Near InfraRed red-edge imagery for Northern Ireland from 2009 to 2011 was acquired by the Landmap project from RapidEye. The imagery has a spatial resolution of 6.5metres and contains 5 spectral bands:

• Blue: 440 to 510nm
• Green: 520 to 590nm
• Red: 630 to 685nm
• Red Edge: 690 to 730nm
• NIR: 760 to 850nm

The data is collected by a constellation of 5 satellites operated by RapidEye. The red portion is one of the areas where chlorophyll strongly absorbs light and the NIR is where the leaf cell structure produces a strong reflection. Therefore, variations in both the chlorophyll content and the leaf structure are often reflected in the Red Edge band.

The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) funded Landmap service which ran from 2001 to July 2014 collected and hosted a large amount of earth observation data for the majority of the UK. After removal of JISC funding in 2013, the Landmap service is no longer operational, with the data now held at the NEODC.

The NIR red-edge data is available to all UK academics and students. To apply for access, please

1. Register as a NEODC user. If you already are a NEODC registered user, skip this step. If you have forgotten your NEODC user ID and/or password, please contact the NEODC helpdesk at neodc@rl.ac.uk.
2. Apply for access to the Landmap data. Application involves the agreement with the Landmap terms of use.

• XML: These files contain information such as latitude/longitude, collection date etc. of the particular image. General information about the product is also available.
• GeoTiff files with the _browse suffix: These files show the full extent of valid imagery available for the given image tile, regardless of any black-fill. The resolution of these files is comparatively less than the valid imagery - around 48m.
• GeoTiff files with the _udm suffix: The Unusuable Data Mask (UDM) files are generated by the system during a cloud detection operation applied on each acquired image. The UDM files also show the full extent of valid imagery. For more information about the characteristics of the UDM files see the RapidEye Satellite Imagery Product Specifications guide
• TXT: These are simple license and readme text files that contain the text of license related to terms and conditions between buyer and the RapidEye, and copyright information respectively.

Software

Basic ERS & Envisat (A) ATSR and Meris Toolbox (BEAM): BEAM is an open-source toolbox and development platform for viewing, analysing and processing of remote sensing raster data. Originally developed to facilitate the utilisation of image data from Envisat's optical instruments, BEAM now supports a growing number of other raster data formats such as GeoTIFF and NetCDF as well as data formats of other Earth Observation (EO) sensors such as Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), AVNIR, Polarised Radiation Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (PRISM) and Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (CHRIS). Various data and algorithms are supported by dedicated extension plug-ins.

Documentation

• The RapidEye Satellite Imagery Product Specifications guide

Links to further information

• The Landmap project NIR red-edge website, this site may be offline after 1st August 2014 due to a withdrawal of JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) funding, see below for an archived version of the site
• An archived version of the Landmap project NIR red-edge site, hosted by the Internet Archive project
• The Blackbridge RapidEye website

If you have queries about these pages or about obtaining the NIR red-edge data from the NEODC then you should contact the NEODC Support team. Your query should be answered within one working day. When follow-up work is required, the NEODC support team will carry out the work as quickly and efficiently as possible.