Global Satellite Cloud Imagery In Uniform ISCCP B1U Format

Satellite radiance scans from international weather satellites processed into a uniform B1U format. Data includes infrared and visible channel images collected every 3 hours since 1978, with full longitudinal coverage from 1982. The dataset is processed and maintained by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.

Use Cases

• Train models to classify cloud types using IRWIN and VSCHN channel radiance values.
• Analyze temporal trends in atmospheric water vapor by processing time-series data from the IRWVP channel.
• Calibrate new satellite instruments by comparing IRSPL split-window infrared data with established records.
• Develop navigation algorithms using file header data for calculating latitude and longitude per pixel.

Strengths

• Global longitudinal coverage with data beginning in 1978 for early satellites.
• Images provided at a 3-hour temporal resolution near synoptic hours.
• Includes multiple calibrated radiance channels like IRWIN, VSCHN, IRWVP, and IRSPL.

Limitations

• Spatial resolution is reduced to 8-10 km near nadir and degrades further away, due to subsampling.
• Latitudinal coverage is limited to about 65 degrees, excluding polar regions.
• Temporal coverage varies by source satellite, creating inconsistencies in the record.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Collection Method

Collected from international weather satellites and processed into uniform B1U format by government agencies, labs, and universities.

Time Range

Begins 1978; full longitudinal coverage from 1982; five-satellite global coverage from 1998.

Freshness

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Geography

Global longitudinal coverage, latitudinal extent about 65 degrees.