The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Level-1B (AST_L1B) Registered Radiance at the Sensor data product is radiometrically calibrated and geometrically co-registered. Application of intra-telescope and inter-telescope registration corrections for all bands are relative to the reference band for each telescope: Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) Band 2, Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) Band 6, and Thermal Infrared (TIR) Band 11. The spatial resolution is 15 m (VNIR), 30 m (SWIR), and 90 m (TIR) with a temporal coverage of 2000 to present. Starting June 23, 2021, radiometric calibration coefficient Version 5 (RCC V5) will be applied to newly observed ASTER data and archived ASTER data products. Details regarding RCC V5 are described in the following journal article.Tsuchida, S., Yamamoto, H., Kouyama, T., Obata, K., Sakuma, F., Tachikawa, T., Kamei, A., Arai, K., Czapla-Myers, J.S., Biggar, S.F., and Thome, K.J., 2020, Radiometric Degradation Curves for the ASTER VNIR Processing Using Vicarious and Lunar Calibrations: Remote Sensing, v. 12, no. 3, at https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12030427.

The Terra Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Level 1B (AST_L1B) Registered Radiance at the Sensor data product is radiometrically calibrated and geometrically co-registered. Application of intra-telescope and inter-telescope registration corrections for all bands are relative to the reference band for each telescope: Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) Band 2, Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) Band 6, and Thermal Infrared (TIR) Band 11.Known Issues* The QAPERCENTINTERPOLATEDDATA field in .met files was found to be inconsistent due to a software upgrade. Following evaluation by the ASTER Science Team, it was determined to have no impact on science data and has been set to 0 and nullified.* SWIR data acquired after April 2008 may exhibit anomalous saturation and striping. Users should consult the ASTER SWIR User Advisory for additional details.Improvements/Changes from Previous Versions* Radiometric Calibration Update: Version 4 applies Radiometric Calibration Coefficient Version 5 (RCC V5) to improve the radiometric accuracy of the raw DNs, based on research by [Tsuchida and others (2020)](https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12030427), published in Remote Sensing.

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Expedited Level 1B Registered Radiance at the Sensor global data product is radiometrically calibrated and geometrically co-registered. Application of intra-telescope and inter-telescope registration corrections for all bands are relative to the reference band for each telescope: Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) Band 2, Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) Band 6, and Thermal Infrared (TIR) Band 11. The Expedited Level 1B data product is similar to the (AST_L1B) (https://doi.org/10.5067/ASTER/AST_L1B.003) with a few notable exceptions. These include:* The AST_L1BE is available for download within 48 hours of acquisition in support of field calibration and validation efforts, in addition to emergency response for natural disasters where the quick turn-around time from acquisition to availability would prove beneficial in initial damage or impact assessments.* The registration quality of the AST_L1BE is likely to be lower than the AST_L1B, and may vary from scene to scene.* The AST_L1BE dataset does not contain the VNIR 3B (aft-viewing) Band.* This dataset does not have short-term calibration for the Thermal Infrared (TIR) sensor.

