Figure 5 is a depiction of logical structure independent of 
physical file boundaries. The system consists of three com- 
ponents: 1) acquisition, 2) data base, and 3) analysis. 
The acquisition component will be used to obtain and format 
multispectral scanner data. These data will be screened, 
radiometrically corrected, and geometrically corrected be- 
fore entering the master data set. The master data set is 
active 365 days a year. The secondary data sets are only 
activated under the following conditions: 1) management 
direction, 2) meteorological and/or ancillary alarms (soil 
moisture budgets, extreme temperature and/or precipitation, 
natural disasters), 3) periodic schedule for crop/region 
data base update or validation. 
2. Hardware Environment 
A primary contributor to the success of this data base structur- 
ing concept is the hardware architecture which supports the 
design. The simulated hardware configuration shown in Figure 5 
is capable of performing large area crop monitoring functions 
using Landsat (B/C/D) data as prime input. The master data set 
will be controlled by a DEC PDP 11/70-VE with sufficient on-line 
storage to handle all the data elements contained within the 
APU's for all geographic areas of interst. Secondary data sets 
(reference page 11), including current MSS data, can be country 
or regionally grouped; e.g., U.S. and Canada into a comparable 
equipment configuration. These phyically independent hardware 
components are referred to as an analyst station. Each station 
will consist of two high resolution‘ cathodic ray tubes for dis- 
play purposes, an alpha/graphics display, and a display hardcopy. 
This concept of functional/physical independence of variable 
data sets at the secondary level is made possible through main- 
frame and key peripheral device interfaces via a massbus concept. 
This hardware concept is ideally suited for user support systems 
where the data handling and application priorities are subject 
to change from crop year to crop year, or for a large-scale test 
mission in support of remote sensing research and development. 
The architecture of today's minicomputer systems allows an end 
user to conduct complex data tests on a volume of data in a 
cost-efficient manner never before experienced by civil govern- 
ment agencies. 
In summary, this hardware concept has been derived from a data 
base design to meet a user's requirement and simulated against 
estimated data. This is not the approach prescribed by those 
whose sole purpose is the construction of a large general-pur- 
pose hardware system to solve all problems known or anticipated 
in a research laboratory mode of operation. It is, however, a 
tailored state-of-the-art configuration which is flexible in 
design, meets cost-efficiency criteria, and accommodates a 
maximum man/machine interactive concept. 
     
    
     
     
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
   
  
   
    
METEOROLOGICAL DATA 
MULTISPECTRAL