Direct Downward Surface Solar Irradiance for Himawari Satellites Over Australia

Delivering direct downward surface solar irradiance (SSI) derived from Himawari-8/9 satellite imagery for the Australian continent and surrounding waters. The data is generated using the Qin et al (2021a) algorithm and is available in both a regular latitude/longitude grid and the original geostationary projection. A near-real-time processor is under development to improve availability and extend production to Himawari-10.

Use Cases

• Validate and calibrate the Qin et al (2021a) algorithm for direct SSI retrieval from Himawari-8/9 imagery.
• Analyze spatial patterns of direct solar irradiance over the Australian continent and surrounding waters.
• Compare direct SSI values between the regular latitude/longitude grid and the original geostationary projection (WGS84, sub-satellite longitude = 140.7°E).
• Support the development of a near-real-time processor for Himawari-10 data (2028–2045).

Strengths

• Derived from Himawari-8/9 geostationary satellite imagery, providing consistent observation over a fixed region.
• Algorithm based on a published scientific method (Qin et al, 2021a).
• Data is available in two spatial reference systems for different analytical needs.

Limitations

• Data access requires contacting the authors and is hosted on the Australian National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), which may involve a request process.
• The dataset is not yet available in near-real-time; a processor for this is under development.
• Spatial coverage is limited to the Australian continent and surrounding waters as observed by the Himawari satellites.

Provenance

Source

Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network's Data Discovery, via data_gov_au.

Collection Method

Generated from daytime Himawari-8/9 imagery using the Qin et al (2021a) algorithm.

Freshness

A near-real-time processor is being developed. Last metadata update was 2026-03-20.

Geography

Australian continent and surrounding waters.