Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “DNB”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2020

Assessments of S-NPP and N20 VIIRS DNB and M bands calibration stability and consistency using a homogeneous ground target

The S-NPP and N20 VIIRS Day-Night band (DNB) and M bands top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiance and reflectance are calculated and a kernel-driven Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) correction model is used to correct the surface and atmosphere combined BRDF influence. Due to degradation in the DNB modulated Relative Spectral Response (RSR), the S-NPP VIIRS observed TOA DNB reflectance indicates a decrease of 1.89% and the SCIAMACHY spectra derived TOA DNB reflectance has a decrease of 1.63% for the past 8.5 years. The N20 VIIRSTOA DNB reflectance decreased 0.50% in the past 2.5 years. The DNB radiance is also compared with the integral of the M bands radiance from M4, M5, and M7. The fitting trends of DNB to the integral of M bands ratios indicate a0.48% decrease for S-NPP VIIRS and 0.14% increase for N20 VIIRS. The N20 VIIRS DNB to integral M bands ratios are closer to 1 than the S-NPP VIIRS data. The BRDF corrected reflectance comparisons show that the N20 VIIRS data is slightly lower than those of S-NPP VIIRS. The averages of the linear fit values of the N20 to S-NPP VIIRS from 2018to 2020 June are -1.97%, -4.99%, -3.36%, and -0.85% for M4, M5, M7, and DNB, respectively. Our results indicate that the S-NPP and N20 VIIRS DNB and M bands calibration have been stable. The cross-sensor differences in DNB and M bands are generally consistent with other independent studies using similar and different approaches.

Libya 4↗
NASA NTRS2020

Intercomparison of the SNPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS DNB High-Gain Stage Using Observations of Bright Stars

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on board the Suomi-NPP (SNPP) and NOAA-20 (N20) spacecrafts is a multi-spectral Earth-observing instrument with bands covering wavelengths from visible to long-wave infrared. Among these bands is a panchromatic day/night band (DNB) with a broad spectral response ranging from 500􀀀900 nm, and a high dynamic range spanning over 7 orders of magnitude, allowing for observations to take place during both daytime and nighttime. The DNB operates at 3 gain levels, with low-, mid- , and high-gain stages. The high-gain stage (HGS) is capable of detecting dim city lights during Earth-view observations at night as well as bright stars through the instrument space-view port. Since SNPP and N20 are at opposite points of the same orbit, each VIIRS instrument is able to observe the same stars with the DNB in successive orbits. This will allow us to make a direct comparison of the relative calibration of each instrument using stars over a range of spectral classes. In this work, we develop methodology for accurately identifying target stars in order to make proper comparisons between the DNB HGS of each instrument. We then take observations from multiple stars in order to compute the ratio in the measured irradiance for each instrument as a function of spectral class. For K-type stars, which have the least spectral change over the DNB wavelength range, we measure a calibration bias between the SNPP and N20 DNB HGS of approximately 4%, which is stable over the duration of the N20 mission.

Truman Wilson↗
NASA NTRS2020

Performance Assessments of the SNPP and N20 VIIRS DNB Using Observations of Bright Stars

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on-board the Suomi-NPP (SNPP) and NOAA-20 (N20) spacecrafts is a multi-spectral Earth-observing instrument with spectral channels ranging from the visible to the long-wave infrared. In addition to these spectral channels, the VIIRS instrument features a panchromatic Day/Night band (DNB) with 3 gain stages (low, mid, and high) which allows for Earth-view (EV) radiance retrievals over 7 orders of magnitude. The DNB is able to collect data ranging from dim city lights during nighttime up to reflected sunlight from cloud-tops during daytime. The DNB data collection is divided into 32 aggregation modes, where sub-pixel aggregation is used to maintain a nearly constant pixel footprint on ground during EV data collection throughout each scan. The DNB is also sensitive enough to observe bright stars through the instrument space-view (SV) port. Data from these bright stars can be used to track the temporal stability of the sensor gain and as a method of intercomparison between the two VIIRS instruments. In this work, we will present several sensor performance assessments of the VIIRS DNB using stars. In addition to the sensor gain trending, these assessments will include a comparison of the differences between the daytime and nighttime data due to the effects of stray-light, a comparison of the measured signal as a function of aggregation mode, a comparison between the two high-gain sub-stages, and half-angle mirror side for both the SNPP and N20 VIIRS DNB.

