On 02 April 2007, C-GCFJ (Dash 8) was tasked to support Ice Camp 2007 situated at approximately 7321N 14517W. We flew high level from Fairbanks Alaska and picked up our track at Prudhoe Bay at which point we commenced
reconnaissance of ice conditions from the shore to the camp.
The following data captures were completed as part of this mission 2.7.1 Side Looking Airborne Radar
This SLAR is manufactured by Ericson that operates on X-band and produces 60 metre resolution imagery.
SLAR data was captured from Prudhoe Bay to the camp. Once we
established the camp visually we flew to a position approximately 10 nautical miles north of the camp at which point we established a rectangular flight pattern around the camp keeping the camp on the left side of the aircraft.
This rectangular pattern allowed us to capture the camp and surrounding ice from 4 different look angles along a flight path with varying distances between approximately 8 and 20 nautical miles from the camp.
Ice Camp Location Flight Path Purple circles represent events (photos, screen captures, etc)
The SLAR data was captured in various formats. The raw SLAR data is stored in the .dat format which is readable exclusively through the MSS 6000 software. However, the SLAR data was also captured in other formats readable by other software including . . .
• Screen captures in the .bmp format. These screen captures are sequential from Prudhoe Bay to the camp followed by a sequence of screen captures as we flew the rectangular pattern around the camp.
• .img format which is a high resolution geo-coded format. The imagery is readable on CIS’s IceVu computer system
• .GeoTif format
• .jpg(2) format. The resolution in this format suffers significantly.
Ice Camp 2007
Geo data (time and lat/long for top center of imagery)
Aircraft track (dead zone = 2 times altitude) Polygon drawn in green is superimposed on screen capture of map and labelled with same reference number (in this case #68)
2.7.2 Digital Photographs
In total 53 still photographs were captured during this mission in the .jpg format and vary in size from approximately 2 to 3.5 megs. The first 5 images are tests of the camera and are photos of the ice conditions just north of Prudhoe Bay. The
remaining 48 photographs are of the ice camp and it’s surroundings. The resolution of the photography is generally good; however, there was a thin layer of ice fog that formed over the camp near the end of our mission which negatively impacted on the
quality of the last several images. One can digitally zoom on all of the images and pick out details of activity in and around the camp.
The photographs that are stamped with the geo-coded information (date/time, lat/long, altitude) etc., are stored at the MART office in Moncton and are available upon request. The same images were supplied on the CFJ FTP site without the geo-coded information ribbon on the top (this done to save transfer time).
Ice Camp 2007
We varied the zoom and position angle of the photographs taken. Many of the photographs are overview shots of the camp and surrounding ice; whereas, other photographs are close ups of the camp and of some of the surrounding scientific sites.
2.7.3 Video
A total of 3 video clips were taken of the camp. The video is in the .avi format. The raw video viewable by MSS 6000 software is also geo-coded and stamped with date/time and lat/long data – the geo-coding is missing in the avi format.
2.7.4 IR/UV
We conducted two separate IR/UV runs of the camp and surrounding ice. Two different flight approaches were made over the camp resulting in two separate spatial areas of recorded data; however, the camp acts as center of both runs. In the
imagery the IR is on the left and the UV on the right.
Like the SLAR data the data was captured in various formats. The raw IR/UV data is stored in the .dat format which is readable exclusively through the MSS 6000 software. However, the IR/UV data was also captured in other formats readable by through other software including . . .
a. Screen captures in the .bmp format. The screen captures were captured as overviews of the entire runs and then zoomed in screen captures of the IR/UV runs. The zoomed in screen captures are sequential so one can mosaic the results.
The lat/long information at the top of each .bmp is the lat/long of the center at the top end of the image.
b. .img format which is a high resolution geo-coded format. The imagery is readable on CIS’s IceVu computer system (IR only).
c. .GeoTif format (IR only)
d. .jbg(2) format. The resolution in this format suffers significantly (IR only).
Ice Camp (IR left, UV right)
2.7.5 Visual Ice Chart
A visual ice chart of the ice conditions from Prudhoe Bay to and around the camp was constructed. The ice is coded in standard Ice Egg code. This chart was saved as a .gif file so that it could be readable by most standard viewers.Visual Ice Reconnaissance Chart – 02 April 2007
2.7.6 MX-15 Data
Throughout our time on site we actively used the MX-15 to observe the camp and surrounding ice and activity on the ice. We activated all three modes of this sensor including Electric Optical Wide (EOW), Electric Optical Narrow (EON) and Infra Red (both NIR and IR).
This sensor had not yet been fully integrated into the MSS 6000 and as such we were unable to record any of this data.
2.7.7 Data Storage
All data in the various formats has been archived and is stored at the Marine Aerial Reconnaissance Team (MART) Atlantic office in Moncton New Brunswick.
Excerpts of this data set that would be readable by most commercial software viewers has been place in the CFJ ftp site under the folder Ice Camp 2007 This data does not include the .dat format readable by the MSS 6000 software;
however, the .dat data is available upon request.