In this guide
PGC Commercial Satellite Imagery Documentation
Last Updated: October 4, 2023
Information for users that receive commercial satellite imagery deliverables from PGC.
Imagery File Structure
Raw imagery (NITF format):
| File type | Example |
| NITF Image | WV02_20130426224306_1030010020A45200_13APR26224306-M1BS-500069507110_01_P004.ntf |
| TAR archive of ephemeris and aux files | WV02_20130426224306_1030010020A45200_13APR26224306-M1BS-500069507110_01_P004.tar |
| JPEG preview image | WV02_20130426224306_1030010020A45200_13APR26224306-M1BS-500069507110_01_P004-BROWSE |
| XML metadata file | WV02_20130426224306_1030010020A45200_13APR26224306-M1BS-500069507110_01_P004.xml |
PGC Processed Imagery:
| File type | Example |
| GeoTiff Image | WV02_20120607224719_10300100193E9E00_12JUN07224719-M1BS-052560775010_04_P004_u16ns3338.tif |
| Projection info | WV02_20120607224719_10300100193E9E00_12JUN07224719-M1BS-052560775010_04_P004_u16ns3338.prj |
| XML metadata file (includes original image metadata and PGC processing parameter information) | WV02_20120607224719_10300100193E9E00_12JUN07224719-M1BS-052560775010_04_P004_u16ns3338.xml |
Notes: GeoTiff image is compressed using a lossless LZW method that does not alter the images.
PGC Processing Notation
Radiometric Correction:
ns – no stretch
rf – top of atmosphere percent reflectance (scaled to bit depth; 8-bit: 0-200, 16-bit: 0-2000)
mr – modified reflectance (for ice/snow free areas)
Data Type:
u08 – unsigned 8-bit integer
u16 – unsigned 16-bit integer
Projection information:
| EPSG Code | Name | Area of use | Datum |
| 3031 | Antarctic Polar Stereographic | Antarctica | WGS84 |
| 3413 | NSIDC Sea Ice Polar Stereographic North | Greenland | WGS84 |
| 3338 | Alaska Albers Equal Area Conic | Alaska | NAD83 |
| Varies | UTM Zones 3-21 N | Alaska and Canada | NAD83 |
| Varies | UTM zones 1-59 N/S | Worldwide | WGS84 |
Commercial Satellite Imagery Naming Conventions
Maxar
QB02 – Quickbird 2
WV01 – Worldview-1
WV02 – Worldview-2
WV03 – Worldview-3
GE01 – Geoeye-1
Example 1: Worldview-2
| Example: WV02_20140620230824_1030010032BE0200_14JUN20230824-M1BS_R07C1-500106095060_01_P001.ntf | |||
| WV02 | sensor | ||
| 20140620230824 | acquisition time stamp (yyyymmddhhmmss) | ||
| 1030010032BE0200 | Catalog ID | ||
| 14JUN20230824-M1BS
_R07C1-500106095060 _01_P001 |
Original Name | ||
| 14JUN20230824 | Original timestamp | ||
| M | Image type (P: panchromatic, M: multispectral | ||
| 1BS | DG product type (1b: standard, 2A: georectified) | ||
| .ntf | file format (options = ntf, tif) | ||
Example 2: Geoeye-1 Ikonos
| Example: IK01_20080705225000_2008070522505760000011624215_po_296415_pan_0000000.ntf | ||
| IK01 | sensor | |
| 20080705225000 | acquisition time stamp (yyyymmddhhmmss) | |
| 20080705225057600000
11624215 |
Catalog ID | |
| po_296415_pan_0000000 | Original Name | |
| pan | Band identifier (blu:blue, grn: green, red:red, nir:near infrared, pan:panchromatic) | |
| .ntf | file format (options = ntf, tif) | |
Example 3: Geoeye-1
| Example: GE01_20101025231312_1000100_5V101025M0010001004B222003200482M_000949123.ntf | ||
| GE01 | sensor | |
| 20101025231312 | acquisition date (yyyymmddhhmmss) | |
| 1000100 | Catalog ID | |
| 5V101025M0010001004B222
003200482M_000949123 |
Original Name | |
| 101025 | Original Timestamp | |
| M | Image type (P: panchromatic, M: multispectral) | |
| 001000100 | GE catalog number | |
| 4B222 | Product Type | |
| 00320048 | Sub-image identifier | |
| 2 | Processing version | |
| M | Stereo/mono flag | |
| 000949123 | OPS product number | |
| .ntf | file format (options = ntf, tif) | |
Sensor Information
| Sensor | Min Resolution | Bands | ||
| Quickbird-2 Multi | 2.4m | Band 1 – Blue
Band 2 – Green Band 3 – Red Band 4 – Near Infrared |
||
| Quickbird-2 Pan | 0.6m | Band 1 – Panchromatic | ||
| Worldview-1 Pan | 0.5m | Band 1 – Panchromatic | ||
| Worldview-2 Multi | 1.85 m | 4 band image:
Band 1 – Blue Band 2 – Green Band 3 – Red Band 4 – Near Infrared |
8 band image:
Band 1 – Coastal Band 2 – Blue Band 3 – Green Band 4 – Yellow Band 5 – Red Band 6 – Red Edge Band 7 – Near Infrared Band 8 – Near Infrared 2 |
|
| Worldview-2 Pan | 0.46m | Band 1 – Panchromatic | ||
| Worldview-3 Multi | 1.65 m | 4 band image:
Band 1 – Blue Band 2 – Green Band 3 – Red Band 4 – Near Infrared |
8 band image:
Band 1 – Coastal Band 2 – Blue Band 3 – Green Band 4 – Yellow Band 5 – Red Band 6 – Red Edge Band 7 – Near Infrared Band 8 – Near Infrared 2 |
|
| Worldview-3 Pan | 0.31m | Band 1 – Panchromatic | ||
| Geoeye-1 Multi | 2m | Band 1- Blue
Band 2 – Green Band 3 – Red Band 4 – Near Infrared |
||
| Geoeye-1 Pan | 0.5m | Band 1- Panchromatic | ||
| Ikonos Multi | 4m | Band 1- Blue
Band 2 – Green Band 3 – Red Band 4 – Near Infrared |
||
| Ikonos Pan | 1m | Band 1 – Panchromatic | ||
Documentation Links
Maxar general documentation:
https://www.maxar.com/resources#resource-table
Maxar XML metadata file documentation:
https://dg-cms-uploads-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/document/file/106/ISD_External.pdf
Maxar radiometric correction:
NITF general documentation:
https://nsgreg.nga.mil/doc/view?i=2063https://gwg.nga.mil/ntb/baseline/docs/2500c/index.html
Contact:
Claire Porter
Polar Geospatial Center
University of Minnesota
Summary
In this Guide, we’ve covered:
- Imagery file structure
- PGC processing notation
- Commercial satellite imagery naming conventions
- Sensor information
- Imagery documentation links