VISSRGOES1IMIR: GOES-1 Satellite Infrared Imagery Scanned from 70mm Film

GOES-1, the first Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, captured this infrared imagery from a fixed point over the equator at 115°W longitude starting December 18, 1975. The data was originally printed on 70mm film from digital tapes and later scanned into multi-picture TIFF files, each containing a title block and a 33-level grayscale for temperature calibration. Images have a maximum native resolution of 3.7 km per pixel and could be contrast-enhanced, sectorized, or reduced to 1/16 size.

Use Cases

• Calibrating historical brightness temperature models using the embedded 33-level grayscale.
• Studying the evolution of geostationary satellite imaging technology and data preservation methods.
• Analyzing cloud cover and atmospheric patterns from 1975-1976 over the Western Hemisphere.
• Training image processing algorithms on scanned film artifacts with metadata annotations in the title block.
• Comparing early sectorized and contrast-enhanced imagery techniques with modern satellite data processing.

Strengths

• Provides a foundational record from the first operational geostationary weather satellite (GOES-1).
• Images contain calibrated metadata (satellite ID, coordinates, time, scaling) directly within the title block.
• Specifies a precise spatial resolution of 3.7 km per pixel and a maximum image size of 4000x3904 pixels.

Limitations

• Key metadata conflicts: last update date is listed as both 1976-10-28 and 2026-04-09.
• Original data is a second-generation scan from 70mm film, not the primary digital signal, which may introduce artifacts.
• Complete column definitions, row counts, and exact file sizes are not provided in the available metadata.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS) and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Collection Method

Infrared imagery (10.5-12.5 µm) generated from digital tapes to 70mm film, subsequently scanned to digital TIFF files.

Time Range

From at least December 18, 1975.

Freshness

2026-04 09 20:53:21.714636 (conflict with 1976-10-28 date noted)

Geography

Hemispheric view from geostationary orbit at 115°W longitude over the equator.