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NEON AIRBORNE OBSERVATION

PLATFORM (AOP) OVERVIEWKeith Krause, Algorithm Scientist

National Ecological Observatory Network

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Integrated ObservationsWaveform Light Detection and Ranging

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What are we after?

• Detailed chemical, structural and

taxonomic information on ecosystems at

fine spatial resolution

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Reflectance

Wavelength(nm)

Aspen

Conifer

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Reflectance

Wavelength(nm)

Snow

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Reflectance

Wavelength(nm)

DesiccatedGrass

Fallendeadpine

DesiccatedBush

Aspen & Pine Dead Grass Snow

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AOP Flight Concept

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NEON Airborne Observation Platform (AOP)

Airborne Instrumentation (x3)

Waveform-LiDAR

NEON Imaging Spectrometer

Airborne digital camera

GPS/Inertial measurement unit

AOP Sensor Technical Facility

Optical calibration lab, and sensor

maintenance and support facilities

Scientific, Flight & Ground Operations

3 leased De Havilland DHC-6-300 twin turbo

prop Twin Otter aircraft

Science Crew: 2 NEON personnel for sensor

flight operations

Scientific staff conducting ground

measurements (field spectrometers, sun

photometers, etc) and producing science data

products

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Payload Instrumentation

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NEON Imaging SpectrometerOptech ALTM Gemini system

GPS/IMU integrated with LiDAR system

Waveform digitizer

High Resolution Digital camera integrated with LiDAR systemPayload integration

Mount showing integrated remote sensing payload

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NEON AOP Product Catalog

Level 1 Product ID Product Description

AOP.1.0001 LiDAR vertical waveform

AOP.1.0002 Spectral reflectance

AOP.1.0003 Spectral radiance

AOP.1.0004 High resolution imagery

Level 3 Product ID Product Description

AOP.3.0001 LiDAR vertical waveform,

nearest neighbor

AOP.3.0002 LiDAR vertical waveform,

spatial average

AOP.3.0003 Spectral reflectance

AOP.3.0004 High resolution imagery

Level 4 Product ID Product Description Level 4 Product ID Product Description

Bioclimate_004 Leaf Area Index (LAI)

Map

Biogeochemistry_012 Canopy Chlorophyll

Bioclimate_010 Albedo Map Biogeochemistry_013 Canopy Lignin

Bioclimate_016 fPAR Biogeochemistry_018 Ecosystem Exchange

Map

Biodiversity_016 Vegetation Species

Distribution Map

Land_Use_002 Elevation

Biodiversity_018 Ecosystem Structure Land_Use_004 Slope and Aspect

Biogeochemistry_006 Biomass Map Land_Use_008 Land Cover

Classification

Biogeochemistry_009 Canopy Nitrogen Land_Use_010 Streams and Rivers

Biogeochemistry_010 Canopy Water Content Land_Use_014 Watershed Boundaries

Biogeochemistry_011 Canopy Xanthophyll

Cycle (PRI)

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Aircraft Integration of the AOP Instruments

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Overlay of Day 1 Flight lines Spectrometer

Data after Initial Geolocation Correction

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Grand Junction and

Grand Junction Airport

Geometric Correction

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Radiometric Calibration

• Relate NEON Imaging

Spectrometer digital

output to collected light

– Light level collected

– Output of NIS

• Accurate output of

source used in

calibration is required

– NIST FEL lamp

– Spectralon Panel

– Transfer Radiometer

– Calibration of sphere

radiance

• Transfer Radiometer is

vital to this method of

calibration

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Vicarious Calibration at Ivanpah Playa:

Reflectance-based Method

Radiative

Transfer Code

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Reflectance

Wavelength(nm)

3%Trap

48%Tarp

Lightbluetarp

Darkbluetarp

Site

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Radiance

Wavelength(nm)

MODTRAN5

NISDVU

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Harvard Forest and Quabbin Reservoir

Test Flight Area

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Example of High Density Collection

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Ground-based Spectral Collections at Harvard

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Reflectance

Wavelength(nm)

Beechfrontw/black

AmericanChestnutfrontw/black

Oak1frontw/black

RedMaplefrontw/black

3leafsample

WhitePinew/black

Hemlockfrontw/black

Collected Spectra with ASD

Plant Probe across Harvard

Forest

• Dominant Species collected

• 20 locations determined

from a stratified random

sampling protocol

• Leaves sent in for chemical

analysis

• 220+ individual samples

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High Park Fire, CO with CSU and Others

• What is the state of the landscape at the conclusion of the High Park fire

• How did conditions prior to the fire affect fire behavior and impacts

• How does fire severity and pattern affect post-fire trajectories

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NEON Domain17 CA Campaign, June 2013

Collaboration With HyspIRI Airborne Prep Mission

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NEON NIS1 Airborne and Field Spectral Data - SJER

Plot 192 - Mixed Blue and Live Oak

Sample F016: Live Oak – NIS1 Data of Canopy Spectra

Plot 192 – Sample F016

Field Photos

ASD Field Spectrometer

Data of individual leaf

Water

absorption

features

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• AOP flew 21 days of flights in 2012 including: – Test flights around Grand Junction, CO and part of Grand Mesa National Forest, CO

– Cuprite, NV,

– Radiometric calibration flight at Ivanpah, CA

– Nominal collections and instrument/altitude tests at Harvard Forest, MA

– Two flight campaigns to map the High Park Fire burn scar here in Colorado

• Data collection in 2013 includes:– Test flights in Grand Junction, CO

– Radiometric calibration in Railroad Valley, NV

– Nominal data collections in Domain17 (San Joaquin, Soaproot Saddle, and Lower Teakettle, CA)

– Nominal data collections in Domain10 (CPER, Sterling, and RMNP CASTNET, CO)

– Re-flight of the High Park Fire burn scar

• Data collection in 2014 includes:– Test flights in Grand Junction, CO

– Radiometric calibration in Railroad Valley, NV

– Nominal flights at all three D03 sites: Disney, Ordway-Swisher Biological Station, and Jones Ecological Research Center

– Nominal flights at D01 sites: Harvard Forest, Bartlett Forest, and Burlington

– More engineering flights to come plus re-flight of the High Park Fire burn scar

• We are currently working on data processing. Some of the D17 provisional data has been recently released to the science community and we hope to release the D03 and D01 data in the near future.

High Level Update

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The National Ecological Observatory Network is a project sponsored by the National Science

Foundation and managed under cooperative agreement by NEON Inc.