(The following is an excerpt from the introduction of the AN-MODIS - Description and Interface Control Document. The complete document can be found at the CloudSat Standard Data Product Interface Control Document links page. )
AN-MODIS is the Cloudsat Project name for a set of ancillary data files derived from the Aqua/MODIS (MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument. A selected set of the AN-MODIS files are used directly in the preparation of Level 1 and Level 2 Cloudsat products while others are provided to support subsequent research by the scientific community. The ancillary files are subsets of the standard MODIS products prepared at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), and prepared for Cloudsat through a special agreement with the Goddard Earth Sciences (GES) DAAC. The ancillary data include geo-located measurements of radiance, aerosol optical thickness, infrared and solar precipitable water, cloud top properties, optical depth, particle size, ozone, and includes a variety of cloud masks. AN-MODIS ancillary files are re-processed at the CIRA Ground Data Processing Center to the Cloudsat ground track and provided to users via the Cloudsat Project's MODIS-AUX data product.