JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Earth
.

NASA, Japan Make ASTER Earth Data Available At No Cost

Apr 01, 2016
In March 2016, ASTER captured the eruption of Nicaragua's Momotombo volcano with its visible and thermal infrared bands. The ash plume is depicted by the visible bands in blue-gray; the thermal infrared bands show hot lava flows in yellow and the active summit crater in white. Vegetation is red.› Full image and caption
Credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

Beginning today, all Earth imagery from a prolific Japanese remote sensing instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft since 1999 is now available to users everywhere at no cost.

Beginning today, all Earth imagery from a prolific Japanese remote sensing instrument operating aboard NASA's Terra spacecraft since late 1999 is now available to users everywhere at no cost.

The public will have unlimited access to the complete 16-plus-year database for Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument, which images Earth to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. ASTER's database currently consists of more than 2.95 million individual scenes. The content ranges from massive scars across the Oklahoma landscape from an EF-5 tornado and the devastating aftermath of flooding in Pakistan, to volcanic eruptions in Iceland and wildfires in California.

Previously, users could access ASTER's global digital topographic maps of Earth online at no cost, but paid METI a nominal fee to order other ASTER data products.

In announcing the change in policy, METI and NASA cited ASTER's longevity and continued strong environmental monitoring capabilities. Launched in 1999, ASTER has far exceeded its five-year design life and will continue to operate for the foreseeable future as part of the suite of five Earth-observing instruments on Terra.

"We anticipate a dramatic increase in the number of users of our data, with new and exciting results to come," said Michael Abrams, ASTER science team leader at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, home to ASTER's U.S. science team. ASTER data are processed into products using algorithms developed at JPL and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan. A joint U.S./Japan science team validates and calibrates the instrument and data products.

ASTER is used to create detailed maps of land surface temperature, reflectance and elevation. The instrument acquires images in visible and thermal infrared wavelengths, with spatial resolutions ranging from about 50 to 300 feet (15 to 90 meters). ASTER data cover 99 percent of Earth's landmass and span from 83 degrees north latitude to 83 degrees south. A single downward-looking ASTER scene covers an area on the ground measuring about 37-by-37 miles (60-by-60-kilometers).

ASTER uses its near-infrared spectral band and downward- and backward-viewing telescopes to create stereo-pair images, merging two slightly offset two-dimensional images to create the three-dimensional effect of depth. Each elevation measurement point in the data is 98 feet (30 meters) apart.

The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER provide scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping and monitoring of dynamic conditions and changes over time. Example applications include monitoring glacial advances and retreats, monitoring potentially active volcanoes, identifying crop stress, determining cloud morphology and physical properties, evaluating wetlands, monitoring thermal pollution, monitoring coral reef degradation, mapping surface temperatures of soils and geology, and measuring surface heat balance.

ASTER data are now available via electronic download from NASA's Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) at the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and from AIST. To access the data, visit:

https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/dataset_discovery/aster

or

https://gbank.gsj.jp/madas/

NASA uses the vantage point of space to increase our understanding of our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records. The agency freely shares this unique knowledge and works with institutions around the world to gain new insights into how our planet is changing.

For more information about ASTER, visit:

http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/

For more information on NASA's Terra mission, visit:

http://terra.nasa.gov

For more information about NASA's Earth science activities, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/earth

News Media Contact

Alan Buis

818-354-0474

alan.buis@jpl.nasa.gov

2016-093

Related News

Climate Change .

NASA-Built Instrument Will Help to Spot Greenhouse Gas Super-Emitters

Earth .

NASA Satellites Detect Signs of Volcanic Unrest Years Before Eruptions

Technology .

POINTER: Seeing Through Walls to Help Locate Firefighters

Climate Change .

After COVID-19 Delay, Delta-X Field Campaign Begins in Louisiana

Asteroids and Comets .

NASA Analysis: Earth Is Safe From Asteroid Apophis for 100-Plus Years

Earth .

Major Earth Satellite to Track Disasters, Effects of Climate Change

Asteroids and Comets .

Asteroid 2001 FO32 Will Safely Pass by Earth March 21

Earth .

NASA Data Powers New USDA Soil Moisture Portal

Weather .

A Pioneering NASA Mini Weather Satellite Ends Its Mission

Climate Change .

NASA Satellites Help Quantify Forests’ Impacts on the Global Carbon Budget

Explore More

Image .

Preparing WATSON for Borehole Descent

Image .

Fluorescence Map of a Greenland Borehole

Image .

WATSON's Field Test in Greenland

Image .

Suez Canal Crisis

Image .

Namibia Dunes

Topic .

Earth

Image .

Pacaya and Fuego Volcanoes, Guatemala

Image .

Mt. Etna--February 26, 2021

Image .

Mt. Etna February 2021

Image .

Tumbiana Stromatolite

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors of JPL
JPL History
Documentary Series
Virtual Tour
Annual Reports
Missions
All
Current
Past
Future
News
All
Earth
Mars
Solar System
Universe
Technology
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Infographics
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Engage
JPL and the Community
Lecture Series
Public Tours
Events
Team Competitions
JPL Speakers Bureau
Topics
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Stars and Galaxies
Exoplanets
Technology
JPL Life
For Media
Contacts and Information
Press Kits
More
Asteroid Watch
Robotics at JPL
Subscribe to Newsletter
Universe Newsletter
Social Media
RSS
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Manager: Veronica McGregor
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Randal Jackson, Naomi Hartono