NASA/TMm2000-209891, Vol. 86

Technical Report Series on the

Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS)

Forrest G. Hall, Editor

Volume 86

BOREAS Level-0 ER-2

Navigation Data

Richard Strub, Raytheon ITSS

Roseanne Dominguez, ATAC, Inc., NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California

Jeffrey A. Newcomer, Raytheon ITSS, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center

Greenbelt, Maryland 20771

September 2000

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NASA/TMm2000-209891, Vol. 86

Technical Report Series on the

Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS)

Forrest G. Hall, Editor

Volume 86

BOREAS Level-0 ER-2

Navigation Data

Richard Strub, Raytheon ITSS

Roseanne Dominguez, ATAC, Inc., NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California

Jeffrey A. Newcomer, Raytheon ITSS, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center

Greenbelt, Maryland 20771

September 2000
NASA Center for AeroSpace Information

7121 Standard Drive

Hanover, MD 21076-1320

Price Code: A17

Available from:

National Technical Information Service

5285 Port Royal Road

Springfield, VA 22161

Price Code: A10
BOREAS Level-0 ER-2 Navigation Data

Richard Strub, Roseanne Dominguez, Jeffrey A. Newcomer

Summary

The BOREAS Staff Science effort covered those activities that were BOREAS community-level

activities or required uniform data collection procedures across sites and time. These activities included

the acquisition, processing, and archiving of aircraft navigation/attitude data to complement the digital

image data. The level-0 ER-2 navigation data files contain aircraft attitude and position information

acquired during the digital image and photographic data collection missions. Temporally, the data were

acquired from April to September 1994. Data were recorded at intervals of 5 seconds. The data are

stored in tabular ASCII files.

Note that the level-0 ER-2 navigation data are not contained on the BOREAS CD-ROM set. An

inventory listing file is supplied on the CD-ROM to inform users of the data that were collected. See

Section 15 for information about how to acquire actual level-0 ER-2 navigation data.

Table of Contents

1) Data Set Overview

2) Investigator(s)

3) Theory of Measurements

4) Equipment

5) Data Acquisition Methods

6) Observations

7) Data Description

8) Data Organization

9) Data Manipulations

10) Errors

11) Notes

12) Application of the Data Set

13) Future Modifications and Plans

14) Software

15) Data Access

16) Output Products and Availability

17) References

18) Glossary of Terms

19) List of Acronyms

20) Document Information

1. Data Set Overview

1.1 Data Set Identification

BOREAS Level-0 ER-2 Navigation Data

1.2 Data Set Introduction

The BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) Staff Science effort covered those activities

that were BOREAS community-level activities or required uniform data collection procedures across

sites and time. These activities included the acquisition, processing, and archiving of aircraft

navigation/attitude data to complement the digital image data.

Page 1
1.3 Objective/Purpose

The ER-2 navigation data set consists of navigation parameters gathered by the aircraft's onboard

systems in support of the payload instruments. The purpose of the data is to provide general aircraft

positioning information and aircraft attitude information during data collection activities.

1.4 Summary of Parameters

The data include times and georeferencing information that can be used to determine temporal and

spatial coordinates associated with each measurement collected from the onboard instruments.

1.5 Discussion

The ER-2 navigation data set consists of navigation parameters gathered by the aircraft's onboard

systems in support of the payload instruments. It includes times and georeferencing information that

can be used to determine temporal and spatial coordinates associated with each measurement collected

from the above instruments.

1.6 Related Data Sets

BOREAS Level-0 ER-2 Aerial Photography

BOREAS Level-0 AOCI Imagery: Digital Counts in BIL Format

BOREAS Level-0 Daedalus TMS Imagery: Digital Counts in BIL Format

BOREAS RSS- 18 Level- 1B AVIRIS Imagery: At-sensor Radiance in BIL Format

2. Investigator(s)

2.1 Investigator(s) Name and Title

BOREAS Staff" Science

2.2 Title of Investigation

BOREAS Staff Science Aircraft Data Acquisition Program

2.3 Contact Information

Contact 1:

Jeffrey S. Myers

Aircraft Data and Sensor Facilities

NASA Ames Research Center

MS 240-6 (Bldg. 240, Rm. 219)

Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000

(415) 604-6253

(415) 604-4987 (fax)

jmyers@ arc .nasa .gov

Contact 2:

Jeffrey A. Newcomer

Raytheon ITSS

Code 923

NASA GSFC

Greenbelt, MD 20771

(301) 286-7858

(301) 286-0239 (fax)

Jeffrey.Newcomer@ gsfc.nasa.gov

Page 2
3. Theory of Measurements

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at Ames Research Center (ARC)

maintains a variety of aircraft and sensor systems dedicated to support of remote sensing research.

