-1

SAC-CSAC-C

TerraTerra

AuraAura

GloryGlory

PARASOLPARASOL

CALIPSOCALIPSO

CloudSatCloudSat

AquaAqua

OCO-2OCO-2

GCOM-W1GCOM-W1

Landsat-5Landsat-5

(A-Train)

IGARSS 2010

5

EOS Data

EOS science data are available two ways:

1. All science data are recorded onboard and downlinked every orbit at 150 Mbps via:• TDRSS (Terra)• EOS Ground Stations at Norway, Alaska, and Wallops (Aqua

and Aura)The data are processed, archived, and distributed (free of charge) to users worldwide

2. Realtime science data are sent at 15 Mbps to DB stations

3. Terra also has a Direct Downlink (DDL) capability for the ASTER instrument, but this has not been used operationally

IGARSS 2010

Tracking & Data Relay Satellite

(TDRS)

Instrument Teamsand Science

Investigator-ledProcessing Systems

(SIPS)

Direct Broadcast/Direct Readout

Stations

DirectBroadcast

(DB)

EOS Data and Operations System

(EDOS) Data Processing

White SandsComplex(WSC)

EOS PolarGround Stations

Internet

(Search, order,distribution)

Research

Education

Value-AddedProviders

InteragencyData Centers

InternationalPartners

EarthSystem Models

Decision Support Systems

Distribution and Data

Access

Data Acquisition Flight Operations,Data Capture,

Initial Processing,Backup Archive

Science Data Processing,Data Mgmt, Interoperable

Data Archive, & Distribution

NASA Integrated

Services Network (NISN) Mission Services

Mission Operations Science Operations

EOS Operations Center (EOC)

Mission Control

EOSDIS Data

Centers

Spacecraft

Terra

Aqua

Aura

Data backup

Schedules

DB

data

EOS End-to-End System Overview

Data Transport

to Data Centers/

SIPSs

IGARSS 2010

7

What is Direct Broadcast?• Direct Broadcast (DB) is the satellite capability to transmit data in real-time

to ground-based receivers. For EOS satellites, this is done almost continuously (24x7).

EOS Satellite Instrument Data Available Through DB

Terra • Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS)

Aqua • MODIS• Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS)• Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-EOS (AMSR-E)• Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES)• Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU)

Aura • Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) [sent only to the ground station in Sodankyla, Finland]

Aura

OMI

Aqua

MODIS AIRSCERESAMSU HSB AMSR-E

Terra

MODIS

• The latest estimate is that there are ~3,000 individual DB users associated with over 200 ground stations worldwide.

IGARSS 2010

8

Registered EOS Direct Broadcast Sites Worldwide

IGARSS 2010

9

• A Direct Readout (DR) station is a ground station that receives and processes DB transmissions.

• The ground station can be– Developed in-house using relatively inexpensive hardware, or– Purchased from a commercial provider (currently ~ $ 200K)

– Hardware (see below) and software for receiving the data,

– Access to science application algorithms, and

– A decision-making infrastructure.

Direct Readout Station

Minimum Hardware

Antenna (at least 2.4 meter aperture) Antenna control unit Frequency downconverter Satellite receiver Input/output board

Source: http://directreadout.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.cfm?section=portal%20info&page=faqs_subject& topic=Terra

IGARSS 2010

10

• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) operates the Direct Readout Laboratory (DRL) as a technology and information resource for the DB community

• The DRL acts as an intermediary between the missions and the DB community members that can make use of the science algorithms

– Provides the algorithms (software) for processing the EOS data free of charge. See next slide.

– Holds periodic meetings for the entire international DB community– Provides training (as requested)

Direct Readout Laboratory (DRL)

IGARSS 2010

11

NASA provides the International Polar Orbiter Processing Package (IPOPP) software free of charge to DB users for processing MODIS and AIRS/AMSU/HSB data

– The operational EOS processing software algorithms developed at GSFC and JPL were modified to be compatible with DB data

– IPOPP enables ground stations to create several products (MODIS, AIRS/AMSU) for near real-time applications such as environmental monitoring and forecasting, fire monitoring, etc.

– Several U.S. organizations (Oregon State University, University of South Florida, Univ. of Miami, Florida International University, and University of Wisconsin) and many international organizations also provide DB processing software based on the software used by the EOS Science Teams

– Training is provided, as requested.

DB Processing Software

IGARSS 2010

12

• Provides users a way to receive Earth observations in real-time

• Provides easy and cost-effective access when broadband internet service is unavailable, restricted, or cost-prohibitive

• Provides a secondary path for data to reach the ground with virtually no time delay

• Serves as a back-up to the primary store and forward method and can be used to fill in data gaps for science processing

• Real-time applications can be derived using NASA-provided software algorithms

• Limitations:–DB users do not receive data from other parts of the world

DB Benefits

IGARSS 2010

13

• Various countries and organizations capture and utilize DB data. Some of the operational applications include:

– Weather forecasting– Disaster prediction, monitoring, and management– Fire identification and monitoring– Fisheries– Air quality monitoring– Water management– etc.

Examples of DB Uses

IGARSS 2010

14

• Collects TERRA and Aqua MODIS data• Detects and monitors forest fires• Provides data to Forest Service and

other agencies for resource management and environmental monitoring

• Provides assistance in applying the most advanced geospatial technology toward improved monitoring and mapping of natural resources

Examples of DB Users (1 of 5)

MODIS image of Wolf and Copper fires near Los Angeles provided by RSAC

US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC)Salt Lake City, Utah

RSAC

http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/rsac/

IGARSS 2010

15

Sri Lanka National Aquatic Resources Agency (NARA) • Sri Lanka's fishery resources beyond the continental shelf waters are not

fully exploited, while some coastal fishery resources are being over-exploited because of heavy expenses and lack of resources.

