Themulti-angle imaging spectroradiometer (MISR) is a scientific instrument on theTerra satellite launched byNASA on 18 December 1999. This device is designed to measure the intensity ofsolar radiation reflected by theEarth system (planetary surface andatmosphere) in various directions andspectral bands; it became operational in February 2000. Data generated by this sensor have been proven useful in a variety of applications includingatmospheric sciences,climatology and monitoring terrestrial processes.
The MISR instrument consists of an innovative configuration of nine separatedigital cameras that gather data in four different spectral bands of thesolar spectrum. One camera points toward thenadir, while the others provide forward and aftward view angles at 26.1°, 45.6°, 60.0°, and 70.5°. As the instrument flies overhead, each region of the Earth's surface is successively imaged by all nine cameras in each of fourwavelengths (blue, green, red, andnear-infrared).
The data gathered by MISR are useful in climatological studies concerning the disposition of the solarradiation flux in the Earth's system. MISR is specifically designed to monitor the monthly, seasonal, and long-term trends of atmosphericaerosol particle concentrations including those formed by natural sources and by human activities, upper air winds and cloud cover, type, height, as well as the characterization of land surface properties, including the structure ofvegetation canopies, the distribution ofland cover types, or the properties ofsnow andice fields, amongst many other biogeophysical variables.