OSTM Jason-2 and Jason-3 Satellite Mission Documentation Records

Documentation and metadata records for the Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM)/Jason-2 and Jason-3 satellite data products, produced from 2008 to the present. The collection includes user guides, handbooks, and metadata files following ISO 19115-2 and FGDC standards, maintained by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Use Cases

• Interpret geophysical data record (GDR) file structure and contents using provided user guides and handbooks.
• Parse mission-specific metadata in .xml format (ISO 19115-2) or CSDGM format for data cataloging and discovery.
• Understand the ancillary and auxiliary data associated with OSTM/Jason-2 and Jason-3 missions for contextual analysis.

Strengths

• Metadata adheres to established international standards: ISO 19115-2 and FGDC-STD-001-1998.
• Documentation covers two major satellite missions (Jason 2 and 3) with continuous records from 2008 onward.

Limitations

• The dataset contains only documentation and metadata, not the actual satellite measurement data.
• Specific counts of documents, file sizes, or update frequency are unknown.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) via NASA Earthdata.

Collection Method

Produced as official documentation and metadata for the OSTM/Jason-2 and Jason-3 missions.

Time Range

2008 to present

Freshness

null

Geography

Global ocean surface coverage from satellite orbits.