VIIRS↗
NASA NTRS2016

On-Orbit Calibration and Performance of S-NPP VIIRS DNB

The S-NPP VIIRS instrument has successfully operated since its launch in October 2011. The VIIRS Day-Night Band (DNB) is a panchromatic channel covering wavelengths from 0.5 to 0.9 m that is capable of observing Earth scenes during both day and nighttime orbits at a spatial resolution of 750 m. To cover the large dynamic range, the DNB operates at low, mid, or high gain stages, and it uses an onboard solar diffuser (SD) for its low gain stage calibration. The SD observations also provide a means to compute gain ratios of low-to-mid and mid-to-high gain stages. This paper describes the DNB on-orbit calibration methodologies used by the VIIRS Characterization Support Team (VCST) in supporting the NASA earth science community with consistent VIIRS sensor data records (SDRs) made available by the Land Science Investigator-led Processing Systems (SIPS). It provides an assessment and update of DNB on-orbit performance, including the SD degradation in the DNB spectral range, detector gain and gain ratio trending, stray light contamination and its correction. Also presented in this paper are performance validations based on earth scenes and lunar observations.

Chen, H.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

New VIIRS DNB Stray Light Correction Method

The Day/Night Band (DNB) broadband (500-900nm) imager is one of the sensors in the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on-board the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) and the NOAA-20 satellites, which are polar-orbiting and fly at about 830km above the surface of the Earth. Depending on the satellite location and the sensor viewing geometry, for a short period just before (or after) the satellite enters into (or emerges from) the shadow of the Earth, unwanted stray light, seemingly caused by the reflection of solar beam on the slightly exposed inner side of the leading (or trailing) nadir door, can enter the instrument and impose noticeable impacts to a narrow portion of DNB satellite images in every orbit. The impacted images can be modified to look normal, and the current DNB stray light correction algorithm empirically assigns corrections. There is also an alternative approach using image-processing techniques. Both methods rely mainly on the stray light impacted measurements. To simplify the approach and for better correction results, the new method presented in this paper incorporates the observed asymptotic nature of measurements surrounding the stray light impacted region by fitting to the drop off in sun light from day to night. The new method can be applied to the raw measurements in real-time, and it can help to advance our understanding of this special type of DNB stray light that happens over the polar regions

VIIRS↗
NASA NTRS2018

Suomi NPP VIIRS DNB and RSB M Bands Detector-To-Detector and HAM Side Calibration Differences Assessment Using a Homogenous Ground Target

Near-nadir observations of the Libya 4 site from the S-NPP VIIRS Day-Night Band (DNB) and Moderate resolution Bands (M bands) are used to assess the detector calibration stability and half-angle mirror (HAM) side differences. Almost seven years of Sensor Data Records products are extracted from the Libya 4 site center over an area of 32×32 pixels. The mean values of the radiance from individual detectors per HAM side are computed separately. The comparison of the normalized radiance between detectors indicates that the detector calibration differences are wavelength dependent and the differences have been slowly increasing with time for short wavelength bands, especially for M1-M4. The maximum annual average differences between DNB detectors are 0.77% in 2017 at HAM-A. For the M bands, the maximum detector differences in 2017 are 1.7% for M1, 1.8% for M2, 1.3% for M3, 1.2% for M4, 0.67% for M5, 0.75% for M7, 0.57% for M8, 13% for M9, 0.63% for M10, and 0.66% for M11. The average HAM side A to B difference in 2017 are 0.00% for DNB, 0.22% for M1, 0.17% for M2, 0.15% for M3, 0.09% for M4, -0.07% for M5, 0.02% for M7, 0.01% for M8, 1.4% for M9, 0.01% for M10, and 0.03% for M11. Results for M6 are not available due to the signal saturation and M9 results are not accurate because of the low reflectance from the desert site and the strong atmospheric absorption in this channel. The results in this study help scientists better understand each detector’s performance and HAM side characteristics. Additionally, they provide evidence and motivation for future VIIRS calibration improvements.

