BRDF of Badain Jaran Desert retrieval using Landsat TM/ETM+ and ASTER GDEM data

In this paper, we propose a method to extract the feature of Bi-directional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDF) over Badain Jaran Desert using Landsat-TM/ETM+ and ASTER GDEM data. Badain Jaran Desert is characterized with homogeneous and rugged terrain, which forms a natural Bi-directional Reflectance data sets with hypotheses that the surface structure of each slope element does not vary with the variations of slope and aspect; therefore, we can use nadir view Landsat-TM/ETM+ imagery reconstruct the BRDF characterization of this experimental site. The results show that this method can simulate the BRDF feature of land surface accurately.