(NEW information on PRISM data access at bottom of page!)
To achieve the science objectives, CORAL will conduct airborne remote sensing campaigns using PRISM (Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer) in a Tempus Applied Solutions Gulfstream IV airplane. The PRISM sensor is a combination spectrometer (an instrument that measures the intensity of light as a function of wavelength) and radiometer (an instrument that measures the power, or flux, of electromagnetic radiation). PRISM was developed in 2009 as a state-of-the-art tool for conducting coastal ocean science; specifically, for studying large areas of the coastline repeatedly in a short period of time.
Learn more about the PRISM technology in this NASA Earth video as CORAL Project Scientist Dr. Michelle Gierach gives a tour of the plane and its specialized instrumentation.
For the purposes of CORAL, PRISM will measure the light values (spectra) that signal the health of coral: that is, the light that travels from the sun, through the atmosphere, through the sea surface, down through the water column, to the bottom and back to the sensor.
![diagram imaging spectroscopy](https://live-bios-coral.ws.asu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/imaging_spectroscopy_v3-1024x506.jpg)
Illustration of spectral data collected by the PRISM instrument during CORAL airborne campaigns
However, in order to obtain these spectra, CORAL scientists will have to apply a series of “corrections” to account for these factors. The result will be a series of maps that indicate the relative densities of coral, sand and algae in each study area, as well as rates of primary productivity and calcification.
![CORAL data maps](https://live-bios-coral.ws.asu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/CORAL_data_maps-1024x567.png)
Examples of CORAL data products that integrate PRISM images with in-water validation and correction algorithms
Photo Gallery:
- The Tempus Gulfstream-IV airplane in the hangar during the ORT in Hawaii
- A view of the PRISM instrument looking down inside the cabin of the plane
- The PRISM instrument as seen from the belly of the plane
- Ernesto Diaz, CORAL Project Systems Engineer, operating the PRISM instrument during flight
- The control panel for the PRISM instrument
- A view of the PRISM control panel and data during flight
PRISM Data Access:
PRISM flights and Quicklooks for the various CORAL field campaigns can be found at: https://prism.jpl.nasa.gov/quicklooks.html
2016 flights include data from the Operational Readiness Test and the Great Barrier Reef campaign
2017 flights include data from the Main Hawaiian Islands, Guam, and the Mariana Islands