Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is a sensor designed and manufactured by the Raytheon Company on board the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) weather satellite. VIIRS is one of five key instruments associated with the Suomi NPP that was launched on October 28, 2011. VIIRS is a whiskbroom scanning radiometer that collects imagery and radiometric measurements of the land, atmosphere, cryosphere, and oceans in the visible and infrared bands of the electromagnetic spectrum.

VIIRS is capable of generating two data processing streams that result in two different sets of land products. One is produced by NOAA, and provides operational data for use by the National Weather Service. These are known as environmental data records (EDRs). The other stream is from NASA, and is intended to contribute to the larger scientific community. These are known as Earth System Data Records (ESDRs).

VIIRS's main uses include monitoring and investigating changes and properties in surface vegetation, land cover/use, the hydrologic cycle, and the earth's energy budget over both regional and global scales. The combination of MODIS, AVHRR, and VIIRS data sets will allow for the assessment of how climate change has affected the earth's surface over the past ~20 years.

VIIRS was launched on board Suomi NPP by a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base at 5:48 am EDT on 28 Oct, 2011. VIIRS was designed to expand upon the data collected by the aging MODIS and AVHRR sensors by collecting radiometric measurements of Earth in the visible and infrared spectra. This data is used to provide insight into the properties and dynamics of different geophysical phenomena, including: aerosol and cloud properties, sea, land and ice surface temperatures, ice motion, fires, and the albedo of Earth. VIIR's main objectives include the monitoring and investigation of changes and properties in vegetation, land cover/use, the hydrologic cycle, and the earth's energy budget over both global and regional scales.This information is useful in furthering our understanding of global climate change. The combination of MODIS, AVHRR, and VIIRS datasets will permit a comprehensive assessment of how climate change has effected the land surface over the past ~20 years.

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