ORNL DAAC Data Release - BioSCape

[ORNL - mtdonova]

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL DAAC) released new datasets for the BioSCape project.

BioSCape: AVIRIS-NG L1B Calibrated Radiance
This dataset contains Level 1B (L1B) calibrated radiance files from the Airborne Visible / Infrared Imaging Spectrometer-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) instrument acquired in October-November 2023 for the Biodiversity Survey of the Cape (BioSCape). For each flight line, two file types are included: calibrated radiance (RDN) and observation parameters (OBS). OBS files include observation geometry, illumination information, and input geometry. The data are georeferenced but not orthorectified. Both file types include orthocorrected pixel locations in geographic coordinates and a geometric lookup table, which provides projected coordinates in a UTM grid.
Brodrick, P. G., Hestir, E. L., Slingsby, J. A., Wilson, A. M., Cardoso, A. W., Chlus, A. M., Eckert, R., Chapman, J. W., Eastwood, M., Bender, H., Geier, S., Lundeen, S. R., Olson-Duvall, W., Rios, L. M., Brunner, E. D., Jensen, D. J., Zandbergen, S., Sullivan, P., Thompson, D. R., & Green, R. O. (2026). BioSCape: AVIRIS-NG L1B Calibrated Radiance (Version 1). ORNL Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/2418

BioSCape: AVIRIS-NG L2 Orthocorrected Surface Reflectance
This dataset contains Level 2A (L2A) orthocorrected surface reflectance products from the Airborne Visible / Infrared Imaging Spectrometer-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) instrument acquired in October-November 2023. For each flight line, three file types are included: orthocorrected surface reflectance (RFL_ORT), orthocorrected reflectance uncertainty (UNC_ORT) in netCDF format, and a GeoTIFF quicklook image. All file types include data projected in a UTM coordinate system. Estimates of aerosol optical thickness and water vapor thickness are also included.
Brodrick, P. G., Hestir, E. L., Slingsby, J. A., Wilson, A. M., Cardoso, A. W., Chlus, A. M., Eckert, R., Chapman, J. W., Eastwood, M., Greenberg, E., Montgomery, J., Wilder, B. A., Bohn, N., Thompson, D. R., & Green, R. O. (2026). BioSCape: AVIRIS-NG L2 Orthocorrected Surface Reflectance (Version 1). ORNL Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/2419

Foliar Trait and Spectroscopy Data, Greater Cape Floristic Region, South Africa, V2
This dataset holds foliar trait measurements, species-level life history traits, visible-near infrared (VNIR) spectroscopy, and vegetation survey data for plant communities within the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) of South Africa. Foliar traits measurements were made between 2010 and 2014. Releve surveys include plots from 1966 to 2014. Trait collection efforts extended over 5.8% of the GCFR's total area, where measurements were made for 1,327 species from 99 families. The trait dataset comprises 132,195 leaf and twig structural measurements, 7,513 canopy measurements and 11,948 elemental/isotopic measurements. The spectroscopy dataset contains 3,076 VNIR spectral measurements (450-949 nm) of 1,158 species from 97 families.
Frye, H., Aiello-Lammens, M. E., Euston-Brown, D., Jones, C. S., Kilroy Mollmann, H., Merow, C., Slingsby, J. A., van der Merwe, H., Turner, R., Wilson, A. M., & Silander Jr, J. A. (2026). Foliar Trait and Spectroscopy Data, Greater Cape Floristic Region, South Africa, V2 (Version 2). ORNL Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/2528

BioSCape: Vegetation Composition at Plots with Woody Invasives, CFR, South Africa
This dataset contains vegetation plot data collected across the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) of South Africa as part of the BioSCape (Biodiversity Survey of the Cape) project. It holds field-based measurements of vegetation composition, structure, and cover across the region's Fynbos and associated plant communities. Variables include plot center coordinates, percent cover, canopy diameter, and abundance by species. Plots were distributed across multiple reserves and land units spanning the CFR, with field data collection occurring between September and December 2023. These data provide ground-truth observations for calibrating and validating airborne and satellite remote sensing data products across the CFR's diverse and threatened plant communities.
Fitzpatrick, M. C., Spalink, D., Elmore, A. J., Measey, J., & Kritzinger-Klopper, S. (2026). BioSCape: Vegetation Composition at Plots with Woody Invasives, CFR, South Africa (Version 1). ORNL Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/2511

More information on these datasets and others like it can be found on the BioSCape project landing page.