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AVIRIS hyperspectral image cube
Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF) classification generated in Marigold using AVIRIS Classic data
Map Oaks Using AVIRIS Hyperspectral Imagery

AVIRIS Facility Instruments

Airborne Visible/InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer Facility Instruments

The Airborne Visible/InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) Facility Instruments project comprises four airborne Facility Instruments: AVIRIS Classic (AVIRIS-C), AVIRIS-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG), AVIRIS-3rd Generation (AVIRIS-3), and AVIRIS-5th Generation (AVIRIS-5), which are part of NASA’s Airborne Science Program (ASP) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL) Earth Science Airborne Program.

Hyperspectral imaging data from the AVIRIS Facility Instruments are applicable to a wide range of studies in the fields of terrestrial and coastal aquatic plant physiology, atmospheric and aerosol studies, environmental science, snow hydrology, geology, volcanology, oceanography, soil and land management, agriculture, and limnology.

This project page provides the standard data products from the AVIRIS Facility Instruments.

Principal Investigator

Robert O. Green

Data Centers

ORNL DAAC

Funding Programs

NASA's Airborne Science Program
Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Earth Science Airborne Program
AVIRIS-5 instrument

Photo of the AVIRIS-5 Instrument

Study Dates

AVIRIS-C: 1987 – present

AVIRIS-NG: 2012 – present

AVIRIS-3: 2023 – present

AVIRIS-5: 2025 – present

Season of StudyYear round
RegionNorth America, including Alaska and Hawaii; Europe; South Africa; Brazil; Argentina
Focus Areas

Biosphere

Atmosphere

Cryosphere

Geosphere

Hydrosphere

Scientific Topics

Aerosols 

Agriculture

Environmental Science

Geology

Land Management

Limnology

Oceanography

Snow Hydrology

Soil

Terrestrial and Coastal Aquatic Plant Physiology

Volcanology

Related Instruments

Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer - Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) AVIRIS-NG, the successor to AVIRIS-C, is an airborne imaging spectrometer often used for terrestrial ecology research investigations.
Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer - 3rd Generation (AVIRIS-3) AVIRIS-3 is the third of the AVIRIS spectrometer facility instruments series, with a higher signal-to-noise ratio performance than previous versions.
Airborne Visible/InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer - 5th Generation (AVIRIS-5) AVIRIS-5 is an imaging spectrometer with a two-mirror telescope and Dyson-type spectrometer which embarked on its inaugural flight in May 2025.
Airborne Visible/InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer - Classic (AVIRIS-C) AVIRIS-C identifies, measures, monitors constituents of Earth's surface and atmosphere based on molecular absorption and particle scattering signatures.