SNPP VIIRS Day Night Band: Ten Years of On-Orbit Calibration and Performance
Aboard the polar-orbiting SNPP satellite, the VIIRS instrument has been in operation since launch in October 2011. It is a visible and infrared radiometer with a unique panchromatic channel capability designated as a day-night band (DNB). This channel covers wavelengths from 0.5 to 0.9 µm and is des...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/20/4179 |
| _version_ | 1797513216331350016 |
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| author | Hongda Chen Chengbo Sun Xiaoxiong Xiong Gal Sarid Junqiang Sun |
| author_facet | Hongda Chen Chengbo Sun Xiaoxiong Xiong Gal Sarid Junqiang Sun |
| author_sort | Hongda Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aboard the polar-orbiting SNPP satellite, the VIIRS instrument has been in operation since launch in October 2011. It is a visible and infrared radiometer with a unique panchromatic channel capability designated as a day-night band (DNB). This channel covers wavelengths from 0.5 to 0.9 µm and is designed with a near-constant spatial resolution for Earth observations 24 h a day. The DNB operates at 3 gain stages (low, middle, and high) to cover a large dynamic range. An onboard solar diffuser (SD) is used for calibration in the low gain stage, and to enable the derivation of gain ratios between the different stages. In this paper, we present the SNPP VIIRS DNB calibration performed by the NASA VIIRS characterization support team (VCST). The DNB calibration algorithms are described to generate the calibration coefficient look up tables (LUTs) for the latest NASA Level 1B Collection 2 products. We provide an evaluation of DNB on-orbit calibration performance. This activity supports the NASA Earth science community by delivering consistent VIIRS sensor data products via the Land Science Investigator-led Processing Systems, including the SD degradation applied for DNB calibrations in detector gain and gain ratio trending. The DNB stray light contamination and its correction are highlighted. Performance validations are presented using comparisons to the calibration methods employed by NOAA’s operational Interface Data Processing Segment. Further work on stray light corrections is also discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:13:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-94ed1c3cc9d541cfa0287a7eb1789606 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:13:33Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-94ed1c3cc9d541cfa0287a7eb17896062023-11-22T19:55:24ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922021-10-011320417910.3390/rs13204179SNPP VIIRS Day Night Band: Ten Years of On-Orbit Calibration and PerformanceHongda Chen0Chengbo Sun1Xiaoxiong Xiong2Gal Sarid3Junqiang Sun4Science Systems and Applications, Inc., 10210 Greenbelt Road, Lanham, MD 20706, USAGlobal Science and Technology, Inc., 7855 Walker Drive, Greenbelt, MD 20770, USASciences and Exploration Directorate, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAScience Systems and Applications, Inc., 10210 Greenbelt Road, Lanham, MD 20706, USAScience Systems and Applications, Inc., 10210 Greenbelt Road, Lanham, MD 20706, USAAboard the polar-orbiting SNPP satellite, the VIIRS instrument has been in operation since launch in October 2011. It is a visible and infrared radiometer with a unique panchromatic channel capability designated as a day-night band (DNB). This channel covers wavelengths from 0.5 to 0.9 µm and is designed with a near-constant spatial resolution for Earth observations 24 h a day. The DNB operates at 3 gain stages (low, middle, and high) to cover a large dynamic range. An onboard solar diffuser (SD) is used for calibration in the low gain stage, and to enable the derivation of gain ratios between the different stages. In this paper, we present the SNPP VIIRS DNB calibration performed by the NASA VIIRS characterization support team (VCST). The DNB calibration algorithms are described to generate the calibration coefficient look up tables (LUTs) for the latest NASA Level 1B Collection 2 products. We provide an evaluation of DNB on-orbit calibration performance. This activity supports the NASA Earth science community by delivering consistent VIIRS sensor data products via the Land Science Investigator-led Processing Systems, including the SD degradation applied for DNB calibrations in detector gain and gain ratio trending. The DNB stray light contamination and its correction are highlighted. Performance validations are presented using comparisons to the calibration methods employed by NOAA’s operational Interface Data Processing Segment. Further work on stray light corrections is also discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/20/4179VIIRSVCSTDNBSNPPcalibration |
| spellingShingle | Hongda Chen Chengbo Sun Xiaoxiong Xiong Gal Sarid Junqiang Sun SNPP VIIRS Day Night Band: Ten Years of On-Orbit Calibration and Performance Remote Sensing VIIRS VCST DNB SNPP calibration |
| title | SNPP VIIRS Day Night Band: Ten Years of On-Orbit Calibration and Performance |
| title_full | SNPP VIIRS Day Night Band: Ten Years of On-Orbit Calibration and Performance |
| title_fullStr | SNPP VIIRS Day Night Band: Ten Years of On-Orbit Calibration and Performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | SNPP VIIRS Day Night Band: Ten Years of On-Orbit Calibration and Performance |
| title_short | SNPP VIIRS Day Night Band: Ten Years of On-Orbit Calibration and Performance |
| title_sort | snpp viirs day night band ten years of on orbit calibration and performance |
| topic | VIIRS VCST DNB SNPP calibration |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/20/4179 |
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