Evaluation of Data Quality and Drought Monitoring Capability of FY-3A MERSI Data

FY-3A is the second Chinese Polar Orbital Meteorological Satellite with global, three-dimensional, quantitative, and multispectral capabilities. Its missions include monitoring global disasters and environment changes. This study describes some basic parameters and major technical indicators of the FY-3A and evaluates data quality and drought monitoring capability of the Medium-Resolution Imager (MERSI) onboard the FY-3A. Data obtained with the MERSI was compared with that of the MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), imaged at the same time period and geographic zone. In addition, the Temperature/Vegetation Drought Index (TVDI), a highly accurate and stable monitoring model, was used to monitor drought condition with MERSI and MODIS sensors. It is found in the study that the relative accuracy of data, obtained with these two devices, was consistent with the acceptable overall accuracy of 93.8. Furthermore, spatial resolution of MERSI is superior as compared to that of MODIS. Therefore, FY-3A MERSI can serve a reliable and new data source for drought monitoring.