Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and

Reflection Radiometer
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ASTER image draped over terrain model of Mount Etna
ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) is a
Japanese sensor which is one of five remote sensory devices on board the Terra satellite
launched into Earth orbit by NASA in 1999. The instrument has been collecting superficial data
since February 2000.

ASTER image of Rub' al Khali(Arabia's Empty Quarter)
ASTER provides high-resolution images of the planet Earth in 14 different bands of
the electromagnetic spectrum, ranging from visible to thermal infrared light. The resolution of
images ranges between 15 to 90 meters. ASTER data are used to create detailed maps of
surface temperature of land, emissivity,reflectance, and elevation.
The ASTER GDEM is available at no charge to users worldwide via electronic download.
[1]

Contents
[hide]
1 ASTER Bands
2 ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model
o 2.1 Version 1
o 2.2 Version 2
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
ASTER Bands[edit]

ASTER false-colour satellite image of2010 eruption of Mount Merapi, showing evidence of a large pyroclastic
flowalong the Gendol River south of Mount Merapi
Band Label
Wavelength
(m)
Resolution
(m)
Nadir or
Backward
Description
B1 VNIR_Band1 0.5200.600 15 Nadir Visible green/yellow
B2 VNIR_Band2 0.6300.690 15 Nadir Visible red
B3 VNIR_Band3N 0.7600.860 15 Nadir
Near infrared
B4 VNIR_Band3B 0.7600.860 15 Backward
B5 SWIR_Band4 1.6001.700 30 Nadir
Short-wave infrared B6 SWIR_Band5 2.1452.185 30 Nadir
B7 SWIR_Band6 2.1852.225 30 Nadir
B8 SWIR_Band7 2.2352.285 30 Nadir
B9 SWIR_Band8 2.2952.365 30 Nadir
B10 SWIR_Band9 2.3602.430 30 Nadir
B11 TIR_Band10 8.1258.475 90 Nadir
Long-wave infrared
or thermal IR
B12 TIR_Band11 8.4758.825 90 Nadir
B13 TIR_Band12 8.9259.275 90 Nadir
B14 TIR_Band13 10.25010.950 90 Nadir
B15 TIR_Band14 10.95011.650 90 Nadir
ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model[edit]

SRTM3 vs. ASTER comparison (le d'Yeu), inaccuracies and errors of the latter are indicated by arrows
Version 1[edit]
On 29 June 2009, the Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) was released to the public.
[2][3]
A
joint operation betweenNASA and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the
Global Digital Elevation Model is the most complete mapping of the earth ever made, covering
99% of its surface.
[4][5]
The previous most comprehensive map, NASA's Shuttle Radar
Topography Mission, covered approximately 80% of the Earth's surface,
[6]
with a global resolution
of 90 meters,
[7]
and a resolution of 30 meters over the USA. The GDEM covers the planet from
83 degrees North to 83 degrees South (surpassing SRTM's coverage of 56 S to 60 N),
becoming the first earth mapping system that provides comprehensive coverage of the polar
regions.
[6]
It was created by compiling 1.3 million VNIR images taken by ASTER using single-
pass
[8]
stereoscopiccorrelation techniques,
[2]
with terrain elevation measurements taken globally
at 30 meter (98 ft) intervals.
[4]

Despite the high nominal resolution, however, some reviewers have commented that the true
resolution is considerably lower, and not as good as that of SRTM data, and serious artifacts are
present.
[9][10]

Some of these limitations have been confirmed by METI and NASA, who point out that the
current version of the GDEM product is "research grade".
[11]

Version 2[edit]

This section
requires expansion.(October 2011)
During October 2011 version 2 of Global Digital Elevation Model was publicly released.
[12]
This is
considered an improvement upon version 1. These improvements include increased horizontal
and vertical accuracy,
[13]
better horizontal resolution, reduced presence of artifacts, and more
realistic values over water bodies.
[1]
However, one reviewer still regards the Aster version 2
dataset, although showing 'a considerable improvement in the effective level of detail', to still be
regarded as 'experimental or research grade' due to presence of artefacts.
[14]
A recent
study
[13]
has shown that over rugged mountainous terrain the ASTER version 2 data set can be a
more accurate representation of the ground than the SRTM elevation model.