523 
Even though the TM is an R&D instrument, the TIPS 
was not conceived as an R&D system (although the program 
includes an R&D period). From its inception the technical 
approach to the design and implementation of the TIPS was 
dominated by the end requirement for a high volume, quick 
turnaround, production processor for TM image products. The 
primary technical contributors to the design of the TIPS were: 
8 The stringent geometric and radiometric performance 
requirements, already discussed. 
9 The throughput, or volume requirements. The final system 
is required to have a daily production capacity of 100 
archival scenes, 50 241mm film products and 10 digital 
products on CCT. Meeting this requirement is especially 
challenging due to the sheer volume of data in a TM 
Scene, an increase of almost 9 to ] over MSS, and the TM 
data rate of 84.903 mbps versus 15.06 mbps for MSS. This 
in itself all-but-precludes the MIPS.approach.of. disc 
buffering the image data and drives the design to a 
"pipeline" process. It also emphasizes the need for 
special purpose hardware to synchronize, demultiplex, 
geometrically correct and interface the video data. 
8 The corresponding complexity of new special purpose 
hardware, dictated by the complex raw video data format 
and data rate and volume considerations. The inherent 
unreliability of such hardware requires redundancy. It 
also dictates the need to produce an archival product in 
an intermediate format. The archival product format also 
allows the desirable capability of offering various 
product options such as different map projections and 
uncorrected digital product without reverting to 
reprocessing of raw video data. 
9 The TIPS requirement to produce all film and digital 
products. imagery ordered by users. has to.be processed 
to product format on reproducible media for use by the 
NOAA DDC for generation and distribution of data 
products to the user community. 
The Landsat-4/5 data processing system was originally 
conceived to be a combined MSS/TM processor. However as the 
complexities and uncertainties of the TM increased and 
development schedules diverged , this approach became 
impractical. MIPS would clearly be an operational system. 
TIPS, in its early stages, would be an experimental R&D 
system that would initially be used in characterizing the TM 
instrument performance as well as providing benchmarks for 
its own processing and performance capabilities. It also 
became clear that a phased development for MIPS and TIPS was 
appropriate. Emphasis could be placed on developing and 
having.insplace to.support Landsát-4. launch; a;fully 
operational MIPS. This would facilitate the turnover to NOAA 
of an operational MSS capability (dictated by Congressional 
mandate). An interim TM processing system, with a limited 
one scene per day capability, was developed to provide early 
access to TM data and remove the initial uncertainties