Among these is the Lockheed ER-2 (U-2R). The ER-2 has carried the Moderate-Resolution Imaging

Spectrometer (MODIS) Airborne Simulator (MAS), the Multispectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor

(MAMS), the Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), the Thematic Mapper

Simulator (TMS), the Airborne Ocean Color Imager (AOCI), and the Thermal Infrared Multispectral

Scanner (TIMS). For the BOREAS project, the TMS, AOCI, and AVIRIS sensors flew aboard the

ER-2.

Navigation parameters provided by the Litton LTN-92 Inertial Navigation System (INS) includes

latitude/longitude, altitude, air speed, pitch, roll, heading, wind speed and direction, and static air

temperature. The data were recorded in 5-second intervals.

4. Equipment

4.1 Sensor/Instrument Description

4.1.1 Collection Environment

The INS on the ER-2 is a Litton LTN-92. The LTN-92 comprises three separate units: the Inertial

Navigation Unit (INU), the Control/Display Unit (CDU), and the Mode Select Unit (MSU). Three

28-cm ring laser gyros and a triad of force rebalanced accelerometers make up the LTN-92's

instrument cluster. The system accepts Area Navigation (RNAV), Global Positioning System (GPS),

or manual position updates, plus INS mixing for improved performance. The Litton Web site

(http://www.littoncorp.com/html/newsflash/06 14 97.htm) can be referenced for more information.

The system operates by sensing accelerations from a gyro-stabilized, all-attitude platform. This

information is integrated by a digital computer to provide an indication of present position (latitude and

longitude), attitude data (pitch and roll), and course line computation referenced to great circle routes.

The ER-2 has no room for auxiliary personnel; the LTN-92 INU, the instrument control panel, and the

temperature and pressure units are directly connected to the data recorder in the payload area.

4.1.2 Source/Platform

The NASA ER-2 is a high-altitude, single-pilot aircraft based at ARC in Moffett Field, CA, and is

deployed globally in support of a variety of atmospheric research projects. It has a maximum altitude

of 70,000 feet (21 kin), a range of 3,000 nautical miles, a maximum flight duration of 8 hours

(nominal 6.5 hours), and a top speed of 410 knots true air speed. The aircraft accommodates about

2,700 pounds of payload and offers the following science support systems:

• Inertial navigation

• Satellite NBS Time Code receiver

• Navigation data recording system

• Real-time telemetry data link

4.1.3 Source/Platform Mission Objectives

For BOREAS, the primary ER-2 mission objective was to collect various Earth surface data in

coordination with satellite overpasses for data verification and integration studies. A secondary

objective was to collect data at key times when the satellites were not within range of specific sites. The

ER-2 was based in Spokane, WA, and could be deployed from there to take advantage of anticipated

good data collection conditions. The navigation data provide in-flight geographic location and attitude

information for the onboard sensors.

Page 3
4.1.4 Key Variables

Thekeyparametersusedby BOREASInformationSystem(BORIS)staffandinvestigatorsare

geographiclocation,time,platformattitude,altitude,aircraftpitchandroll, andtemperaturein

proximityto theaircraft.

4.1.5 Principles of Operation

TheINSontheER-2operatesby sensingaccelerationsfrom agyro-stabilized,all-attitude

platform.Thisinformationis integratedby adigital computerto provideanindicationof present

position(latitudeandlongitude),attitudedata(pitchandroll), andcourselinecomputationreferenced

to greatcircleroutes.

4.1.6 Sensor/Instrument Measurement Geometry

Aboard the ER-2, navigation parameters are recorded at 5-second intervals. The data buffer

servicing the navigation recorder samples the particular parameter between records, but is precisely

correct only at some point between records. Each parametric measurement is recorded as a count in a

16-bit word; consequently, the conversion of that count to an engineering unit defines the precision.

The precision of each measurement is tabulated below.

Parameter Precision

Julian Date

Time

Latitude

Longitude

N-S Velocity

E-W Velocity

True Heading

Ground Speed

Vertical Velocity

Altitude

True Air Speed

Pitch

Roll

Computed:

Ground Speed

Wind Speed

Wind Direction

Vertical Velocity

Climb Angle

Air Temperature

One day

One second

0.33 minutes of angle

0.33 minutes of angle

0 .1 knot

0 1 knot

0 00

0 1

0 O2

2 92

0 01

0 00

0 00

(2002.6 feet)

(2002.6 feet)

54932 degrees of an angle

knot

5 feet/second

749 feet (pressure altitude)

52588 knot

54932 degrees of an angle

54932 degrees of an angle

0 nautical mile per

0 nautical mile per

0 degree

0 foot per second

0 degree

1 degree centigrade

hour

hour

The accuracy of the X-Y-Z position as recorded by the navigation system is limited by the

frequency and accuracy of the Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN)-based updates to the inertial system

and the accuracy of the recorded altitude. In the conterminous United States, updates occur frequently

and are based on strong relative geometry because of the density of TACAN stations, resulting in

errors of less than 0.1 nautical mile in X and Y (less error than the precision of the recording system).

