SPOT 4

The HRVIR sensors are very similar to the HRV sensors of the previous generation (same spatial resolution and possibility of orienting the mirrors). However, they differ by:

• the presence of an additional spectral band in the middle-infrared band;
• the panchromatic (0.51-0.73 µm) band’s being replaced by the B2 (0.61-0.68 µm) band, which can function equally well in ‘10m’ and ‘20m’ mode;
• onboard superimposition of all of the spectral bands.

The VEGETATION programme was co-financed by the European Union, Belgium, France, Italy, and Sweden and being conducted under the supervision of the CNES (National Centre for Space Studies, France). The aim of the VEGETATION instrument is to provide accurate measurements of the main characteristics of the Earth’s plant cover. Practically daily global coverage and a resolution of 1 km make this sensor an ideal tool for observing long-term regional and global environmental changes.
VEGETATION worked independently from the HRVIRs. It includes a wide-angle radiometric ‘camera’ operating in four spectral bands (blue, red, near-infrared, and middle-infrared). Given its 2,250km swaths, this instrument is thus able to cover almost all of the Earth’s dry land in just one day.

Several products are available, including daily and ten-day synthesis products (at full resolution as well as 4km and 8km reduced resolutions) for the geographical areas that the user has defined as well as for complete global coverage. The SPOT VGT images are processed, archived and distributed for free by the CvB Product distribution portal.