| 1 | === Q: What do the values in the mask file delivered with my data represent? === |
| 2 | |
| 3 | '''A:'''[[BR]] |
| 4 | There is a description of this data at the bottom of the accompanying |
| 5 | .hdr file for the mask files. The values are: |
| 6 | |
| 7 | || Value || Description || |
| 8 | || 0 || Good data || |
| 9 | || 1 || Underflows || |
| 10 | || 2 || Overflows || |
| 11 | || 4 || Bad pixels in the CCD detector || |
| 12 | || 8 || Pixel affected by uncorrected smear || |
| 13 | || 16 || Dropped scans || |
| 14 | |
| 15 | If there is more than one issue with a pixel it will have a value equal |
| 16 | to the sum of the corresponding values. For example, a bad pixel which |
| 17 | has also overflowed would have DN=6 (2+4). |
| 18 | |
| 19 | The bad pixels in the CCD detector (i.e. the pixels marked 4 in the mask |
| 20 | file and in the separate ASCII file) come from a list supplied |
| 21 | by the manufacturers resulting from the Hawk instrument calibration. |
| 22 | These pixels are supposedly not recording accurately and are not to be |
| 23 | trusted. We know this list to contain certain inaccuracies and hope to |
| 24 | generate a more representative list in the future. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | The masks have been generated as a by product of applying the |
| 27 | calibration to the raw data. So if during calibration the value of a |
| 28 | pixel has underflowed (gone below 0) then we give it a value of |
| 29 | 1 in the mask file. Similarly, if the data has overflowed (> sensor |
| 30 | maximum) we will apply a value of 2 to the mask. |
| 31 | |
| 32 | In the level 1 data, underflowing pixels are set to 0 (the minimum |
| 33 | possible for an unsigned integer). An overflowed level 0 pixel may |
| 34 | result in a valid but wrong level 1 value, which is kept if it is less |
| 35 | than 65535 (the maximum allowed level 1 data value) or otherwise forced |
| 36 | to 65535. We retain the computed value mostly in order to allow people |
| 37 | to quickview the image more easily without scaling problems, but it |
| 38 | should be masked when actually used. |
| 39 | |
| 40 | [wiki:FAQ Back to FAQ] |