SMEX03 Airborne GPS Bistatic Radar Data

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Entry ID

NSIDC-0376

Summary

This data set contains measurements of Global Positioning System (GPS) signals reflected from the Earth’s surface and collected on an airborne platform. The measurements were taken over the Soil Moisture Experiment 2003 (SMEX03) regional study areas of Brazil and Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma, USA. The primary objective was to collect land reflections for sensitivity of the reflected GPS power to temporal and spatial soil moisture and foliage attenuation. The measurements are a form of bistatic radar and can be used to estimate the surface scattering coefficient, such as roughness and/or dielectric properties, as well as path delays between the direct and reflected GPS signals. Scattering coefficients can then be used to estimate changes in surface soil moisture. The reflections collected were from agricultural land in Brazil, Alabama, and Georgia, along with grassland in Oklahoma. Data were collected on 24, 25, 27, 30 June 2003 and 2, 3, 5, 7, 12-15, 17, 18 July 2003.

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.

Data Set Citation

Dataset Creator: Masters, D., and S. Katzberg.
Dataset Title: SMEX03 Airborne GPS Bistatic Radar Data
Dataset Series Name: SMEX
Dataset Release Place: Boulder, Colorado USA
Dataset Publisher: University of Colorado, Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research
Online Resource: http://nsidc.org/data/nsidc-0376.html

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 2003-06-24
Stop Date: 2003-06-25

Start Date: 2003-06-27
Stop Date: 2003-06-27

Start Date: 2003-06-30
Stop Date: 2003-06-30

Start Date: 2003-07-02
Stop Date: 2003-07-03

Start Date: 2003-07-05
Stop Date: 2003-07-05

Start Date: 2003-07-07
Stop Date: 2003-07-07

Start Date: 2003-07-12
Stop Date: 2003-07-15

Start Date: 2003-07-17
Stop Date: 2003-07-18

Location Keywords

• Continent North America United States Of America Alabama
• Continent North America United States Of America Georgia
• Continent North America United States Of America Oklahoma
• Continent South America Brazil

Science Keywords

• Spectral/Engineering Radar Radar Imagery

Ancillary Keywords

• AMSR-E
• bistatic radar
• GPS
• NSIDC DAAC
• SMEX
• Soil Moisture
• Surface Roughness

ISO Topic Category (View Definitions)

• Climatology/Meteorology/Atmosphere

Platform

• GPS Global Positioning System Satellites

Instrument

• GPS RECEIVERS

Project

• SMEX03 Soil Moisture Experiments in 2003

Use Constraints

These data are considered exploratory. The techniques to estimate geophysical parameters from these data are being continuously refined. Usage of these data is granted without restriction, but acknowledgment of the source and PI is appreciated.

Data Set Progress

COMPLETE

Data Center

National Snow and Ice Data Center
Data Center URL: http://nsidc.org

Data Center Personnel

Name: NSIDC User Services
Phone: +1 (303) 492-6199
Fax: +1 (303) 492-2468
Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
Contact Address:
National Snow and Ice Data Center
CIRES, 449 UCB
University of Colorado
City: Boulder
Province or State: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA

NSIDC Distributed Active Archive Center
Data Center URL: http://nsidc.org/daac/index.html

Data Center Personnel

Name: NSIDC DAAC User Services
Phone: +1 (303) 492-6199
Fax: +1 (303) 492-2468
Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
Contact Address:
National Snow and Ice Data Center
CIRES, 449 UCB
University of Colorado
City: Boulder
Province or State: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA

Distribution

Distribution Media: online (HTTP)
Distribution Format: UTC time-ordered HDF format (gzipped)

Personnel

Dallas Masters
Role: INVESTIGATOR
Phone: 303.492.4075
Fax: 303.492.2825
Contact Address:
University of Colorado
CB 431/ CCAR
City: Boulder
Province or State: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0431
Country: USA

Stephen Katzberg
Role: INVESTIGATOR
Contact Address:
M.S. 328
NASA-Langley Research Center
City: Hampton
Province or State: VA
Postal Code: 23681-0001

Related URL

VIEW PROJECT HOME PAGE
AMSR-E Validation Data at NSIDC

VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
AMSR-E/Aqua Data at NSIDC

Metadata Name and Version

Metadata Name: CEOS IDN DIF
Metadata Version: 9.7

Creation and Review Dates

DIF Creation Date: 2009-03-05

DIF Text-Only

Directory Interchange Format (DIF) in plain text

DIF XML

Directory Interchange Format (DIF) in Extensible Markup Language (XML)

FGDC HTML

U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM)