DRL 2009 Highlights

IPOPP Version 1.6b Released – 11/20/2009

The DRL is especially pleased to announce the release of the International Polar Orbiter Processing Package (IPOPP), Version 1.6b.  IPOPP is a multi-discipline, multi-mission processing package for Direct Readout applications that leverages science discipline (land, ocean, atmosphere) processing packages and algorithms (e.g., MODIS Land, SeaDAS, IMAPP).  DRL technologies developed for the NPP In-Situ Ground System (NISGS) are the modular basis, and integrated to comprise the IPOPP. 

IPOPP 1.6b marks the initial public release of this package and represents a major milestone on the road to NPP and beyond.   This all-inclusive release contains both the processing framework and the Science Processing Algorithms (SPAs) to create near real-time data products.  IPOPP 1.6b includes the following SPAs (thanks to OBPG, CIMSS, and the MODIS Land Team for their science-sanctioned algorithm contributions):

• CREFL v1.4.2, to create the MODIS Level 2 Corrected Reflectance product
• GBAD v2.6, to create ephemeris and attitude files (input for Aqua L1)
• H2G v1.6a, to create GeoTIFFs from HDF products
• IMAPP v2.0, to create the MODIS Level 2 Cloudmask, Cloudtop Properties, Cloud Phase, Atmospheric Profiles, and Aerosol products (v2.1 available soon)
• L2GEN v5.9.7, to create the MODIS Level 2 Ocean Color (including chlor-a) and Sea Surface Temperature (SST) products
• MOD14 v5.0.1, to create the MODIS Level 2 Fire Mask product
• MODISL1DB v1.5, to create MODIS Geolocation products
• MODLST v4.14, to create the MODIS Level 2 Land Surface Temperature (LST) product
• NDVIEVI v2.2, to create the MODIS Level 2 Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) products

As new and updated SPAs are released by the DRL, users can easily plug them into their operational IPOPP (or run them in standalone mode, outside of the framework, as in the past).

The contributions of the global Direct Readout community have proved instrumental to the DRL's successful release of IPOPP.  Special thanks go to the 25 registered Alpha Program participants for their critical insights during the development process.  We also appreciate the valued contributions and guidance from the disciplined-based steering committees via the NASA-sponsored International EOS/NPP Direct Readout forums.  Finally, we recognize that none of this would be possible without adequate sponsorship.  The organizations that have contributed to the IPOPP are the:

1. NPP Mission (NASA)
2. NASA Direct Readout Program (NASA/HQ)
3. NPOESS Mission (NOAA/IPO)

The DRL continues to evolve the package with the continued participation of its Alpha Program constituents.  Future advanced features being evaluated are:

1. reprocessing
2. multi-host (cluster mode) processing

Click here to download IPOPP v1.6b.

We welcome your feedback on this beta release.  Please direct comments to the "Contact Us" system.

Note: we have internally restructured our FAQ system to better serve you in a timely manner.

IPOPP Status Update – 8/20/2009

The DRL is pleased to inform the Direct Readout community of its IPOPP development status. 

At present there are 25 registered IPOPP Alpha Program participants to bring the global community an improved multi-discipline, multi-mission processing package for Direct Readout applications, which leverages science discipline (land, ocean, atmosphere) processing packages and algorithms (e.g., MODIS Land, SeaDAS, IMAPP).  In addition, the commercial sector is engaging the IPOPP in anticipation of its future public release.  This is evidenced by the commercial sector participation in DRL’s open access technology test bed.

We appreciate the valued contributions and guidance from the disciplined-based steering committees via the NASA-sponsored International EOS/NPP Direct Readout forums.

A great deal has been accomplished thus far thanks to the IPOPP Alpha Program.  The DRL is actively working with its Alpha User constituency to publicly release the IPOPP v1.6 package to the broader user community. 
                                           
We now inform you of recent accomplishments pertaining to the implementation of NPP algorithms into the IPOPP on the road to NPP Spacecraft launch.  For the accomplishments to-date the DRL extends special thanks to Edward Masuoka and his Land Team.   Click here for more information about the present status of NPP SPA prototyping activities.  At present, prototype SPAs have been implemented and are running in the IPOPP. The input to these SPAs is based on a proxy data feed from Terra/Aqua MODIS, therefore prototype NPP Products are created for every Terra and Aqua pass received at the DRL.

