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Data Access
IMAGE RPI Software Download Page at UML
IMAGE Radio Plasma Imager (RPI) Plasmagram Full Resolution Binary Data
var authors='Reinisch, Bodo W.';
document.write(authors);
(2025).
IMAGE Radio Plasma Imager (RPI) Plasmagram Full Resolution Binary Data.
[Data set].
University of Massachusetts Lowell.
https://doi.org/10.48322/7g0e-ax29. Accessed on document.write(currentDateStr);.
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ResourceID
spase://NASA/NumericalData/IMAGE/RPI/PGM/CCSDS/PT5M
Description
RPI plasmagram full resolution data (received signal strength in the frequency-range frame), uncalibrated. Presented as instrument packets wrapped in the standard CCSDS headers. Description of the RPI instrument-level data model can be found at http://ulcar.uml.edu/RPI/RPITelemetryDataFormat_V2.8.pdf. Data are viewed/calibrated/edited by BinBrowser software, see http://ulcar.uml.edu/rpi.html for download and users' guide. RPI plasmagrams are visualized by plotting images in which received signal strength (color scale) is a function of echo delay (range in vertical scale) and radio-sounder frequency (horizontal scale) of the radar pulses. Echoes from important magnetospheric structures, such as the magnetopause and the plasmapause, appear as traces on plasmagrams. Plasmagram traces are intermixed with vertical signatures corresponding to the locally excited plasma resonances and various natural emissions propagating in space.
Metadata Rights
CC0-1.0:
Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal
Note
CC0 1.0 Universal is the Creative Commons license applicable to all publicly available SPASE metadata descriptions. The actual data/software may be subject to a different license.
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Details
Version:2.7.1
NumericalData
ResourceID
spase://NASA/NumericalData/IMAGE/RPI/PGM/CCSDS/PT5M
NamingAuthority
NASA
ResourceType
NumericalData
ResourceHeader
ResourceName
IMAGE Radio Plasma Imager (RPI) Plasmagram Full Resolution Binary Data
DOI
https://doi.org/10.48322/7g0e-ax29
ReleaseDate
2025-12-04 13:29:33Z
RevisionHistory
RevisionEvent
ReleaseDate
2020-07-07 21:14:38Z
Note
Only known prior ReleaseDate of the metadata
RevisionEvent
ReleaseDate
2025-11-14 16:03:05Z
Note
Added PublicationInfo. Added ResourceType and NamingAuthority. Changed http to https in top-level schemaLocation attribute. Fixed version number separator in top-level schemaLocation attribute. Matched version number in schemaLocation attribute to updated value in Version tag. ZCB
RevisionEvent
ReleaseDate
2025-12-04 13:29:33Z
Note
Added MetadataRightsList. Updated to 2.7.1. ZCB
Description
RPI plasmagram full resolution data (received signal strength in the frequency-range frame), uncalibrated. Presented as instrument packets wrapped in the standard CCSDS headers. Description of the RPI instrument-level data model can be found at http://ulcar.uml.edu/RPI/RPITelemetryDataFormat_V2.8.pdf. Data are viewed/calibrated/edited by BinBrowser software, see http://ulcar.uml.edu/rpi.html for download and users' guide. RPI plasmagrams are visualized by plotting images in which received signal strength (color scale) is a function of echo delay (range in vertical scale) and radio-sounder frequency (horizontal scale) of the radar pulses. Echoes from important magnetospheric structures, such as the magnetopause and the plasmapause, appear as traces on plasmagrams. Plasmagram traces are intermixed with vertical signatures corresponding to the locally excited plasma resonances and various natural emissions propagating in space.
PublicationInfo
Authors
Reinisch, Bodo W.
PublicationDate
2025-11-14 16:03:05Z
PublishedBy
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Contacts
Role
Person
StartDate
StopDate
Note
1.
PrincipalInvestigator
spase://SMWG/Person/Bodo.W.Reinisch
InformationURL
Name
IMAGE RPI Instrument Page
URL
https://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/rpi/
InformationURL
Name
IMAGE RPI Instrument Page at UML
URL
https://ulcar.uml.edu/rpi.html
PriorIDs
spase://VWO/NumericalData/IMAGE/RPI/PGM.CCSDS.PT5M
spase://VSPO/NumericalData/IMAGE/RPI/PGM/CCSDS/PT5M
AccessInformation
RepositoryID
spase://SMWG/Repository/UML/RPI
Availability
Online
AccessRights
Open
AccessURL
Name
IMAGE RPI Software Download Page at UML
URL
https://ulcar.uml.edu/Installation/install_all.htm
Description
Access to raw RPI telemetry data is arranged via the software tool BinBrowser that connects to the RPI Resident Archive at UMass Lowell for downloading of selected measurement records and subsequent export of selected subsets of measurement fields in plain text form.
Format
Binary
Encoding
None
ProcessingLevel
Uncalibrated
ProviderProcessingLevel
Only conversion of MET to UT is done using history of IMAGE observatory clock drift. All signal strengths are given in receiver digitizer units, not calibrated, not converted to physical units. Use RPI BinBrowser software for data calibration and presentations in various units and scales.
