Visible and Infrared satellite imagery from NOAA's NIMBUS, TIROS, ITOS, ESSA, and NOAA satellite campaigns, spanning August 1964 to March 1985. The collection includes quadrilateral-shaped images and composite maps in Mercator, Polar Stereographic, and Conic projections. Image files were created by scanning hard-copy prints, negatives, and microfilm from the NOAA archives.
Use Cases
- Analyze historical cloud cover and sea ice extent using visible and infrared imagery channels.
- Create composite maps of larger geographical areas by stitching quadrilateral-shaped images.
- Study land cover changes over two decades by comparing images in Mercator or Polar Stereographic projections.
- Calibrate modern satellite data by comparing it with historical radiometer instrument readings from the NOAA archives.
Strengths
- Over 20 years of temporal coverage from August 1964 to March 1985.
- Includes imagery from multiple major satellite campaigns (NIMBUS, TIROS, ITOS, ESSA, NOAA).
- Offers data in multiple map projections including Mercator, Polar Stereographic, and Conic.
Limitations
- Data collection ended in March 1985, making it temporally stale for contemporary analysis.
- Imagery is derived from scanned hard-copy prints and negatives, which may introduce quality artifacts.
- Specific spatial resolution, file formats, and total volume of the collection are unknown.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA_NCEI, sourced from NOAA archives.
- Collection Method
- Imagery digitized by scanning hard-copy 10"x10" prints, negatives, and microfilm.
- Time Range
- August 1964 to March 1985.
- Freshness
- Last updated in 1985.
- Geography
- Global coverage, with specific composite projections for North America and the United States.