SNPP VIIRS↗
NASA NTRS2023

SNPP and N20 VIIRS Day/Night Band (DNB) Calibration and Performance

The first two Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instruments, on-board the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) and the NOAA-20 (N20) satellites, have been operating for over 11 and 5 years since their launches on28 October 2011 and 18 November 2017 respectively. The day-night band (DNB) onboard VIIRS is a panchromatic visible/near-infrared (Vis/NIR) channel designed to detect radiance from the brightest daytime scenes down to very dim nighttime scenes illuminated by a quarter moon. In this paper, we present the SNPP and N20 VIIRS DNB calibration results performed by the NASA VIIRS Characterization Support Team (VCST) to generate the calibration coefficient look up tables (LUTs) for the latest NASA Level 1B Collection 2 products. The differing DNB straylight contamination between VIIRS instruments is discussed along with the correction methodology and performance.

Junqiang Sun↗
NASA NTRS2017

Verification and Enhancement of VIIRS Day-Night Band (DNB) Power Outage Detection Product

This case study of Hurricane Matthew (October 2016) uses the NASA Short-Term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center DNB power outage product (using GSFC VIIRS DNB preliminary Black Marble product, Roman et al.. 2017) and 2013 LandScan Global population data to look for correlations between the post-event %-of-normal radiance and the utility company-reported outage numbers (obtained from EAGLE-1).

DISASTER↗
NASA NTRS2019

VIIRS DNB time-dependent stray light correction

The stray light contamination of the VIIRS Day-Night-Band (DNB) on-board the S-NPP satellite has been studied intensively. To alleviate its impact, a stray light correction look-up-table (LUT), which represents the stray light contamination, is derived from the new moon night dataset by subtracting the non stray light signal from the stray light affected signal. The derived LUT can be used to remove the majority of the contamination. However, the LUT remains static until the next update to the Level-1B data processing, usually one month later. Between these two updates, changes in the actual stray light are not captured. We present a method to derive a dynamic stray light correction LUT that covers the time period between updates. By analyzing the patterns in the annual stray light variation, a consistent trend was found in the LUT’s characteristic features which can be quantitatively expressed as time factors. These factors are then applied to the monthly LUT to produce a dynamic stray light LUT for any time of interest. The L1B software can use this algorithm to calculate the LUTs at the time of observation. The results show significant improvement in the DNB product compared to using the monthly static LUT. Furthermore, this time-dependent algorithm provides a basis for deriving a universal stray light correction LUT for VIIRS.

VIIRS↗
NASA NTRS2008

Use of VIIRS DNB Data to Monitor Power Outages and Restoration for Significant Weather Events

NASA fs Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) project operates from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The team provides unique satellite data to the National Weather Service (NWS) and other agencies and organizations for weather analysis. While much of its work is focused on improving short-term weather forecasting, the SPoRT team supported damage assessment and response to Hurricane Superstorm Sandy by providing imagery that highlighted regions without power. The team used data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite. The VIIRS low-light sensor, known as the day-night-band (DNB), can detect nighttime light from wildfires, urban and rural communities, and other human activity which emits light. It can also detect moonlight reflected from clouds and surface features. Using real time VIIRS data collected by our collaborative partner at the Space Science and Engineering Center of the University of Wisconsin, the SPoRT team created composite imagery to help detect power outages and restoration. This blackout imagery allowed emergency response teams from a variety of agencies to better plan and marshal resources for recovery efforts. The blackout product identified large-scale outages, offering a comprehensive perspective beyond a patchwork GIS mapping of outages that utility companies provide based on customer complaints. To support the relief efforts, the team provided its imagery to the USGS data portal, which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other agencies used in their relief efforts. The team fs product helped FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Army monitor regions without power as part of their disaster response activities. Disaster responders used the images to identify possible outages and effectively distribute relief resources. An enhanced product is being developed and integrated into a web mapping service (WMS) for dissemination and use by a broader end user community.