It is apparent that the eventual public release of the IPOPP will be a result of Direct Readout community contribution.   It must be realized, however, this would not be possible without adequate sponsorship.  The organizations that have contributed to the IPOPP are the:

1. NPP Mission (NASA)
2. NPOESS Mission (NOAA/IPO)
3. NASA Direct Readout Program (NASA/HQ)

Thank you all for your valued contributions to this development thus far, and we’re encouraged by the growing eagerness to participate!

CRECBuilder Version 1.1 Released – 7/29/2009

The Direct Readout Laboratory (DRL) is pleased to announce the release of CRECBuilder Version 1.1. 

The Construction Record Builder (CRECBuilder) Java application reads Production Data Set (PDS) files and recreates the corresponding Construction Record (CSR) metadata file to comply with the mission-specified data format. The CRECBuilder program is particularly useful where packet files archived without CSRs need to be reprocessed. The PDS Level-0 format has functioned as the data sharing bridge between the EOS global data processing system and the EOS Direct Readout users.

Enhancements to CRECBuilder Version 1.1:

• options have been re-organized and improved;
• time stamp processing has been improved;
• Javadoc comments have been added to the source files.

Perceived benefits for the 25 IPOPP Alpha sites:

• enables any EOS front end system to insert real-time Level-0 data into the International Polar Orbiter Processing Package (IPOPP) data system;
• enables a user to insert archived Level-0 data into the IPOPP data system.

Click here to download CRECBuilder_V1.0.

Let us know if you have any questions, which may be directed either to our "Contact Us" system or to Patrick Coronado or Kelvin Brentzel directly.

L2GEN_SPA Version 5.9.7 Released – 6/26/2009

The DRL is pleased to announce the release of the L2GEN_SPA (Version 5.9.7).  The science algorithms within L2GEN are provided by NASA’s Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG).

This implementation of L2GEN is a source of science-sanctioned MODIS Level 2 Ocean Color and Sea Surface Temperature (SST) products from inputs of MODIS Level 1B 1km (MOD021KM/MYD021KM) products, MODIS Geolocation (MOD03/MYD03) products, and other optional ancillary files. 

This update to L2GEN_SPA was created in order to remain synchronized with the L2GEN algorithm embedded in the OBPG's SeaDAS package. Note that for those 25 IPOPP Alpha Users, there have been improvements for the IPOPP mode. Merely perform the dynamic installation procedure in order to have the latest IPOPP packaging enhancements.

Click here to download L2GEN_SPA_V5.9.7.

Let us know if you have any questions, which may be directed either to our "Contact Us" system or to Patrick Coronado or Kelvin Brentzel directly.

H2G_SPA Version 1.5a Released – 5/7/2009

The Direct Readout Laboratory (DRL) is pleased to announce the release of the H2G_SPA Alpha Version 1.5a.

The H2G_SPA (Hierarchical Data Format [HDF] to Georeferenced Tagged Image File Format [GeoTIFF] Converter Science Processing Algorithm) is specially designed for Direct Readout and can create geolocated GeoTIFF images, jpeg browse images, and png browse images for various parameter datasets in Level 2 MODIS SPA products. H2G also creates standard true color images and user-defined false color images from Level 2 Corrected Reflectance Products.

The geolocated GeoTIFF images are Geographic Information System (GIS)-ingestible and can also be opened by standard image viewers. The non-geolocated jpeg and png images are more suitable as browse images. These browse images are enhanced with vector overlays of land/sea and political boundaries.

H2G incorporates features to enhance output images and facilitate scientific interpretation:

• while creating images from a primary dataset, a secondary dataset may be used to mask appropriate areas;
• user-defined color map and user-defined scaling capabilities for conversion of dataset values into imagery pixels;
• optional subsetting of swaths into user-defined regions of interest;
• jpeg and png browse images can have legends and/or overlays.

H2G allows only geographic projections at this time. Inclusion of other projections and image mosaic capabilities are under consideration.