Altitude is based on barometric pressure with standard pressure defined as 29.92 inches of mercury.

Consequently, the actual altitude above mean sea level will vary with current atmospheric conditions

and the actual altitude above terrain with the terrain elevation.

Page 4
4.1.7 Manufacturer of Sensor/Instrument

ARCpersonnelbuilt thenavigationdatarecorderspecificallyfor NASA'sER-2fleet.

LTN-92 INU

Litton Industries,Inc.

WoodlandHills, CA 91367-6675

4.2 Calibration

4.2.1 Specifications

None given.

4.2.1.1 Tolerance

None given.

4.2.2 Frequency of Calibration

None given.

4.2.3 Other Calibration Informati

5. Data Acquisition Methods

The ER-2 has no room for auxiliary personnel; the LTN-92 INV, the GPS, the instrument control

panel, and the temperature and pressure units are connected to the payload area by RS232 and

Aeronautical Radio, Inc. (ARINC) 429 data buses.

Data are recorded serially as a flux change on both track 1 and track 2, with a flux change on track

1 representing a logic one and a flux change on track 2 representing a logic zero. Data words are

grouped with 16 bits per word and are separated by a three-step gap in which no flux changes occur on

either track. After 1316-bit words (or up to 21 words, depending upon how many analog channels

have been recorded), a 12-bit end-of-file gap is recorded (no flux changes). The order of words is as

follows:

WORD DESCRIPTION

Serial Number, Flags, Julian Date

Clock

Latitude

Longitude

N-S Velocity

E-W Velocity

True Heading

Ground Speed valid data

Vertical Velocity (valid

Altitude

True Air Speed

Pitch

Roll

14-21 Analog Inputs (optional)

only with

data only

standard INS)

with high-resolution INS)

For more detailed information on the Cassette Data Format see Guillot, 1985.

Page 5
6. Observations

6.1 Data Notes

None. Pertinent in-flight comments are recorded in the digital data records.

6.2 Field Notes

Flight summary reports and verbal records on videotapes are available from the ER-2 flights.

7. Data Description

7.1 Spatial Characteristics

7.1.1 Spatial Coverage

The BOREAS level-0 ER-2 navigation data were collected primarily as the ER-2 flew over portions

of the Southern Study Area (SSA) and the Northern Study Area (NSA) during its image data

acquisition missions. The SSA and the NSA are located in the southwest and northeast portions of the

overall BOREAS region. Some navigation data exist in the data set that cover the BOREAS transect

area between the SSA and NSA and areas outside the BOREAS region.

The North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) corner coordinates of the SSA are:

Latitude Longitude

Northwest 54.321 N 106.228 W

Northeast 54.225 N 104.237 W

Southwest 53.515 N 106.321 W

Southeast 53.420 N 104.368 W

The NAD83 corner coordinates of the NSA are:

Latitude Longitude

Northwest 56.249 N 98.825 W

Northeast 56.083 N 97.234 W

Southwest 55.542 N 99.045 W

Southeast 55.379 N 97.489 W

7.1.2 Spatial Coverage Map

Not available.

7.1.3 Spatial Resolution

Spatial resolution is not strictly applicable to ER-2 navigational data. The sampling rate for each

portion of the navigation data can be combined with aircraft position, speed, and altitude to derive a

spatial component for each data sample. However, because of the 5-second duration between each

navigation parameter, interpolating the navigation data to specific lines in the image data may have

limited usefulness.

7.1.4 Projection

The BOREAS level-0 ER-2 navigation data contain latitude and longitude coordinates in the

parameter set. Although the latitude and longitude coordinates could be used to calculate coordinates

for any map projection, BORIS staff" did not assess their accuracy and therefore cannot make any

statements about their validity.

Page 6
7.1.5 Grid Description

Not applicable.

7.2 Temporal Characteristics

7.2.1 Temporal Coverage

The data were collected during BOREAS' Focused Field Campaign (FFC) and three Intensive

Field Campaigns (IFCs), covering the period from 19-Apr-1994 through 17-Sep-1994. The ER-2

collected various image data sets over the BOREAS sites in 1996, but no navigation data were

delivered to BORIS.

