GLIMS Update: glacier image available

[jkargel at usgs.gov]

Dear GLIMS colleagues,

This update contains two brief items.
     1. Status update on Terra and ASTER
     2. Notification that a glacier image is available.

1.  Status update.
     Terra continues to fly in formation with Landsat 7 and is functioning
normally.  ASTER also is performing well.  However, certain problems  on
the ground mean that it is still functioning in the Initial Check Out mode.
Many thousands-- probably by now well over 10,000-- images have been
obtained, and they are of high quality.  GLIMS and other science team
member STARs have not been acquired yet.  However, many excellent images
that include glaciers have been obtained, but not using GLIMS acquisition
parameters.  There are two basic problems holding up the release of data.
First, there still is not a satisfactory agreement on data sharing between
the U.S. and Japan.  Second, ASTER images contain many quirks that make
reading the images and coregistering data obtained from different
telescopes and sensors very difficult (until the needed software is
developed).  We have painstakingly developed a manual set of fixes that
allows the images to be read and coregistered.  These temporary hands-on
in-house fixes are not the standard processing that ultimately will be used
by the ASTER project to generate Level 1A and 1B images, but these fixes
work.  Apparently until these problems are remedied at the ASTER project
level, very few images will be released.  We do not know when ASTER might
go into full-scale routine observations, but we can hope that it will begin
this northern summer.

2. ASTER glacier image available
We have negotiated the limited release of a single ASTER glacier image of
the Chugach Mountains, southern Alaska (area of Harvard, Yale, Knik, and
Matanuska glaciers).  It has been processed at USGS using non-standard
methods so as to retain full spatial and radiometric resolution and good
band-to-band registration.  This particular image was not obtained with
GLIMS acquisition parameters, so the gain settings and acquisition date
(June 24, 2000) were not ideal for glacier studies.  Hence, there is
widespread snow coverage in the mountains; and snow is generally saturated
in VNIR and has very low dN values in SWIR.  Nevertheless, we think you
will find that this image has high quality in many regards and would be
very useful for glaciological studies.   It is probably representative of
non-GLIMS ASTER images of glacier areas.  GLIMS glacier STARs will result
in even better images.  The processing methods used are nonstandard but
yield an image that is expected to be very similar to a Standard Level 1B
product expected to be delivered after project standard processing is
implemented.

If you would like to obtain this multispectral image, the agreement reached
with the ASTER project requires a responsible representative of each
regional center to approve and return the following message (electronic
return by email is acceptable). For political reasons, it is extremely
important that this agreement be strictly honored.  We hope for a wider
release of data soon, but for now this unfortunately is it.

   "I agree that use of the ASTER GLIMS data sample is limited to our
immediate research group, and must not be used for publication or
otherwise publicly released or distributed until the Japan/U.S. ASTER
Team has reached an agreement for public data release. It may be used
only for purposes of software test and development; however, the sample
data image, or products we derive from it, may be used in our proposals.

[YOUR E-MAIL SIGNATURE HERE.]"

Sincerely,

Jeffrey S. Kargel
U.S. Geological Survey
2255 N. Gemini Dr.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Telephone (+1) (520) 556-7034
Fax (+1) (520) 556-7014
Email: jkargel at usgs.gov
Home email: jkargel at micromagic.net
Home phone: (+1)(520) 527-4196