The ASTER Surface Radiance TIR (AST_09T) is generated (https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/documents/996/ASTER_Earthdata_Search_Order_Instructions.pdf) using the five Thermal Infrared (TIR) bands (acquired either during the day or night time) between 8 and 12 µm spectral range. It provides surface-leaving radiance for the TIR bands at a spatial resolution of 90 meters, which includes both surface-emitted and surface-reflected components. It also provides the downwelling sky irradiance values (in W/m2/µm) for each of the TIR bands. This product is atmospherically corrected, and the surface-leaving radiance is of known accuracy and valid only for clear-sky scenes (cloud-free pixels). This atmospherically corrected product provides the input for generating two other higher-level products: surface spectral emissivity and surface kinetic temperature.The algorithm to correct atmospheric effects involves two elements: 1) it uses a radiative transfer model which is capable of estimating the magnitude of atmospheric emission, absorption, and scattering. It uses the Moderate Resolution Transmittance Code (MODTRAN) radiative transfer model, which calculates atmospheric transmittance and radiance for frequencies from 0 to 50,000 cmˉ¹ at moderate spectral resolution. 2) It identifies and incorporates all the necessary atmospheric parameters applicable to the location and time for which the measurements require correction. These include temperature, water vapor, elevation, ozone, and aerosols. ASTER Level 2 data requests for observations that occurred after May 27, 2020 will resort back to using the climatology ozone input. Additional information can be found in the ASTER L2 Processing Options Update (https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/news/aster-l2-processing-options-update/).Starting June 23, 2021, radiometric calibration coefficient Version 5 (RCC V5) will be applied to newly observed ASTER data and archived ASTER data products. Details regarding RCC V5 are described in the following journal article.Tsuchida, S., Yamamoto, H., Kouyama, T., Obata, K., Sakuma, F., Tachikawa, T., Kamei, A., Arai, K., Czapla-Myers, J.S., Biggar, S.F., and Thome, K.J., 2020, Radiometric Degradation Curves for the ASTER VNIR Processing Using Vicarious and Lunar Calibrations: Remote Sensing, v. 12, no. 3, at https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12030427.As of December 15, 2021, the LP DAAC has implemented changes to ASTER PGE Version 3.4, which will affect all ASTER Level 2 on-demand products. Changes include:• Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) has been added as one of the ancillary ozone inputs for any observations made after May 27, 2020. The sequence of fallbacks for ozone will remain the same.• Toolkit has been updated from Version 5.2.17 to 5.2.20. Users may notice minor differences between the two versions. Differences may include minuscule changes in digital numbers around the peripheral of the granule and boundaries of a cloud for Surface Reflectance and Surface Radiance (AST07 and AST09) QA Data Plane depending on the Operating System and libraries being used by the user to process the data.Additionally, Climatology, which is one of the inputs for Ozone and Moisture, Temperature and Pressures (MTP) will be removed from the Earthdata Order Form. It has been observed that PGEs generated with Climatology as an input yield noticeable differences statistically during image and spectral analysis. Climatology will continue to be used as the final default if neither of the first two selectable options are available for Ozone and MTP. Users can check the OPERATIONALQUALITYFLAGEXPLANATION field in the metadata or the output file for atmospheric parameters that were applied.

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Level-1B (AST_L1B) Registered Radiance at the Sensor data product is radiometrically calibrated and geometrically co-registered. Application of intra-telescope and inter-telescope registration corrections for all bands are relative to the reference band for each telescope: Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) Band 2, Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) Band 6, and Thermal Infrared (TIR) Band 11. The spatial resolution is 15 m (VNIR), 30 m (SWIR), and 90 m (TIR) with a temporal coverage of 2000 to present. Starting June 23, 2021, radiometric calibration coefficient Version 5 (RCC V5) will be applied to newly observed ASTER data and archived ASTER data products. Details regarding RCC V5 are described in the following journal article. Tsuchida, S., Yamamoto, H., Kouyama, T., Obata, K., Sakuma, F., Tachikawa, T., Kamei, A., Arai, K., Czapla-Myers, J.S., Biggar, S.F., and Thome, K.J., 2020, Radiometric Degradation Curves for the ASTER VNIR Processing Using Vicarious and Lunar Calibrations: Remote Sensing, v. 12, no. 3, at https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12030427.