7.2.2 Temporal Coverage Map

IFC# Dates

FFC-T 16-Apr-1994

IFC-I 23-May-1994

IFC-2 21-Jui-1994

IFC-3 08-Sep-1994

-- 20-Apr-1994

-- 08-Jun-1994

-- 08-Aug-1994

-- 17-Sep-1994

7.2.3 Temporal Resolution

All of the parameters in the navigation data were collected at intervals of 5 seconds.

7.3 Data Characteristics

7.3.1 Parameter/Variable

A listing of the navigation data file parameters is given in Section 8.2. The parameters contained in

the inventory listing file on the CD-ROM are:

Column Name

SPATIAL COVERAGE

DATE OBS

START TIME

END TIME

ER2 MISSION ID

CRTFCN CODE

7.3.2 Variable Description/Definition

A detailed description of the navigation data parameters is given in Section 8.2. The parameters in

the CD-ROM inventory listing are:

Column Name Description

SPATIAL COVERAGE The general term used to denote the spatial area

over which the data were collected.

DATE OBS The date on which the data were collected.

START TIME The starting Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) for the

data collected.

END TIME The ending Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) for the

data collected.

ER2 MISSION ID The mission identifier assigned to the ER2

mission in the form of YY-DDD where YY is the last

two digits of the fiscal year, and DDD is the

deployment number. An example would be 94-120.

Page 7
CRTFCN CODE The BOREAS certification level of the data.

Examples are CPI (Checked by PI), CGR (Certified

by Group), PRE (Preliminary), and CPI-??? (CPI

but questionable).

7.3.3 Unit of Measurement

A detailed description of the navigation data parameter units is given in Section 8.2. The

measurement units for the parameters contained in the inventory listing file on the CD-ROM are:

Column Name Units

SPATIAL COVERAGE [none]

DATE OBS [DD-MON-YY]

START TIME [HHMM GMT]

END TIME [HHMM GMT]

ER2 MISSION ID [none]

CRTFCN CODE [none]

7.3.4 Data Source

A detailed description of the navigation data files and their content is given in Section 8.2. The

sources of the parameter values contained in the inventory listing file on the CD-ROM are:

Column Name Data Source

SPATIAL COVERAGE

DATE OBS

START TIME

END TIME

ER2 MISSION ID

CRTFCN CODE

[Constant software parameter value]

[Navigation data files]

[Navigation data files]

[Navigation data files]

[ER2 mission information]

[Constant data base value]

7.3.5 Data Range

The range of values for the parameters in the actual navigation data files was not tabulated. The

following table gives information about the parameter values found in the inventory table on the

CD-ROM.

Minimum Maximum Missng Unrel Below Data

Data Data Data Data Detect Not

Column Name Value Value Value Value Limit Cllctd

SPATIAL COVERAGE N/A N/A None None None None

DATE OBS 19-APR-94 17-SEP-94 None None None None

START TIME 1310 1630 None None None None

END TIME 1920 2215 None None None None

ER2 MISSION ID 94-079 94-143 None None None None

CRTFCN CODE PRE PRE None None None None

Minimum Data Value -- The minimum value found in the column.

Maximum Data Value -- The maximum value found in the column.

Missng Data Value -- The value that indicates missing data. This is used to

indicate that an attempt was made to determine the

parameter value, but the attempt was unsuccessful.

Unrel Data Value -- The value that indicates unreliable data. This is used

to indicate an attempt was made to determine the

parameter value, but the value was deemed to be

Page 8
Below Detect Limit --

Data Not Cllctd --

unreliable by the analysis personnel.

The value that indicates parameter values below the

instruments detection limits. This is used to

indicate that an attempt was made to determine the

parameter value, but the analysis personnel determined

that the parameter value was below the detection

limit of the instrumentation.

This value indicates that no attempt was made to

determine the parameter value. This usually

indicates that BORIS combined several similar but

not identical data sets into the same data base table

but this particular science team did not

measure that parameter.

Blank

N/A

None

-- Indicates that blank spaces are used to denote that type of value.

-- Indicates that the value is not applicable to the respective column.

-- Indicates that no values of that sort were found in the column.

7.4 Sample Data Record

A sample data record for the level-0 ER-2 navigation data is not available here. The following are

the records from the level-0 ER-2 navigation data inventory table on the CD-ROM:

SPATIAL COVERAGE,DATE OBS,START TIME,END TIME,ER2 MISSION ID,CRTFCN CODE

m

SSA',I9-APR-94,1630

NSA',20-APR-94,1555

TRANSECT',20-APR-94

NSA',28-APR-94,1445

TRANSECT',28-APR-94

NSA',08-JUN-94,1345

TRANSECT',08-JUN-94

SSA',21-JUL-94,1500

NSA',04-AUG-94,1310

SSA',04-AUG-94,1310

TRANSECT',04-AUG-94

NSA',08-AUG-94,1314

SSA',08-AUG-94,1314

TRANSECT',08-AUG-94

SSA',I6-SEP-94,1500

NSA',I7-SEP-94,1355

TRANSECT',I7-SEP-94

SSA',I7-SEP-94,1355

m m m

2215, '94-079', 'PRE'

