Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer

AVIRIS is the first full spectral range imaging spectrometer and dedicated to Earth Remote Measurement. It is a unique optical sensor that continues to deliver calibrated images of the upwelling spectral radiance in 224 contiguous spectral channels (bands) with wavelengths from 380 to 2510 nanometers. AVIRIS has been flown on four aircraft platforms: NASA's high altitude ER-2 jet, Twin Otter International's turboprop, Scaled Composites' Proteus, and NASA's WB-57. The ER-2 flies at approximately 20 km above sea level, at about 730 km/hr. The Twin Otter aircraft flies at 4km above ground level at 130km/hr. AVIRIS has flown North America including Alaska, Hawaii, Europe, Brazil, and Argentina.

The objective of the AVIRIS project is to support advanced NASA science and applications research. AVIRIS uses imaging spectroscopy to detect, identify, measure, and monitor constituents and processes of the Earth's surface and atmosphere based on measured constituent absorption and scattering signatures. Science and applications research with AVIRIS data spans a wide range of discipline across the Earth system.

Mission Events

• Flies World Trade Center disaster site, Sep. 16 - 23, 2001 - Environmental Studies of the World Trade Center
• Classic data used to help recovery from California Megafires
• Part of CalWater 2015, a massive research effort to study atmospheric rivers
• Extensively mapped the region affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill during 456 flights conducted between May 6 and October 4, 2010, at the request of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.