The Terra Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Surface Radiance TIR (AST_09T) is generated using the five Thermal Infrared (TIR) bands (acquired either during the day or nighttime) between 8 and 12 µm spectral range. It provides surface-leaving radiance for the TIR bands at a spatial resolution of 90 meters, which includes both surface-emitted and surface-reflected components. It also provides the downwelling sky irradiance values (in W/m2/µm) for each of the TIR bands. This product is atmospherically corrected, and the surface-leaving radiance is of known accuracy and valid only for clear-sky scenes (cloud-free pixels). This atmospherically corrected product provides the input for generating two other higher level products: surface spectral emissivity and surface kinetic temperature.The algorithm to correct atmospheric effects involves two elements. First, it uses a radiative transfer model—the Moderate Resolution Transmittance Code (MODTRAN)—which can estimate the magnitude of atmospheric emission, absorption, and scattering. MODTRAN calculates atmospheric transmittance and radiance for frequencies from 0 to 50,000 cmˉ¹ at moderate spectral resolution. Second, it identifies and incorporates all the necessary atmospheric parameters applicable to the location and time for which the measurements require correction, including temperature, water vapor, elevation, ozone, and aerosols.Known Issues* Level 2 products that are on the international date line/anti-meridian have incorrect bounding coordinates for the UTM zone defined in the file metadata.Improvements/Changes from Previous Versions* Enhanced Atmospheric Correction: Version 4 uses Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2) data as the primary source for atmospheric parameters (ozone, water vapor, pressure, and temperature), improving the precision of emissivity calculations. Fallback Mechanisms: When MERRA-2 data are unavailable, the product employs Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) data as a backup, with climatology data serving as a final fallback to ensure continuous processing. Radiometric Calibration Update: Version 4 applies Radiometric Calibration Coefficient Version 5 (RCC V5) to improve the radiometric accuracy of the raw DNs, based on research by [Tsuchida and others (2020)](https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12030427), published in Remote Sensing.

The Terra Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Surface Reflectance VNIR and SWIR (AST_07) data product contains measures of the fraction of incoming solar radiation reflected from the Earth’s surface to the ASTER instrument corrected for atmospheric effects and viewing geometry for both the Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) and Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) sensors.Known Issues* Level 2 products that are on the international date line/anti-meridian have incorrect bounding coordinates for the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) zone defined in the file metadata.* SWIR data acquired after April 2008 may exhibit anomalous saturation and striping. Users should consult the ASTER SWIR User Advisory for additional details.Improvements/Changes from Previous Versions* Enhanced Atmospheric Correction: Version 4 uses Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2) data as the primary source for atmospheric parameters (ozone, water vapor, pressure, and temperature), improving the precision of emissivity calculations. Fallback Mechanisms: When MERRA-2 data are unavailable, the product employs Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) data as a backup, with climatology data serving as a final fallback to ensure continuous processing. Radiometric Calibration Update: Version 4 applies Radiometric Calibration Coefficient Version 5 (RCC V5) to improve the radiometric accuracy of the raw DNs, based on research by [Tsuchida and others (2020)](https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12030427), published in Remote Sensing.

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Level 1 Precision Terrain Corrected Registered At-Sensor Radiance (AST_L1T) data contains calibrated at-sensor radiance, which corresponds with the ASTER Level 1B (AST_L1B) (https://doi.org/10.5067/ASTER/AST_L1B.003), that has been geometrically corrected, and rotated to a north-up UTM projection. The AST_L1T is created from a single resampling of the corresponding ASTER L1A (AST_L1A) (https://doi.org/10.5067/ASTER/AST_L1A.003) product. The bands available in the AST_L1T depend on the bands in the AST_L1A and can include up to three Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) bands, six Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) bands, and five Thermal Infrared (TIR) bands. The AST_L1T dataset does not include the aft-looking VNIR band 3.The precision terrain correction process incorporates GLS2000 digital elevation data with derived ground control points (GCPs) to achieve topographic accuracy for all daytime scenes where correlation statistics reach a minimum threshold. Alternate levels of correction are possible (systematic terrain, systematic, or precision) for scenes acquired at night or that otherwise represent a reduced quality ground image (e.g., cloud cover).For daytime images, if the VNIR or SWIR telescope collected data and precision correction was attempted, each precision terrain corrected image will have an accompanying independent quality assessment. It will include the geometric correction available for distribution in both as a text file and a single band browse images with the valid GCPs overlaid.This multi-file product also includes georeferenced full resolution browse images. The number of browse images and the band combinations of the images depends on the bands available in the corresponding (AST_L1A) (https://doi.org/10.5067/ASTER/AST_L1A.003) dataset.