2155, '94-080', 'PRE'

1555,2155, '94-080', 'PRE'

2050, '94-082', 'PRE'

1445,2050, '94-082', 'PRE'

1945, '94-i02', 'PRE'

1345,1945, '94-i02', 'PRE'

2040, '94-120', 'PRE'

1920, '94-123', 'PRE'

1920, '94-123', 'PRE'

1310,1920, '94-123', 'PRE'

1937, '94-124', 'PRE'

1937, '94-124', 'PRE'

1314,1937, '94-124', 'PRE'

2100, '94-142', 'PRE'

2005, '94-143', 'PRE'

1355,2005, '94-143', 'PRE'

2005, '94-143', 'PRE'

8. Data Organization

8.1 Data Granularity

The smallest unit of level-0 ER-2 navigation data is all the ER-2 navigation information collected

during the ER-2 flights over the BOREAS areas. All nine of the data files are in a single tar file on a

single tape for distribution.

8.2 Data Format(s)

The CD-ROM inventory listing file consists of numerical and character fields of varying length

separated by commas. The character fields are enclosed with single apostrophe marks. There are no

Page 9
spacesbetweenthefields.

Thedataarecontainedin a singletarfile andafterextraction(tar-xvf) canbeseencorrectlyif

unblockedusingablock sizeof 150.(ddif=in_fn ibs=150cbs=150obs=150conv=unblock

of=out_fn).

FLIGHT 94-079

FLIGHT 94-080

FLIGHT 94-082

FLIGHT 94-102

FLIGHT 94-120

FLIGHT 94-123

FLIGHT 94-124

FLIGHT 94-142

FLIGHT 94-143

DATE 19-APR-94 16:30

DATE 20-APR-94

DATE 28-APR-94

DATE 08-JUN-94

DATE 21-JUL-94

DATE 04-AUG-94

DATE 08-AUG-94

DATE 16-SEP-94

DATE 17-SEP-94

15:55

14:45

13:45

15:00

13:10

13:14

15:00

13:55

Each data file contmns a header record that is formatted as described in the following table:

U2/USER PLUS DIGITIZED ANALOG VALUES

HEADER INFORMATION

CHARACTERS CONTENTS

RECORD 1

2 - 7

9 - 14

17 - 20

22 - 29

32 - 34

36 - 38

41 - 47

49 - 56

59 - 62

64 - 71

82 - i01

103

104 - 200

"FLIGHT"

The flight identifier, which consists of the last two digits of

the fiscal year, a dash, and a three-digit unique number that

identifies the flight within the fiscal year (e.g., 92-001)

"DATE"

The date of the flight at liftoff, in the form MM/DD/YY, where

MM gives the number of the month

DD gives the day

YY gives the last two digits of the current year

"A/C"

Tail number of the aircraft (706, 708, or 709

"TAKEOFF"

The takeoff time, in the form HH:MM/DD, where

HH gives the hour (24-hour clock)

MM gives the minute

DD gives the day of the month at takeoff

"LAND"

The landing time, in the same form as "TAKEOFF " except that

DD gives the day of the month at landing

"RECORDER UNIT NUMBER"

ID number of the navigation data recorder

Blank

RECORDS 2 - 5 Title that serves to label the contents of the data records.

NOTE: Characters not explicitly mentioned here are filled with blanks; i.e.,

the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) code for

"space."

(END of Table E-6A)

Page 10
The data part of each file is formatted as described in the following table:

U2/USER PLUS DIGITIZED ANALOG VALUES

DATA RECORD FORMAT

(English Units)

CHARACTER CONTENTS

02 - 12

15

(GOES)

18 - 25

18

19 - 20

21

22 - 25

27 - 35

27

28 - 30

31

32 - 35

37 - 41

42

45 - 47

49 - 53

55 - 59

61 - 66

67 - 72

74 - 77

79 - 82

85 - 87

94 - 96

i00 - 103

107 - 109

113 - 116

The time and day in the form HH:MM:SS/DD, where

HH gives the hour (24-hour clock)

MM gives the minute

SS gives the second

DD gives the day of the month

Time source indicator

"G .... from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite

Latitude,

h

DD

MM.t

-- Internal time source

hHH:MM.t, as follows:

-- hemisphere, "N" for northern, or "S" for southern

-- Degrees of latitude

-- separator between degrees and minutes

-- Minutes and tenths of minutes of latitude

(with a decimal point)

