What is the MODIS Satellite?

Despite popular belief that MODIS is a satellite, it’s actually an instrument onboard a satellite.

MODIS represents the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer. It has 36 spectral bands, 250-1000 meter resolution, and midpoints 2-day return to period.

In light of this flexibility, MODIS has changed how we comprehend our land, ocean, and atmosphere. Furthermore, because of its huge inclusion, it empowers us to screen exercises, for example, dynamic flames, land-use change, and volcanic action.

How about we make a plunge and investigate MODIS bands, resolution, and temporal frequency.

MODIS Uses and Applications

Since its dispatch, MODIS had been alluded to as the quintessential instrument of Earth Observation. This is on the grounds that it makes more progress, captures more spectral bands with higher temporal frequency.

For instance, it gathers basic information about land, sea, and climate about at regular intervals. In these 3 models underneath,  marginally start to expose the applications and employments of MODIS imagery.

Fire and Hot Spot Detection

The fire location calculation uses MODIS to detect active fires. By contrasting temperature with neighboring pixels, it decides the seriousness and degree of the fire. In the event that the thing that matters is over a given limit, it affirms the “problem area” as a functioning fire. Be that as it may, if the fire is too little to even think about detecting because of the spatial goals of the sensor, the satellite can’t detect it.

Land Cover

The MODIS instrument tracks land-use change by examining is spectral properties over the land. For example, the 500-meter MODIS Land Cover Maps (17 land cover classes) describes the dominant class based on a 10-year span (2001-2010). Additionally, there is a 23-class ESA global land cover product available at 1km resolution.

Cloud Properties

Clouds are fundamentally important t in weather and climate. Before MODIS, it was entirely expected to accept that mists secured about half of Earth at some random time. However, in the wake of inspecting MODIS symbolism, it indicated that overcast spread was nearer to 70%. Also, MODIS represents the temperature and stature of mists just as the synthesis of ice or water.

MODIS Imagery and Resolution

Spectral Resolution

MODIS is one of the most flexible sensors with its 36 channel imaging spectrometer. For the initial 20 bands, it catches reflected sunlight based radiation. From these groups, we can more readily comprehend the physical properties of nature. For instance, we utilize its 16 warm groups to quantify surface and sea temperature.

Spatial Resolution

MODIS has a pixel resolution of 250m, 500m to 1 km. Beginning with its best spatial goals, it can make out highlights about the size of 3 football fields. In any case, its most significant resource is its huge area covering a width of 2,330 km at 12-piece radiometric affectability.

Temporal Resolution

On-board NASA’s flagship satellites Terra and Aqua (A-Train), MODIS has a 2-day rehash inclusion of the whole planet. Contingent upon cloud inclusion, it’s transient recurrence makes this sensor an ideal contender for checking any movement ashore. MODIS sensors just catch information on the dayside divide since it estimates reflected light from the sun. In a polar circle, the Aqua satellite circles the Earth at regular intervals.

Reflective Bands

Here is a list of all bands for the MODIS sensor including ground sampling distance and spectral bands.

Band	Bandwidth (µm)	Resolution (m)	Application
1	0.620-0.670	250	Land cover
2	0.841-0.876	250	Vegetation
3	0.459-0.479	500	Soil Properties
4	0.545-0.565	500	Greenness
5	1.230-1.250	500	Leaf Index
6	1.628-1.652	500	Snow/Cloud Properties
7	2.105-2.155	500
8	0.405-0.420	1000	Ocean Biology and Color, Phytoplankton
9	0.438-0.448	1000
10	0.483-0.493	1000
11	0.526-0.536	1000
12	0.546-0.556	1000
13	0.662-0.672	1000
14	0.673-0.683	1000
15	0.743-0.753	1000
16	0.862-0.877	1000
17	0.890-0.920	1000	Water Vapor
18	0.931-0.941	1000
19	0.915-0.965	1000

Thermal Bands

Band	Bandwidth (µm)	Resolution (m)	Application
20	3.660-3.840	1000	Forest Fires, Surface/Cloud Temperature
21	3.929-3.989	1000
22	3.929-3.989	1000
23	4.020-4.080	1000
24	4.433-4.498	1000	Atmosphere Temperature
25	4.482-4.549	1000
26	1.360-1.390	1000	Cirrus Clouds
27	6.538-6.895	1000	Water Vapor
28	7.175-7.475	1000
29	8.400-8.700	1000
30	9.580-9.880	1000	Ozone
31	10.780-11.280	1000	Surface/Cloud Temperature
32	11.770-12.270	1000
33	13.185-13.485	1000	Cloud Top Altitude
34	13.485-13.758	1000
35	13.785-14.085	1000
36	14.085-14.385	1000

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