Bishop's High-resolution (DX) dataset provides global surface solar irradiance data derived from ISCCP data. It offers daily values for metrics like total irradiance, clear sky irradiance, and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) within 0.5-degree-square spatial boxes. The data was produced by SCIOPS and last updated in December 1993.
Use Cases
- Modeling clear sky irradiance to estimate maximum potential solar energy generation at specific locations.
- Analyzing the daily cloud fraction field to understand its impact on surface solar irradiance variability.
- Using photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) data for studies in agricultural yield modeling and ecosystem productivity.
- Comparing total irradiance with diffuse fraction of PAR to study atmospheric scattering effects.
- Mapping the land/ocean flag to separate and analyze solar irradiance trends over different surface types.
Strengths
- Global spatial coverage with data provided for the entire Earth's surface.
- High-resolution spatial grid of 0.5-degree squares for detailed geographical analysis.
- Includes multiple derived daily metrics like PAR and cloud fraction per grid cell.
Limitations
- Data is temporally stale, with the last update recorded in December 1993.
- The specific row count, total file size, and complete column schema are unknown.
- A coarser 2.5-degree version of the data exists, suggesting potential trade-offs between resolution and availability.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA Earthdata (platform), SCIOPS (organization).
- Collection Method
- Derived from International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) data.
- Time Range
- null
- Freshness
- 1993-12-31
- Geography
- Global.