Longitude, hDDD:MM.t, as follows:

h -- hemisphere, "W" for western, or "E" for eastern

DDD -- Degrees of longitude

: -- separator between degrees and minutes

MM.t -- Minutes and tenths of minutes of longitude

(with a decimal point)

Altitude, in feet (from 0 - 70000)

"space" if below 70,000 feet, or

"+" if over 70,000 feet, (if over 70,000 feet, the

altitude (37-41) will contain 70000)

True air speed, in nautical miles per hour

Aircraft pitch, in degrees, given to tenths (with a decimal

point); positive indicates nose up

Aircraft roll, in degrees, given to tenths (with a decimal

point; positive indicates right roll; (i.e., right wing down)

True heading, in degrees, given to tenths (with a decimal

Point); zero degrees indicates north, positive to the

east of north (90 indicates due east; 180 indicates

south; and 270 indicates west)

North-South velocity, in nautical miles per hour

East-West velocity, in nautical miles per hour

Vertical velocity, in feet per second

Ground speed, in nautical miles per hour

Computed ground speed, in nautical miles per hour (square

root of the sum of the squares of the north-south and

east-west velocities)

Computed wind speed, in nautical miles per second (the vector

difference of the true air speed and true heading and

north-south and east-west velocities

Computed wind direction, in degrees from north (clockwise is

positive)

Computed vertical velocity (in feet per second) computed

Page 11
from the altitude difference and time difference

between consecutive records

122 - 124 Computed angle of attack (degrees); i.e., arcsine (vertical

velocity divided by ground speed)

134 - 138 Static air temperature in degrees C, computed from the first

digitized analog value, if recorded

9. Data Manipulations

9.1 Formulae

None.

9.1.1 Derivation Techniques and Algorithms

None.

9.2 Data Processing Sequence

9.2.1 Processing Steps

BORIS staff processed the level-0 ER-2 navigation data by extracting pertinent header information

from the navigation file and loading the online data base with needed information.

9.2.2 Processing Changes

ARC applied no special or additional processing to the ER-2 navigation data from BOREAS.

9.3 Calculations

9.3.1 Special Corrections/Adjustments

ARC made no special adjustments or offsets to the data.

9.3.2 Calculated Variables

ARC made no special adjustments or offsets to the data.

9.4 Graphs and Plots

None.

10. Errors

10.1 Sources of Error

The data buffer servicing the navigation recorder samples the particular parameter between records,

but is precisely correct only at some point between records. Each parametric measurement is recorded

as a count in a 16-bit word; consequently the conversion of that count to an engineering unit defines

the precision.

10.2 Quality Assessml0.2.1 Data Validation by Source

Data distribution to NASA ARC occurs at the conclusion of the deployment. Data tapes are

presented in total for documentation and archive. Data evaluation consists primarily of identifying

component failure (i.e., radar altitude, GPS values, and pressure measurements).

10.2.2 Confidence Level/Accuracy Judgment

The quality of the data is judged to be good.

Page 12
10.2.3 Measurement Error for Parameters

See Sections 4.1.6 and 8.2.

10.2.4 Additional Quality Assessments

BORIS staff imported selected navigation files into a spreadsheet and graphed the values to check

for reasonableness.

10.2.5 Data Verification by Data Center

BORIS staff reviewed the contents of the data files for consistency and used portions of the

information to inventory and describe the data in the relational data base.

11. Notes

11.1 Limitations of the Data

None.

11.2 Known Problems with the Data

None.

11.3 Usage Guidance

The tar file should be copied from tape to disk. All nine ASCII files are contained in a single tar file

and should be extracted (tar -xvf filename). Each file should then be placed into 150-byte records. This

can be accomplished by the UNIX command dd:

dd if=nav.94-123 of=filename ibs= 150 cbs= 150 obs= 150 conv=unblock

The files will then appear as 19 ASCII columns with a 5-line header.

11.4 Other Relevant Information

Not applicable.

12. Application of the Data Set

The ER2 navigation data could be used: 1) To possibly improve the positional location of the aircraft

scanner data and 2) As inputs to software for automated geometric and geographic correction of the

aircraft scanner data. As a word of caution, the accuracy and precision of these data are not as well

known as those from the C130 aircraft and in addition, it is not known if the frequency of navigation

observations is sufficient to properly correct distortions in the scanner data.

13. Future Modifications and Plans

No modification is planned for the ER-2 navigation data currently logged in the BORIS data base.

14. Software

14.1 Software Description

The UNIX dd command is useful in placing the new-line characters in the correct place so that the

ASCII file appears correctly. See Section 11.3. BORIS staff developed software to extract needed

information from the data files and inventory the ER-2 navigation data in the relational data base.

