HYDRA2: A Multispectral Data Analysis Toolkit for Sensors on Suomi-NPP and Other Current Satellite Platforms

Abstract

he Hyperspectral Data Viewer for Development of Research Applications, version 2 (HYDRA2), is a freeware-based multispectral analysis toolkit for satellite data that assists scientists in research and development, as well as education and training of remote sensing applications. HYDRA2 users can explore and visualize relationships between sensor measurements (brightness temperatures for infrared and reflectances for visible/near-infrared wavelengths) using spectral diagrams, cross sections, scatterplots, multiband combinations, and color enhancements on a pixel-by-pixel basis.HYDRA2 can be used with direct broadcast and archived data from sensors on board the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Suomi?National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP), NASA Aqua/Terra, European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) Meteorological Operational (MetOp), and Chinese Fengyun-3 platforms.This paper describes HYDRA2 and presents some examples using data retrievals from the Suomi-NPP Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), Cross-Track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS), and Terra/Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments.