During the HALO-(AC)3 campaign, the hyperspectral and polarized imaging system specMACS was integrated into the German research aircraft HALO in a nadir-looking perspective. This dataset contains calibrated spectral radiances in mW/(m2 nm sr) for the shortwave infrared wavelength range between about 1000 and 2400nm measured by the SWIR spectrometer of specMACS. The spectrometer has 320 spatial pixels along a spatial line oriented in across-track direction with a field of view of 35.5 degree and measures at an acquisition frequency of 30Hz. The calibration of the data was performed as described in Ewald et al. (2016). Because of the large size of the data, the calibrated radiances for each research flight were split into different files along the wavelength dimension. Each dataset contains measurements of 20 wavelength channels for the wavelength range given in the file name. Additionally, the dataset includes georeferencing information with viewing zenith and viewing azimuth angles as well as sensor latitude, longitude, and height above WGS84 for every measured pixel as a separate file for every flight. Note that during the first three flights there was some icing of the window in front of the cameras which is visible in the data.
Global networks of ground based measurements of trace gases and aerosols are essential for monitoring atmospheric changes and the validation of satellite observations. These data are the key for improving the scientific understanding of the earth's atmosphere with respect to climate change and air quality.
The goal of this project is the establishment of a scalable infrastructure for an innovative worldwide measurement network for atmospheric constituents. The new network is based on the existing small scale Pandonia network consisting of six Pandora instruments. The Pandora is a next generation type diode array spectroradiometer for solar irradiance and sky radiance measurements in a broad spectral range which allows the combined retrieval of multiple trace gases and aerosols.
The necessary infrastructure for scalability of Pandonia includes calibration, data management and visualization routines. So within this project a mobile calibration system will be designed, characterized and incorporated into a homogeneous calibration procedure to ensure a longer term radiometric stability of network instruments. Furthermore, the data management will be improved and streamlined for all instruments. This implies that the calibration procedure, data analysis and quality control are performed in a homogeneous way. The users will be able to easily access and visualize the data from a single source, in near real time. Two Pandora instruments will then be set up at new locations in Argentina. These two instruments will be calibrated and integrated into the Pandonia network and will show case the scalability of the network.
The successful project will then allow the incorporation of existing Pandora instruments at worldwide locations and create an incentive for new instruments to be ordered from the scientific community and national institutions. The Austrian company LuftBlick Earth Observation Technology will be able to expand its relationships beyond Europe and benefit not only from the larger market for Pandora instruments but also from the long term commitment in the global measurement network operation and maintenance. This will firmly establish them on the international level and constitute a sustainable business basis for the future.