Page 13
14.2 Software Access

The software developed by BORIS staff can be obtained by contacting BORIS personnel or the

ORNL DAAC.

15. Data Access

The level-0 ER-2 navigation data are available from the Earth Observing System Data and Information

System (EOSDIS) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center

(DAAC).

15.1 Contact Information

For BOREAS data and documentation please contact:

ORNL DAAC User Services

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

P.O. Box 2008 MS-6407

Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6407

Phone: (423) 241-3952

Fax: (423) 574-4665

E-mail: ornldaac@ornl.gov or ornl@eos.nasa.gov

15.2 Data Center Identification

Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Oak Ridge National Laboratory

(ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) for Biogeochemical Dynamics

http://www-eosdis.ornl.gov/.

15.3 Procedures for Obtaining Data

Users may obtain data directly through the ORNL DAAC online search and order system

[http://www-eosdis.ornl.gov/] and the anonymous FTP site [ftp://www-eosdis.ornl.gov/data/] or by

contacting User Services by electronic mail, telephone, fax, letter, or personal visit using the contact

information in Section 15.1.

15.4 Data Center Status/Plans

The ORNL DAAC is the primary source for BOREAS field measurement, image, GIS, and

hardcopy data products. The BOREAS CD-ROM and data referenced or listed in inventories on the

CD-ROM are available from the ORNL DAAC.

16. Output Products and Availability

16.1 Tape Products

The BOREAS level-0 ER-2 navigation data can be made available on 8-mm, Digital Archive Tape

(DAT), or 9-track tapes at 1600 or 6250 Bytes Per Inch (BPI).

16.2 Film Products

Color aerial photographs and video records were made during data collection. The video record

includes aircraft crew cabin intercom conversations and an audible tone that was initiated each time the

sensors were triggered. The BOREAS data base contains an inventory of available BOREAS aircraft

flight documentation, such as flight logs, videotapes, and photographs.

Page 14
16.3 Other Products

Although the inventory is contained on the BOREAS CD-ROM set, the actual level-0 ER-2

navigation data are not. See Section 15 for information about how to obtain the data.

17. References

17.1 Platform/Sensor/Instrument/Data Processing Documentation

Ekstrand, R.E. and D. Wolf. 6 May 1992. INSPLOT.

Guillot, D. 1 April 1985. Cassette Data Format for the U-2 navigation recorder.

17.2 Journal Articles and Study Reports

Newcomer, J., D. Landis, S. Conrad, S. Curd, K. Huemmrich, D. Knapp, A. Morrell, J. Nickeson,

A. Papagno, D. Rinker, R. Strub, T. Twine, F. Hall, and P. Sellers, eds. 2000. Collected Data of The

Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study. NASA. CD-ROM.

Sellers, P. and F. Hall. 1994. Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study: Experiment Plan. Version

1994-3.0, NASA BOREAS Report (EXPLAN 94).

Sellers, P. and F. Hall. 1996. Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study: Experiment Plan. Version

1996-2.0, NASA BOREAS Report (EXPLAN 96).

Sellers, P., F. Hall, and K.F. Huemmrich. 1996. Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study: 1994

Operations. NASA BOREAS Report (OPS DOC 94).

Sellers, P., F. Hall, and K.F. Huemmrich. 1997. Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study: 1996

Operations. NASA BOREAS Report (OPS DOC 96).

Sellers, P., F. Hall, H. Margolis, B. Kelly, D. Baldocchi, G. den Hartog, J. Cihlar, M.G. Ryan, B.

Goodison, P. Crill, K.J. Ranson, D. Lettenmaier, and D.E. Wickland. 1995. The boreal

ecosystem-atmosphere study (BOREAS): an overview and early results from the 1994 field year.

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 76(9): 1549-1577.

Sellers, P.J., F.G. Hall, R.D. Kelly, A. Black, D. Baldocchi, J. Berry, M. Ryan, K.J. Ranson, P.M.

Crill, D.P. Lettenmaier, H. Margolis, J. Cihlar, J. Newcomer, D. Fitzjarrald, P.G. Jarvis, S.T.

Gower, D. Halliwell, D. Williams, B. Goodison, D.E. Wickland, and F.E. Guertin. 1997. BOREAS

in 1997: Experiment Overview, Scientific Results and Future Directions. Journal of Geophysical

Research 102(D24): 28,731-28,770.

17.3 Arehive/DBMS Usage Documentation

None.

None.

