ISS-RapidScat: Satellite Wind and Sigma-0 Measurements for Tropics and Mid-Latitudes

NASA's ISS-RapidScat project provides Ku-band scatterometer data from the International Space Station, covering latitudes from approximately 61 degrees North to 61 degrees South. The dataset contains Level 1B geo-located Sigma-0 measurements and antenna pulse geometries, derived from a complete historical re-processing for consistent calibration. Data are provided in single-orbit HDF-4 files and are intended for expert use.

Use Cases

• Analyzing ocean surface wind patterns based on scatterometer-derived sigma-0 measurements.
• Studying the spatial geometry of radar footprints based on described pulse 'egg' and 'slice' data.
• Calibrating wind retrieval algorithms using the consistent cross-operation calibration mentioned in the description.
• Investigating non-sun-synchronous orbital data coverage effects on temporal sampling.

Strengths

• Provides a complete historical re-processing (Version 2.0) for consistent calibration across the mission's operational period.
• Includes detailed spatial geometry data for radar pulses, with footprints approximately 25 km by 35 km.
• Data is openly available under a CC-BY-4.0 license.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and structure require manual inspection after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The dataset is explicitly marked for expert use only, which may present a barrier for non-specialists.

Provenance

Source

NASA ISS-RapidScat Project, hosted on aws_open_data.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the RapidScat Ku-band scatterometer mounted on the ISS.

Time Range

Covers the operational period of the ISS-RapidScat instrument; specific dates are not provided.

Freshness

Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Geography

Latitudinal coverage stretches from approximately 61 degrees North to 61 degrees South, covering tropics and mid-latitudes.