Click here to download H2G_SPA1.5a.

Let us know if you have any questions, which may be directed either to our "Contact Us" system or to Patrick Coronado or Kelvin Brentzel directly.

CRECBuilder Version 1.0 Released – 3/19/2009

The Direct Readout Laboratory (DRL) is pleased to announce the release of the CRECBuilder Version 1.0. 

The CRECBuilder utility is a Java application that reads a MODIS Level-0 packet file and recreates the corresponding Production Data Set (PDS) (packet file + construction record/metadata file). The PDS Level-0 format has functioned as the data-sharing bridge between the EOS global data processing system and the EOS Direct Readout users.

There are two perceived benefits for future IPOPP Users:

• enables any EOS front end system to insert real-time Level-0 data into the International Polar Orbiter Processing Package (IPOPP) data system
• enables a user to insert archived Level-0 data into the IPOPP data system

Click here to download CRECBuilder_V1.0

Let us know if you have any questions, which may be directed either to our "Contact Us" system or to Patrick Coronado or Kelvin Brentzel directly.

IMAPP_SPA Version 2.0 Released – 2/4/2009

The Direct Readout Laboratory (DRL) is pleased to announce the release of the MODIS IMAPP_SPA Version 2.0.  Excepting the addition of a destripe algorithm, there is no change to the core set of science algorithms in this release.  The IMAPP and MODIS Destripe Direct Broadcast algorithms were provided to the DRL by the Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC), University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

This implementation of IMAPP is a source of science-sanctioned MODIS Level 2 atmospheric products: Cloudmask (MOD35); Cloudtop Properties and Cloud Phase (a portion of MOD06); Atmospheric Profiles (MOD07); and Aerosol (MOD04). 

Enhancements:

• incorporates the MODIS Destripe Direct Broadcast Software Version 1.0 (September 24, 2008) destriping code, to remove artificial stripes that appear in the MODIS L1B 1km infrared bands due to detector-to-detector variations and mirror side effects
• grib2 ancillary data format capability
• installable as an International Polar Orbiter Processing Package (IPOPP) plug-in (IPOPP Version 1.6a or later)
• improved ancillary file logic in IPOPP mode; striving for the highest-quality science data products for real-time applications (many thanks to the SSEC)

Click here to download IMAPP_SPA_V2.0.

Let us know if you have any questions, which may be directed either to our "Contact Us" system or to Patrick Coronado or Kelvin Brentzel directly.

L2GEN_SPA Version 5.8.9 Released – 1/8/2009

The Direct Readout Laboratory is pleased to announce the release of the L2GEN_SPA (Version 5.8.9).  The science algorithms within L2GEN (formerly MSL12) are provided by the Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG).  The OBPG advises that the MODIS SST and Ocean Color products are unaffected by this most recent release.

This implementation of L2GEN is a source of science-sanctioned MODIS Level 2 Ocean Color and Sea Surface Temperature products from inputs of MODIS Level 1B 1km (MOD021KM/MYD021KM) products, MODIS Geolocation (MOD03/MYD03) products, and other optional ancillary files.

What’s new in L2GEN_SPA?:

1. supports both a standalone mode and an IPOPP mode (as an IPOPP plug-in for IPOPP v1.6 or later).
2. includes improved ancillary file logic (IPOPP mode), to provide the highest-quality science data for real-time applications. 
3. also includes a day/night pass check for the Ocean Color product (i.e., the chlor_a will not be processed for night passes). 

The L2GEN_SPA Version 5.8.9 has been packaged with the DRL's algorithm wrapper, and fulfills the objectives of a Modular Components Approach (MCA) for Earth Science data processing implementation. 

The algorithm wrapper provides a common command and execution interface to encapsulate multi-discipline, multi-mission SPAs.  The wrapper also provides a structured, standardized technique for packaging new or updated algorithms with minimal effort.  All of the processing algorithms and processing packages released by the DRL conform to this common Application Programming Interface (API). 

Click here to download L2GEN_SPA_V5.8.9.

Let us know if you have any questions, which may be directed either to our "Contact Us" system or to Patrick Coronado or Kelvin Brentzel directly.