icesat-2 intro content

tutorials/data-access/index.ipynb

@@ -8,27 +8,24 @@
    },
    "source": [
     "# **Accessing and working with ICESat-2 data in the cloud**\n",
-    "    \n",
     "\n",
     "## **1. Tutorial Overview**\n",
     "\n",
-    "* The icepyx Software Library and Community\n",
-    "\n",
     "### Introduction\n",
     "\n",
+    "The purpose of this notebook is to provide an introduction to the land and water data available from the NASA ICESat-2 Mission, along with an overview of data search and access options for the data. We will then provide examples in python for how to search and access the data using the `earthaccess` and `icepyx` software libraries.\n",
     "\n",
     "### **Credits**\n",
     "\n",
-    "The notebook was created by ... \n",
-    "\n",
+    "The notebook was created by Rachel Wegener, University of Maryland; Luis Lopez, NSIDC DAAC; and Amy Steiker, NSIDC DAAC.\n",
     "\n",
-    "### **Learning Objectives [UPDATE] **\n",
+    "### **Learning Objectives**\n",
     "\n",
     "By the end of this demonstration you will be able to:  \n",
-    "1. use `earthaccess` to search for ICESat-2 data using spatial and temporal filters and explore search results;  \n",
-    "2. open data granules using direct access to the ICESat-2 S3 bucket;  \n",
-    "3. load a HDF5 group into an `xarray.Dataset`;  \n",
-    "4. visualize the land ice heights using `hvplot`.  \n",
+    "1. Understand the available resources at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), including user support documents, data access options, and data tools and services;\n",
+    "2. Learn about the coverage, resolution, and structure of land and water data from the NASA ICESat-2 mission;\n",
+    "3. Use `earthaccess` and `hvplot` to search, access, and visualize ICESat-2 data within a cloud environment. \n",
+    "4. Use `icepyx` to explore and subset variables within ICESat-2 land height files. \n",
     "\n",
     "### **Prerequisites**\n",
     "\n",
@@ -42,15 +39,77 @@
     "tags": []
    },
    "source": [
-    "## **2. NASA's ICESat-2 Mission: Land and Water Products"
+    "## **2. NASA's ICESat-2 Mission: Land and Water Products**"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "8ba67dda-4523-4992-962b-3ed3e2dbd28a",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "### Introduction to ICESat-2 \n",
+    "\n",
+    "A quick summary of the ICESat-2 Mission and its instrument, ATLAS: Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System:\n",
+    "\n",
+    "* Height determined using round-trip travel time of laser light (photon counting lidar)\n",
+    "* 10,000 laser pulses released per second, split into 3 weak/strong beam pairs at a wavelength of 532 nanometers (bright green on the visible spectrum).\n",
+    "* Measurements taken every 70 cm along the satellite's ground track, roughly 11 m wide footprint.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "The number of photons that return to the telescope depends on surface reflectivity and cloud cover (which obscures ATLAS's view of Earth). As such, the spatial resolution of signal photons varies.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "![ICESat-2 Beam Structure](.images/icesat2-schematic.png)  "
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "c443cc21-1191-47dd-8f3c-2ce0bce77b4c",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "### ICESat-2: Land and Water Products \n",
+    "\n",
+    "There are over 20 ICESat-2 data products, structured by processing level and surface type:\n",
+    "\n",
+    "![ICESat-2 land and water products](.images/land-veg-products.png)  \n",
+    "\n",
+    "Additional quick look products are available:\n",
+    "\n",
+    "* Satellite observations available within 3 days, versus 30-45 days for standard products\n",
+    "* Supports decision-making applications: vegetation height, surface water and flooding, land surface deformation from landslides and volcanoes\n",
+    "* Note that geolocation and height uncertainty is greater for these products (see user guides for more info) \n",
+    "\n",
+    "[L3A Land and Vegetation Height Quick Look (ATL08QL)](https://nsidc.org/data/atl08QL/)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "[L3A Along Track Inland Surface Water Data Quick Look (ATL13QL)](https://nsidc.org/data/atl13QL/)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "See https://nsidc.org/data/icesat-2/products for more details."
    ]
   },
   {
    "cell_type": "markdown",
-   "id": "b14ea079-7066-4a67-8c9e-92a036893b4b",
+   "id": "a0bd3942-99dc-4102-a243-c392b5e1fcd5",
    "metadata": {},
    "source": [
-    "[see USFS Application Workshop slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1SZs7dyZ1K2CSVXS0txZ-LIvc-5Brn_D0pBEtzfQmvcE/edit#slide=id.g2374337d1d0_0_184)"
+    "### ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Land and Vegetation Height (ATL08)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "https://doi.org/10.5067/ATLAS/ATL08.006 \n",
+    "\n",
+    "\n",
+    "ATL08 contains heights for both terrain and canopy in the along-track direction, plus\n",
+    "other descriptive parameters. \n",
+    "* Data are derived from geolocated, time-tagged photon heights from the ATLAS/ICESat-2 L2A Global Geolocated Photon Data (ATL03) product.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "**Spatial Resolution**\n",
+    "* Canopy and ground surfaces are processed in fixed 100 m data segments\n",
+    "* Each segment typically contain more than 100 signal photons but may contain less. \n",
+    "\n",
+    "**Temporal Resolution**\n",
+    "* 91-day repeat cycle along each of ATLAS/ICESat-2's 1,387 Reference Ground Tracks (RGTs)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "**Uncertainty**\n",
+    "* Expected ranging precision for flat surfaces: Standard deviation of ~25 cm.\n",
+    "* Terrain height uncertainty estimates depend on ATL03, and local uncertainties within each 100 m segment\n",
+    "\n",
+    "See the [ATL08 User Guide](https://nsidc.org/sites/default/files/documents/user-guide/atl08-v006-userguide.pdf) for more information. "
    ]
   },
   {
@@ -61,7 +120,7 @@
     "tags": []
    },
    "source": [
-    "## **3. Overview of ICESat-2 NSIDC DAAC Data, Tools, and Resources"
+    "## **3. Overview of ICESat-2 NSIDC DAAC Data, Tools, and Resources**"
    ]
   },
   {
@@ -80,7 +139,7 @@
     "tags": []
    },
    "source": [
-    "## **4. Search and access of ATL08 using `earthaccess` \n",
+    "## **4. Search and access of ATL08 using `earthaccess`**\n",
     "\n",
     "* Need common area / time of interest across IS2 / GEDI tutorials\n"
    ]