ISOCAM had three main imaging modes: photometric, spectrophotometric and polarimetric. Measurement strategies included single pointing (i.e. staring) observations, celestial rasters and beam-switch measurements.
The observing modes were configurable via three dedicated Astronomical Observation Templates (AOT):
In the following sections the different observing modes will be discussed in more detail. Because of the special requirements of the polarimetric observations, the very flexible Calibration Up-link System (CUS) was used for their implementation, rather than implementing them through an AOT. Other operations which were performed outside the AOTs were many calibration measurements (using the CUS), occasional tests of other observing modes, the activation and de-activation of the instrument and engineering and calibration observations performed during handover between VILSPA (Villafranca, Spain) and Goldstone ground stations (see the ISO Handbook Volume I, [40]).