NOAA Polar Orbiter HRPT Data Archive from Japan Meteorological Agency

Japan's Meteorological Satellite Center archives NOAA High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT) data from operational polar-orbiting satellites. The Japan Weather Association has distributed duplicate magnetic tapes since 1981 and provided real-time data since 1986. Day pass data archiving began in 1984, with full day/night pass archiving for two NOAA satellites starting in March 1987.

Use Cases

• Analyze long-term atmospheric temperature trends from AVHRR sensor data within the HRPT stream.
• Study cloud cover and sea surface temperature patterns over the satellite's coverage area using multi-spectral imagery.
• Calibrate and validate new satellite instruments against historical NOAA HRPT sensor records.
• Investigate diurnal cycles in weather phenomena using archived full day/night pass data from 1987 onward.
• Examine regional climate variability by correlating HRPT-derived geophysical parameters with ground station data.

Strengths

• Data collection spans over four decades, with records available since 1981.
• Includes full day/night orbital pass data for two NOAA satellites from March 1987.
• Provides high-resolution imagery and sensor data from operational polar-orbiting platforms.

Limitations

• Specific row count, column details, and file size are unknown.
• The geographic coverage is limited to the reception area of the Japanese ground station.
• Data format and accessibility details for the archived magnetic tapes are unspecified.

Provenance

Source

NOAA's TIROS-N/NOAA series polar-orbiting satellites, received and archived by the Japan Meteorological Agency's Meteorological Satellite Center.

Collection Method

Satellite HRPT data received via ground station, historically stored on magnetic tapes, with real-time distribution via high-speed optical line since 1986.

Time Range

1981 to present, with specific archiving phases beginning in 1984 and 1987.

Freshness

null

Geography

Coverage area of NOAA polar-orbiting satellites as received by the Japanese ground station.