MODIS - Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
How to get MODIS imagery and data
- Recent data (less than seven days old) or (more than seven days old) is available free of charge from our Earth Observation Catalogue
- MODIS Online Nadir BRDF-Adjusted Reflectance (NBAR) Products
MODIS data is available under Creative Commons License 3.0.
- Processing options
- File formats
- Importing and Georeferencing MODIS Data
- General terms and conditions
For further information, please contact: Earth Observation Client Services.
Satellite characteristics
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is the key instrument aboard the satellites Terra (EOS AM-1), launched on 18 December 1999, and Aqua (EOS PM-1) (pictured right), launched on 4 May 2002. MODIS views almost the entire surface of the Earth every day, acquiring data in 36 spectral bands over a 2330 km swath.
MODIS data will improve the understanding of global dynamics and processes occurring on the land, in the oceans, and in the lower atmosphere. MODIS is playing a vital role in the development of validated, global, interactive Earth system models able to predict global change accurately enough to assist policy makers in making sound decisions concerning the protection of our environment.
Geoscience Australia has been acquiring MODIS data since August 2000. More information about how MODIS data can be used is available from NASA's MODIS Brochure.
Spacecraft Characteristics
| Orbit: | 705 km, 10:30 a.m. descending node (Terra) or 1:30 p.m. ascending node (Aqua), sun-synchronous, near-polar, circular |
|---|---|
| Scan Rate: | 20.3 rpm, cross track |
| Swath Dimensions: | 2330 km (cross track) by 10° of latitude (along track at nadir) |
| Telescope: | 17.78 cm diam. off-axis, afocal (collimated), with intermediate field stop |
| Size: | 1.0 x 1.6 x 1.0 m |
| Weight: | 228.7 kg |
| Power: | 162.5 W (single orbit average) |
| Data Rate: | 10.6 Mbps (peak daytime); 6.1 Mbps (orbital average) |
| Quantization: | 12 bits |
| Spatial Resolution: | 250 m (bands 1-2) 500 m (bands 3-7) 1000 m (bands 8-36) |
| Design Life: | 6 years |
Sensor Characteristics
| Primary Use | Band | Bandwidth1 | Spectral Radiance2 |
Required SNR3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land/Cloud/Aerosols Boundaries |
1 | 620 - 670 | 21.8 | 128 |
| 2 | 841 - 876 | 24.7 | 201 | |
| Land/Cloud/Aerosols Properties |
3 | 459 - 479 | 35.3 | 243 |
| 4 | 545 - 565 | 29.0 | 228 | |
| 5 | 1230 - 1250 | 5.4 | 74 | |
| 6 | 1628 - 1652 | 7.3 | 275 | |
| 7 | 2105 - 2155 | 1.0 | 110 | |
| Ocean Color Phytoplankton Biogeochemistry |
8 | 405 - 420 | 44.9 | 880 |
| 9 | 438 - 448 | 41.9 | 838 | |
| 10 | 483 - 493 | 32.1 | 802 | |
| 11 | 526 - 536 | 27.9 | 754 | |
| 12 | 546 - 556 | 21.0 | 750 | |
| 13 | 662 - 672 | 9.5 | 910 | |
| 14 | 673 - 683 | 8.7 | 1087 | |
| 15 | 743 - 753 | 10.2 | 586 | |
| 16 | 862 - 877 | 6.2 | 516 | |
| Atmospheric Water Vapor |
17 | 890 - 920 | 10.0 | 167 |
| 18 | 931 - 941 | 3.6 | 57 | |
| 19 | 915 - 965 | 15.0 | 250 | |
| Primary Use | Band | Bandwidth1 | Spectral Radiance2 |
Required NE[delta]T(K)4 |
| Surface/Cloud Temperature |
20 | 3.660 - 3.840 | 0.45 (300K) | 0.05 |
| 21 | 3.929 - 3.989 | 2.38 (335K) | 2.00 | |
| 22 | 3.929 - 3.989 | 0.67 (300K) | 0.07 | |
| 23 | 4.020 - 4.080 | 0.79 (300K) | 0.07 | |
| Atmospheric Temperature |
24 | 4.433 - 4.498 | 0.17 (250K) | 0.25 |
| 25 | 4.482 - 4.549 | 0.59 (275K) | 0.25 | |
| Cirrus Clouds Water Vapor |
26 | 1.360 - 1.390 | 6.00 | 150(SNR) |
| 27 | 6.535 - 6.895 | 1.16 (240K) | 0.25 | |
| 28 | 7.175 - 7.475 | 2.18 (250K) | 0.25 | |
| Cloud Properties | 29 | 8.400 - 8.700 | 9.58 (300K) | 0.05 |
| Ozone | 30 | 9.580 - 9.880 | 3.69 (250K) | 0.25 |
| Surface/Cloud Temperature |
31 | 10.780 - 11.280 | 9.55 (300K) | 0.05 |
| 32 | 11.770 - 12.270 | 8.94 (300K) | 0.05 | |
| Cloud Top Altitude |
33 | 13.185 - 13.485 | 4.52 (260K) | 0.25 |
| 34 | 13.485 - 13.785 | 3.76 (250K) | 0.25 | |
| 35 | 13.785 - 14.085 | 3.11 (240K) | 0.25 | |
| 36 | 14.085 - 14.385 | 2.08 (220K) | 0.35 | |
| * Footnotes: 1 Bands 1 to 19 are in nm; Bands 20 to 36 are in µm 2 Spectral Radiance values are (W/m2 - µm-sr) 3 SNR = Signal-to-noise ratio 4 NE(delta)T = Noise-equivalent temperature difference | ||||
| Note: Performance goal is 30-40% better than required. | ||||
Topic contact: earth.observation@ga.gov.au Last updated: July 18, 2012