Jedlovec, Gary↗
NASA NTRS2021

Assessment of VIIRS Day-Night Band High Gain Calibration Using Stars

The VIIRS has a unique spectral band that can sense reflected light from space during both day and nighttime, thus referred to as the day-night band (DNB). This band operates in three different gain stages: low, mid, and high gain (LG, MG, and HG) that cover a remarkable dynamic range with its HG stage being extremely sensitive to low-light scenes. Similar to its reflective solar bands, the VIIRS uses an on-board solar diffuser for its DNB LG stage calibration, whereas the DNB MG and HG calibrations are performed using relative or ratioing approaches. In this paper, we provide an assessment of VIIRS DNB HG calibrations using stars that appear in the field-of-view of its space view (SV), focusing on the computation of the gain trending and associated tool development. We also describe various strategies and procedures developed for DNB HG calibration stability monitoring and inter-comparisons among different VIIRS instruments and discuss some of the complications and limits to this approach, including under-sampling of the stellar image, saturation, and crowding. For S-NPP VIIRS, it includes the use of the modulated relative spectral response (RSR) resulting from wavelength-dependent degradation of the sensor optics. Results show that the star-based response trending for the DNB HG is consistent with that derived from on-board solar diffuser and that the calibration difference between S-NPP and N-20 VIIRS DNB requires additional effort to address, especially for research studies and applications using data from both sensors.

VIIRS↗
NASA NTRS2021

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 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.

VIIRS↗
NASA NTRS2016

Using Ground Targets to Validate S-NPP VIIRS Day-Night Band Calibration

In this study, the observations from S-NPP VIIRS Day-Night band (DNB) and Moderate resolution bands (M bands) of Libya 4 and Dome C over the first four years of the mission are used to assess the DNB low gain calibration stability. The Sensor Data Records produced by NASA Land Product Evaluation and Algorithm Testing Element (PEATE) are acquired from nearly nadir overpasses for Libya 4 desert and Dome C snow surfaces. A kernel-driven bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) correction model is used for both Libya 4 and Dome C sites to correct the surface BRDF influence. At both sites, the simulated top-of-atmosphere (TOA) DNB reflectances based on SCIAMACHY spectral data are compared with Land PEATE TOA reflectances based on modulated Relative Spectral Response (RSR). In the Libya 4 site, the results indicate a decrease of 1.03% in Land PEATE TOA reflectance and a decrease of 1.01% in SCIAMACHY derived TOA reflectance over the period from April 2012 to January 2016. In the Dome C site, the decreases are 0.29% and 0.14%, respectively. The consistency between SCIAMACHY and Land PEATE data trends is good. The small difference between SCIAMACHY and Land PEATE derived TOA reflectances could be caused by changes in the surface targets, atmosphere status, and on-orbit calibration. The reflectances and radiances of Land PEATE DNB are also compared with matching M bands and the integral M bands based on M4, M5, and M7. The fitting trends of the DNB to integral M bands ratios indicate a 0.75% decrease at the Libya 4 site and a 1.89% decrease at the Dome C site. Part of the difference is due to an insufficient number of sampled bands available within the DNB wavelength range. The above results indicate that the Land PEATE VIIRS DNB product is accurate and stable. The methods used in this study can be used on other satellite instruments to provide quantitative assessments for calibration stability.

Chen, Xuexia↗
NASA NTRS2018

Preliminary Study of JPSS-1/NOAA-20 VIIRS Day-Night Band Straylight Characterization and Correction Methods

The JPSS-1 (now named NOAA-20) VIIRS instrument has successfully operated since its launch in November 18, 2017. A panchromatic channel onboard NOAA-20 VIIRS is called the day-night band (DNB). With its large dynamic range and high sensitivity, the DNB detectors can make observations during both daytime and nighttime. However, the DNB night image quality is affected by the straylight contamination. In this study, we focused on Earth view data in the midto-high latitude of the northern and southern hemispheres when spacecraft is crossing the day/night terminators at the beginning of NOAA-20 mission. Based on on-orbit data analysis from previous VIIRS sensor onboard S-NPP mission, straylight contamination mainly depends on the Earth-Sun-spacecraft geometry, and it is also detector and scan-angle dependent. Inter-comparison investigation of straylight behavior in both SNPP and NOAA-20 instruments will be conducted to better understand straylight characteristics. The preliminary study has been performed in this paper to mitigate straylight contamination for NOAA-20VIIRS DNB night images. The effectiveness of the straylight correction algorithm, directly adapted from the S-NPP DNB, is assessed for night images in the day/night terminators. Further work has been identified to improve current straylight correction methodology and DNB-based environmental data products.NOAA-20.

