METEOSAT Satellite Imagery Archive from 1993

METEOSAT satellite data archives half-hourly images in VIS, IR, and H2O channels. The archive was started on July 1, 1993, with data saved onto Exabyte tapes. The dataset originates from Garrett Campbell at CSU and was last updated in November 1994.

Use Cases

• Analyzing cloud cover evolution using the half-hourly VIS and IR image sequences.
• Tracking atmospheric water vapor dynamics via the H2O channel imagery.
• Studying long-term meteorological trends from the time-series spanning July 1993 onward.
• Calibrating modern satellite sensors against historical METEOSAT IR image data.
• Mapping regional weather events using the 5km nadir pixel resolution imagery.

Strengths

• Half-hourly temporal resolution provides detailed sequence data.
• Archive initiated on a specific date (July 1, 1993) providing a clear start point.
• Includes multiple spectral channels: VIS, IR, and H2O.

Limitations

• Data is temporally stale, with the last update recorded in November 1994.
• The original storage on Exabyte tapes presents a legacy format access challenge.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and total archive volume are unknown.

Provenance

Source

METEOSAT satellites, archived by Garrett Campbell at Colorado State University (CSU).

Collection Method

Images saved every half hour and recorded onto high-density Exabyte tapes without compression.

Time Range

From July 1, 1993, with updates through at least November 1994.

Freshness

Static historical archive; last updated 1994-11-11.

Geography

Coverage area of the METEOSAT satellite(s), likely focusing on Europe and Africa.