• This Satellite-Based Fishery Forecasting Systemuses EOS DB data to provide accurate informationon large shoals of fish in the seas and inland waters to:

• Reduce the amount of fishing occurring along the coast• Increase production• Increase the quality of fish for export• Reduce the operational costs (search time and fuel) of multi-day

fishing fleets• The initial experiments have shown positive results with fisheries

corporation vessels netting large catches.

Examples of DB Users (2 of 5)

 http://www.nara.ac.lk/

IGARSS 2010

16

• ScanEx, a private Russian company implemented and operates several satellite stations. Their network includes 4 DB receiving stations utilizing 9 receiving antennas in Moscow, Megion, Irkutsk and Magadan

• The stations collect data from more than a dozen satellites (including Aqua and Terra) covering all of Russia and the nearby territories

Examples of DB Users (3 of 5)

ScanEx Station

• The MODIS DB data are used to observe the weather, map ice and vegetation, and monitor floods and fires

ScanEx Network of StationsRussia and nearby Territories

http://www.scanex.com/en/stations/default.asp?submenu=uniscan&id=index 

IGARSS 2010

17

Sodankylä Station, Finland

• The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) helped develop the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on board Aura, in cooperation with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI).

• FMI DB station produces near realtime ozone and ultraviolet OMI data products– Available via the internet 15 minutes after a pass since the end of 2004– Covers central Europe from the North Pole to the Mediterranean area.– OMI data were recently used by various volcanology centers in the U.S. and Europe

following the Iceland volcano eruption.

Examples of DB Users (4 of 5)

• Also receives MODIS DB data from Terra and Aqua:

– Re-broadcast by the Finnish Meteorological Institute since March 2003

– Delivered to other Finnish governmental institutes for scientific purposes and to NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

http://fmiarc.fmi.fi/fmiarc_new/ozone.html

IGARSS 2010

18

Dundee Satellite Receiving StationDundee University, UK• Systematically records satellite images on a daily basis since 1978• Maintains an up-to-date archive of images from NOAA, SeaStar, Terra, and

Aqua polar orbiting satellites. • Receives and archives MODIS data providing much-improved spatial and

spectral resolution. The archive is kept on tape and CD- ROM, with a photographic archive kept for quick browsing

• Can supply either enhanced photographic images produced from the data, or the data itself via the internet, tape, or disk.

Examples of DB Users (5 of 5)

http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/

IGARSS 2010

19

Examples of DB Data

MODIS true color image displayed using Google Earth offers a different perspective of the oil slick.*

*Courtesy of Liam Gumley, CIMSS

IGARSS 2010

20

MODIS Observation of the Jesusita Fire near Santa Barbara, California on May 8, 2009

Examples of DB Data

IGARSS 2010

21

Aqua MODIS image of the Arctic region June 28, 2010 Terra MODIS image of yellow rust infection of crop lands in the Middle East – April 2010

Aqua MODIS image of a phytoplankton bloom off the coast of Iceland – June 2010

Aqua MODIS image of the Great Escarpment, South Africa, April 2010

Examples of DB Data

IGARSS 2010

22

Examples of DB Data

Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull Volcano observed by MODIS on May 12, 2010

IGARSS 2010

23

What is the Future for Direct Broadcast?

• Some future missions that are planning to have DB capability include

– National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP)

– Joint Polar Satellite System (part of the former NPOESS)

– Global Change Observation Missions (follow-on to AMSR-E)

• The DRL is enhancing the IPOPP software which will enable the DB community to process, visualize, and evaluate Sensor and Environmental Data Records from NPP

IGARSS 2010

24

• EOS data are important and valuable not only for science but for everyday operational applications that benefit society

– The DB community appreciates having the data and the software– The use of EOS DB data is increasing every year

• The free software and data access from NASA makes DB an attractive and cost-effective option, particularly for developing countries

• The continued availability of realtime EOS-type data for operational use is needed

– NASA and other satellite agencies must consider this capability when planning future missions.

Summary

IGARSS 2010

25

Mahalo!Thank you!

Questions?

IGARSS 2010

26

Additional Information

IGARSS 2010

27

• Needed by the Direct Readout community during the transition from EOS data to NPP and Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) data.

• DRL technologies developed for the NPP In-Situ Ground System (NISGS) will provide the IPOPP framework:– Freely available– Portable to Linux x86 platforms– Can be run efficiently on modest hardware– Simple to install and easy to use– Able to ingest and process DB overpasses of arbitrary size– Able to produce core and regional value-added Environmental Data

Record products

International Polar Orbiter Processing Package (IPOPP)

IGARSS 2010

28

IGARSS 2010

29

Japanese Fishery AgencyInformation Services For The Offshore Fisheries Around Japan• The Japanese Fishery Agency is responsible for

the management of fisheries resources in Japan• Management is mainly based on the total

allowable catch, calculated from the allowable biological catch.

• Terra and Aqua DB data help determine the time period, location, and abundance of the target fish (taking onto account migration routes), which must be recorded in near-real time.

Examples of DB Users (6 of 6)

Pacific saury(Cololabis saira)

Several species have been selected for management because of their importance and popularity as a food resource, and also because of concerns about their abundance

Japanese common squid (Todarodes pacificus)

Queen crab(Chionoecetes opilio)

Pollack(Theragra chalcogramma)

Mackerel(Trachurus japonicus)

Priority species

Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Environment Sensing , Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University , Japan