Summary

Description

This data set consists of browse images acquired by the C-band Active Microwave Instrument (AMI) onboard the European Remote Sensing Satellite 2 (ERS-2) and provides only a general quality assessment of the ERS-2 AMI data. The Precision Images (PRIs) were used as a part of the Soil Moisture Experiment 2002 (SMEX02) and are available to research groups from the European Space Agency (ESA). The data were obtained over the SMEX02 study area in Iowa, USA on 31 May, 5 July, and 13 September 2002. These images are uncalibrated, subsets of the raw ERS-2 AMI PRIs. The images are a function of decibels (dB) and are intended for browsing locations and general features. They cannot be used to derive dB values; researchers interested in dB values must obtain the AMI data. These data were collected as part of a validation study for the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E). AMSR-E is a mission instrument launched aboard NASA's Aqua Satellite on 04 May 2002. AMSR-E validation studies linked to SMEX are designed to evaluate the accuracy of AMSR-E soil moisture data. Specific validation objectives include assessing and refining soil moisture algorithm performance; verifying soil moisture estimation accuracy; investigating the effects of vegetation, surface temperature, topography, and soil texture on soil moisture accuracy; and determining the regions that are useful for AMSR-E soil moisture measurements.