The Terra Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Level 1 Precision Terrain Corrected Registered At-Sensor Radiance (AST_L1T) data contains calibrated at-sensor radiance, which corresponds with the ASTER Level 1B ([AST_L1B](https://doi.org/10.5067/ASTER/AST_L1B.004)) that has been geometrically corrected and rotated to a north-up UTM projection. The AST_L1T is created from a single resampling of the corresponding ASTER L1A ([AST_L1A](https://doi.org/10.5067/ASTER/AST_L1A.004)) product. The bands available in the AST_L1T depend on the bands in the AST_L1A and can include up to three Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) bands, six Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) bands, and five Thermal Infrared (TIR) bands. The AST_L1T dataset does not include the aft-looking VNIR band 3.The precision terrain correction process incorporates GLS2000 digital elevation data with derived ground control points (GCPs) to achieve topographic accuracy for all daytime scenes where correlation statistics reach a minimum threshold. Alternate levels of correction are possible (systematic terrain, systematic, or precision) for scenes acquired at night or that otherwise represent a reduced quality ground image (e.g., cloud cover).For daytime images, if the VNIR or SWIR telescope collected data and precision correction was attempted, each precision terrain corrected image will have an accompanying independent quality assessment. It will include the geometric correction available for distribution as both a text file and single band browse images with the valid GCPs overlaid.This multi-file product also includes georeferenced full resolution browse images. The number of browse images and the band combinations of the images depends on the bands available in the corresponding [AST_L1A](https://doi.org/10.5067/ASTER/AST_L1A.004) dataset.Known Issues* Since October 1, 2017, a correction addresses zero-filled scans in low-latitude, ascending orbit (nighttime) TIR data. Additional details are available in the ASTER L1T User Advisory.* Data from the SWIR bands collected after April 2008 may show anomalous saturation and striping. See the ASTER SWIR User Advisory for further information.Improvements/Changes from Previous Versions* Enhanced Geolocation Accuracy: Version 4 uses Collection 2 Ground Control Points (GCPs) compared against Global Land Survey (GLS) 2000 standards to improve positional accuracy.* Radiometric Calibration Update: Version 4 applies Radiometric Calibration Coefficient Version 5 (RCC V5) to improve the radiometric accuracy of the raw DNs, based on research by [Tsuchida and others (2020)](https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12030427), published in Remote Sensing.

The Terra Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Level 1 Precision Terrain Corrected Registered At-Sensor Radiance (AST_L1T) Version 3.1 data contains calibrated at-sensor radiance, which corresponds with the ASTER Level 1B AST_L1B (https://doi.org/10.5067/ASTER/AST_L1B.003), that has been geometrically corrected and rotated to a north-up UTM projection. The AST_L1T V3.1 is created from a single resampling of the corresponding ASTER L1A AST_L1A (https://doi.org/10.5067/ASTER/AST_L1A.003) product. Radiometric calibration coefficients Version 5 (RCC V5) are applied to this product to improve the degradation curve derived from vicarious and lunar calibrations. The bands available in the AST_L1T V3.1 depend on the bands in the AST_L1A and can include up to three Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) bands, six Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) bands, and five Thermal Infrared (TIR) bands. The AST_L1T V3.1 dataset does not include the aft-looking VNIR band 3.The 3.1 version uses a precision terrain correction process that incorporates GLS2000 digital elevation data with derived ground control points (GCPs) to achieve topographic accuracy for all daytime scenes where correlation statistics reach a minimum threshold. Alternate levels of correction are possible (systematic terrain, systematic, or precision) for scenes acquired at night or that otherwise represent a reduced quality ground image (e.g., cloud cover).For daytime images, if the VNIR or SWIR telescope collected data and precision correction was attempted, each precision terrain corrected image will have an accompanying independent quality assessment. It will include the geometric correction available for distribution in both a text file and a single band browse image with the valid GCPs overlaid.This multi-file product also includes georeferenced full resolution browse images. The number of browse images and the band combinations of the images depend on the bands available in the corresponding AST_L1A dataset.The AST_L1T V3.1 data product is only available through NASA’s Earthdata Search. The ASTER L1T V3.1 Order Instructions provide step-by-step directions for ordering this product.