18. Glossary of Terms

Page 15
A/D

AOCI

ARC

ARINC

ASAS

ASCII

AVIRIS

BIL

BOREAS

BORIS

BPI

CCT

CD-ROM

CDU

DAAC

DAT

EOS

EOSDIS

FFC

FFC-T

GIS

GMT

GPS

GSFC

HTML

IFC

INS

INU

MAMS

MAS

MODIS

MSU

NAD83

NASA

NBS

NSA

ORNL

PANP

PRT-5

RNAV

RSS

S/D

SCSI

SGI

SSA

TACAN

TAS

TIMS

TMS

URL

19. List of Acronyms

- Analog-digital

- Airborne Ocean Color Imager

- Ames Research Center

- Aeronautical Radio, Inc.

- Advanced Solid-State Array Spectroradiometer

- American Standard Code for Information Interchange

- Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer

- Band Interleaved by Line

- BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study

- BOREAS Information System

- Bytes Per Inch

- Computer Compatible Tape

- Compact Disk-Read-Only Memory

- Control/Display Unit

- Distributed Active Archive Center

- Digital Archive Tape

- Earth Observing System

- EOS Data and Information System

- Focused Field Campaign

- Focused Field Campaign - Thaw

- Geographic Information System

- Greenwich Mean Time

- Global Positioning System

- Goddard Space Flight Center

- HyperText Markup Language

- Intensive Field Campaign

- Inertial Navigation System

- Inertial Navigation Unit

- Multispectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor

- MODS Airborne Simulator

- Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer

- Mode Select Unit

- North American Datum of 1983

- National Aeronautics and Space Administration

- National Bureau of Standards

- Northern Study Area

- Oak Ridge National Laboratory

- Prince Albert National Park

- Precision Radiation Thermometer

- Area Navigation

- Remote Sensing Science

- synchro-digital

- Small Computer Serial Interface

- Silicon Graphics IRIX

- Southern Study Area

- Tactical Air Navigation

- True Air Speed

- Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner

- Thematic Mapper Simulator

- Uniform Resource Locator

Page 16
20. Document Information

20.1 Document Revision Date(s)

Written: 10-Mar- 1998

Last Updated: 08-Jun- 1999

20.2 Document Review Date(s)

BORIS Review: 17-Mar-1998

Science Review:

20.3 Document ID

20.4 Citation

When using these data, please include the following acknowledgment as well as citations of

relevant papers in Section 17.2:

The BOREAS level-0 ER-2 navigation data were collected and processed from the original aircraft

tapes by personnel of the Medium Altitude Aircraft Branch at NASA ARC. BORIS staff reviewed,

repackaged, and documented the data received from ARC into the current product. The contributions

of ARC and BORIS staff to enhancing and checking this data set are greatly appreciated.

Also, cite the BOREAS CD-ROM set as:

Newcomer, J., D. Landis, S. Conrad, S. Curd, K. Huemmrich, D. Knapp, A. Morrell, J.

Nickeson, A. Papagno, D. Rinker, R. Strub, T. Twine, F. Hall, and P. Sellers, eds. Collected Data of

The Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study. NASA. CD-ROM. NASA, 2000.

20.5 Document Curator

20.6 Document URL

Page 17
REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE FormApproved

OMB No. 0704-0188

Public reporting burden for this collection of informationis estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources,

gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this

collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson

Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188), Washington, DC 20503.

1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED

September 2000 Technical Memorandum

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS

Technical Report Series on the Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS)

BOREAS Level-0 ER-2 Navigation Data 923

6. AUTHOR(S) RTOP: 923-462-33-01

Richard Strub, Roseanne Dominguez, and Jeffrey A. Newcomer

Forrest G Hall, Editor

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS (ES)

Goddard Space Flight Center

Greenbelt, Maryland 20771

9. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS (ES)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Washington, DC 20546-0001

8. PEFORMING ORGANIZATION

REPORT NUMBER

2000-03136-0

10. SPONSORING / MONITORING

AGENCY REPORT NUMBER

TM--2000-209891

Vol. 86

11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

R. Strub and J.A. Newcomer: Raytheon ITSS; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt,

Maryland; R. Dominguez: ATAC, Inc., NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California

12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Unclassifie_Unlimited

Subject Category: 43

Report available from the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information,

7121 Standard Drive, Hanover, MD 21076-1320. (301) 621-0390.

12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE

13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 words)

The BOREAS Staff Science effort covered those activities that were BOREAS community-level

activities or required uniform data collection procedures across sites and time. These activities included the acquisition, processing, and archiving of aircraft navigation/attitude data to complement the

digital image data. The level-0 ER-2 navigation data files contain aircraft attitude and position information acquired during the digital image and photographic data collection missions. Temporally, the

data were acquired from April to September 1994. Data were recorded at intervals of 5 seconds. The

data are stored in tabular ASCII files.

14. SUBJECT TERMS

BOREAS, remote sensing science, ER-2 navigaton data.

17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

OF REPORT

Unclassified

NSN 7540-01-280-5500

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Unclassified

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