Starting with the 10/10 release, color images are included for the first time. We’ll describe how we process these in the days and weeks to come. But what I’d like to do first is give a brief description of all our product types as they currently are available. You’ve no doubt noticed a mind-boggling array of new options on our product pages. They now include what we call our “NOMAP” products; NOMAP means that they are not map-projected. In other words, not rotated to the direction of north, not mapped to a coordinate system, and not scaled to any particular geometric resolution.

I’ve prepared this ugly table that outlines each of the products now available (excluding the raw EDRs). So reading the columns from left to right: there are three types of “NOMAP” products, two types of lossy “QLOOK” (Quicklook) RDRs, and two types of lossless RDRs.

With that as a reference, now I’ll try to define everything more precisely.

“NOMAP”

Non map-projected product. Always lossy compressed for smaller size and quicker viewing. These are not formal Planetary Data System products; they’re “special”, meaning there is no PDS label and no Software Interface Specification describing them. Available for IRB, RGB and RED.

RDR

Reduced Data Record: reduced in the sense of refined or processed, not raw data. Formal PDS products with accompanying labels and a detailed SIS document describing their format and processing steps. Available both in lossless and quicklook formats for both RED & COLOR.

“QLOOK”

Quicklook: a special product that is a lossy compressed version of the RDR. In a normal RDR, all of the original data is retained. But with a quicklook, some of the highest resolution detail is discarded to make for quicker viewing.

RED

The image obtained by the red-filtered CCDs. It will be over the full swath width, typically data from all ten red CCDs. Covers the visible wavelength band from 550 to 850 nanometers.

IR

Infrared. Covers the near-IR wavelengths from 800-1000 nanometers.

BG

Blue-Green, visible wavelengths from 400-600 nm.

COLOR

A color RDR. It contains data from the IR, BG and center RED ccds. Typically this will be a skinny strip (”center swath”) inside a skinny strip, or as I like to say, the bacon-strip effect.

IRB

An enhanced color NOMAP. It has the same color bands as the RDR: IR, RED and BG.

RGB

An enhanced color NOMAP. It contains only data from the RED and BG. The blue is derived from the difference between the RED and BG. The color bands are RED, BG and the synthetic blue.

EDR

Experiment Data Record, a formal PDS product that is raw uncompressed data with a label header.

Note: we will be working towards making all of these products available for all prior releases.

I baked blue-frosted rocket ship cookies yesterday, and Anjani came in to work this morning wearing a shirt that is the *EXACT* same color blue as my cookie frosting! Another Festivus miracle!