InstrumentIDs
spase://SMWG/Instrument/IMAGE/RPI
MeasurementType
Waves.Active
TemporalDescription
TimeSpan
StartDate
2000-04-21 20:24:42Z
StopDate
2005-12-11 02:43:10Z
Note
Cadence of plasmagram measurements is variable depending on the science objective and RPI operating schedule design
Cadence
PT5M
SpectralRange
RadioFrequency
ObservedRegion
Earth.Magnetosphere
ObservedRegion
Earth.NearSurface.Plasmasphere
ObservedRegion
Earth.NearSurface.PolarCap
Caveats
Less than 20% of all plasmagrams contain signatures of remote reflections from magnetospheric plasma structures. The RPI instrument is a radar of opportunity: for its 10 Watt signal to reflect at a remote location as far as 40,000 km away, return to the spacecraft location, and appear above the noise level to be detected, a number of conditions needs to be satisfied. Plasmagram data exploration requires a substantial manual labor expense.
Parameter #1
Name
Epoch
Description
Time Tag of measurement start
Units
ms
UnitsConversion
1e-3>s
Support
SupportQuantity
Temporal
Parameter #2
Name
AC Electric Field
Set
PlasmagramStructure
Description
Received signal strength in the frequency-range frame
Units
Digitizer units
RenderingHints
DisplayType
Plasmagram
AxisLabel
Frequency, kHz
RenderingAxis
Horizontal
Index
-1 0 0
ValueFormat
I4
ScaleMin
3
ScaleMax
3000
ScaleType
LogScale
RenderingHints
DisplayType
Plasmagram
AxisLabel
Virtual Range, Re
RenderingAxis
Vertical
Index
0 -1 0
ValueFormat
F5.1
ScaleMin
0.0
ScaleMax
15.0
ScaleType
LinearScale
RenderingHints
DisplayType
Plasmagram
AxisLabel
X Amplitude, dB(V/root-Hz)
RenderingAxis
ColorBar
Index
0 0 1
ValueFormat
I4
ScaleMin
-144
ScaleMax
-96
ScaleType
LinearScale
RenderingHints
DisplayType
Plasmagram
AxisLabel
Y Amplitude, dB(V/root-Hz)
RenderingAxis
ColorBar
Index
0 0 2
ValueFormat
I4
ScaleMin
-144
ScaleMax
-96
ScaleType
LinearScale
RenderingHints
DisplayType
Spectrogram
AxisLabel
Z Amplitude, dB(V/root-Hz)
RenderingAxis
ColorBar
Index
0 0 3
ValueFormat
I4
ScaleMin
-144
ScaleMax
-96
ScaleType
LinearScale
Structure
Size
512 512 3
Description
Plasmagram measurement is AC electric field measured by RPI antennas as function of operating frequency (horizontal axis) and time delay from the transmission start (vertical axis), frequently presented as virtual range to the target (i.e., to the remote reflecting area). Each element (pixel) of this 2D array with independent variables of frequency and range has AC Electric Field values from 3 RPI antennas X, Y, and Z. Size of the overall 3D array is variable depending on the instrument parameters. Stepping from starting value to ending value for operating frequencies and time delays are variablefrom measurement to measurement as well. The particular selected operating frequencies and sampled ranges are described in separate Parameter elements.
Element
Name
Frequency Dimension
Index
-1 0 0
Element
Name
Antenna Dimension
Index
0 0 -1
Element
Name
Voltage Spectral Density in antenna X
Index
0 0 1
Units
dB(V/root-Hz)
ValidMin
-190
ValidMax
-70
FillValue
-1.0e+031
Element
Name
Voltage Spectral Density in antenna Y
Index
0 0 2
Units
dB(V/root-Hz)
ValidMin
-190
ValidMax
-70
FillValue
-1.0e+031
Element
Name
Voltage Spectral Density in antenna Z
Index
0 0 3
Units
dB(V/root-Hz)
ValidMin
-190
ValidMax
-70
FillValue
-1.0e+031
Wave
WaveType
PlasmaWaves
Qualifier
Magnitude
Qualifier
Pseudo
WaveQuantity
ACElectricField
FrequencyRange
SpectralRange
RadioFrequency
Low
3
High
3000
Units
kHz
Parameter #3
Name
Frequency Axis
Set
PlasmagramStructure
Description
Frequency values for the plasmagram measurement, typically used as horizontal axis.
Units
Hz
Structure
Size
512
Support
SupportQuantity
Other
Parameter #4
Name
Virtual Range Axis
Set
PlasmagramStructure
Description
Virtual range (time delay) values for the plasmagram measurement, typically used as vertical axis.
Units
Re
Structure
Size
512
Support
SupportQuantity
Other
Parameter #5
Name
Start Time
Description
Epoch timestamp of the beginning of the plasmagram measurement.
Caveats
The 5 minutes refers to the nominal interval between measurements. Actual cadence of passive measurement varied between 3 to 6 minutes depending on the RPI science plan and design of measurement schedules.
Cadence
PT5M
Units
ms
Support
SupportQuantity
Temporal
Parameter #6
Name
Instrument mode configuration
Description
Support
SupportQuantity
Other