ABSTRACT
The object of instrumentation is to gather polarimetric and photometric data that are to be interpreted to yield information applicable to a specific program. The polarization and photometry are expressed as Stokes parameters (Chap. 4) [1], which are defined spectrally, spatially, and temporally. This is a big order and produces data in the range of terabytes and much greater. It is no trick to assemble tremendous amounts of optical data, but the storage and interpretation can be a horrendous problem. In this chapter the emphasis is on optical data, but ancillary data, which we call “ground truth,” [4] must be acquired. The ground truth and atmospheric properties are available from various sources [1].
