VISSRSMS2L1EHT: SMS-2 Satellite Visible and Infrared Scan Data
Updated 2mo ago
9filesBIN
Available on 2 platforms
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Description
Data from only five days in 1975—February 17, April 24, April 25, May 6, and August 28—captures Earth's radiance from the SMS-2 satellite. Each file contains visible scans at 15288-pixel resolution and infrared scans at 3822-pixel resolution, structured with headers, geolocation, orbit, and telemetry information. The VISSR instrument, operated by NOAA NESDIS and NASA Goddard, scanned the full Earth every 20 minutes from a geostationary orbit.
Use Cases
[Analyzing historical cloud cover and weather patterns] based on [visible (0.55–0.70 µm) and infrared (10.5–12.6 µm) radiance measurements]
[Calibrating modern satellite sensors] based on [early geostationary satellite data with documented spatial resolution]
[Studying satellite orbit and attitude evolution] based on [time, geolocation, orbit, and telemetry information in file headers]
[Reconstructing hemispheric views from 1975] based on [data from the satellite parked at 105W and later moved to 135W]
Strengths
Provides high-resolution visible scans (15288 pixels per line) and infrared scans (3822 pixels per line) with documented wavelengths.
Contains precise temporal and spatial metadata including time, geolocation, orbit, and attitude data.
Represents a specific, documented historical record from a key early meteorological satellite (SMS-2/VISSR).
Limitations
Extreme temporal limitation: data exists for only five specific days in 1975.
Metadata completeness is low: column names and exact file sizes are unknown across all sources.
Platforms disagree on the 'last updated' date (2026-04-09 vs. 1975-08-28), suggesting metadata inconsistency.
Provenance
Source
NOAA National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS) and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Collection Method
Data collected by the Visible Infrared Spin-Scan Radiometer (VISSR) instrument on the Synchronous Meteorological Satellite 2 (SMS-2).
Time Range
1975-02-17 to 1975-08-28
Freshness
2026-04-09 21:10:47.585107
Geography
Hemispheric view from geostationary orbit, initially at 105W over the equator, later at 135W.
License is listed as 'other-license-specified' but details are not provided. Data files are structured in a specific BIN format with headers and alternating IR/visible scan lines; some files contain only IR scans.