GMS VISSR Satellite Imagery and Derived Meteorological Data

Data from April 1978 to the present includes original and processed imagery from the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS). The Japan Meteorological Agency's Meteorological Satellite Center collected and archived this data on various media like film, magnetic tape, and cassette tape. It contains picture data, digital image data for IR and VIS bands, and extracted data products like cloud amount and sea surface temperature.

Use Cases

• Analyze long-term cloud cover trends using the Cloud Amount data series starting February 1978.
• Study sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies from the SST data available from February 1978 to February 1987.
• Train models for cloud detection using the Cloud grid data available from March 1987.
• Perform historical atmospheric analysis using the Cloud motion wind data available from April 1978.
• Calibrate satellite sensors by comparing Original film negative data with processed digital IR and VIS data.

Strengths

• Long temporal coverage spanning over 40 years, from April 1978 to the present.
• Multiple data types including original imagery, digital IR/VIS data, and derived meteorological products like SST and cloud amount.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and data resolution are unknown.
• Early data (pre-1987) is stored on legacy magnetic tape and film media, which may present access challenges.
• Data availability for specific products like SEM data is not clearly defined in the description.

Provenance

Source

Meteorological Satellite Center (MSC), Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

Collection Method

Data received and processed from the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS) VISSR instrument.

Time Range

April 1978 to present, with specific product start dates varying.

Geography

Coverage area of the GMS satellite, typically the Asia-Pacific region.