The first data sets from NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) are now available from the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC).
These data sets provide backscatter profiles; geolocated photon data; atmospheric layer characteristics; and geolocated surface elevations for land ice, sea ice, vegetation and land, and inland water. The NSIDC DAAC ICESat-2 data collection provides an overview of the satellite mission and information on specific data sets, including those currently available and ones scheduled for future release.
Data access options for ICESat-2 data include direct download through HTTPS, but more advanced options for searching, customization, and data delivery can also be achieved through the following methods: OpenAltimetry provides advanced discovery, processing, and visualization for both ICESat and ICESat-2 data. Earthdata Search provides access to both ICESat and ICESat-2 data, with advanced search and order options. Here users have the option to customize their data, including reformatting; reprojection; and subsetting by spatial coverage, temporal coverage, and parameter. Data set subscription is an option available for users who require the latest data delivered on a regular basis. As data are ingested at NSIDC DAAC, our subscription service will automatically send a subscriber data files that match their specifications. This can be done through email or through the Secure Copy Protocol (SCP), where NSIDC DAAC will send data directly to an SCP-enabled server. If the email delivery option is selected, users can choose to apply customizations, such as subsetting, reformatting, and reprojection, to their data files. All access options are available on each ICESat-2 data set landing page under Data Access & Tools.