Day-Night Band↗
NASA NTRS2015

Validation of S-NPP VIIRS Day-Night Band and M Bands Performance Using Ground Reference Targets of Libya 4 and Dome C

This paper provides methodologies developed and implemented by the NASA VIIRS Calibration Support Team (VCST) to validate the S-NPP VIIRS Day-Night band (DNB) and M bands calibration performance. The Sensor Data Records produced by the Interface Data Processing Segment (IDPS) and NASA Land Product Evaluation and Algorithm Testing Element (PEATE) are acquired nearly nadir overpass for Libya 4 desert and Dome C snow surfaces. In the past 3.5 years, the modulated relative spectral responses (RSR) change with time and lead to 3.8% increase on the DNB sensed solar irradiance and 0.1% or less increases on the M4-M7 bands. After excluding data before April 5th, 2013, IDPS DNB radiance and reflectance data are consistent with Land PEATE data with 0.6% or less difference for Libya 4 site and 2% or less difference for Dome C site. These difference are caused by inconsistent LUTs and algorithms used in calibration. In Libya 4 site, the SCIAMACHY spectral and modulated RSR derived top of atmosphere (TOA) reflectance are compared with Land PEATE TOA reflectance and they indicate a decrease of 1.2% and 1.3%, respectively. The radiance of Land PEATE DNB are compared with the simulated radiance from aggregated M bands (M4, M5, and M7). These data trends match well with 2% or less difference for Libya 4 site and 4% or less difference for Dome C. This study demonstrate the consistent quality of DNB and M bands calibration for Land PEATE products during operational period and for IDPS products after April 5th, 2013.

radiance↗
NASA NTRS2016

Improvements to Lunar BRDF-Corrected Nighttime Satellite Imagery: Uses and Applications

Observations made by the VIIRS day/night band (DNB) provide daily, nighttime measurements to monitor Earth surface processes.However, these observations are impacted by variations in reflected solar radiation on the moon's surface. As the moon transitions from new to full phase, increasing radiance is reflected to the Earth's surface and contributes additional reflected moonlight from clouds and land surface, in addition to emissions from other light sources observed by the DNB. The introduction of a bi-directional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) algorithm serves to remove these lunar variations and normalize observed radiances. Provided by the Terrestrial Information Systems Laboratory at Goddard Space Flight Center, a 1 km gridded lunar BRDF-corrected DNB product and VIIRS cloud mask can be used for a multitude of nighttime applications without influence from the moon. Such applications include the detection of power outages following severe weather events using pre-and post-event DNB imagery, as well as the identification of boat features to curtail illegal fishing practices. This presentation will provide context on the importance of the lunar BRDF correction algorithm and explore the aforementioned uses of this improved DNB product for applied science applications.

NWS↗
NASA NTRS2017

Suomi-NPP VIIRS Day-Night Band On-Orbit Calibration and Performance

The Suomi national polar-orbiting partnership Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument has successfully operated since its launch in October 2011. The VIIRS day-night band (DNB) is a panchromatic channel covering wavelengths from 0.5 to 0.9 microns that is capable of observing Earth scenes during both daytime and nighttime at a spatial resolution of 750 m. To cover the large dynamic range, the DNB operates at low-, middle-, and high-gain stages, and it uses an on-board solar diffuser (SD) for its low-gain stage calibration. The SD observations also provide a means to compute the gain ratios of low-to-middle and middle-to-high gain stages. This paper describes the DNB on-orbit calibration methodology used by the VIIRS characterization support team in supporting the NASA Earth science community with consistent VIIRS sensor data records made available by the land science investigator-led processing systems. It provides an assessment and update of the DNB on-orbit performance, including the SD degradation in the DNB spectral range, detector gain and gain ratio trending, and stray-light contamination and its correction. Also presented in this paper are performance validations based on Earth scenes and lunar observations, and comparisons to the calibration methodology used by the operational interface data processing segment.

Chen, Hongda↗