ISCCP Reduced Resolution Radiance Data Documentation

TABLE OF CONTENTS

                                                         Page No.

1. INTRODUCTION:


   1.1. PROJECT OVERVIEW.....................................1

   1.2. SUMMARY OF CHANGES...................................5

   1.3. DATA PRODUCTS........................................7

   1.4. CONTACTS FOR ASSISTANCE AND DATA ORDERS..............8


2. STAGE B3 DATA USER'S GUIDE:

   2.1. OVERVIEW............................................10

   2.2. NEW DATASET NAMING CONVENTION FOR ISCCP (2001)......11

   2.3. DATA CHARACTERISTICS................................15

   2.4. TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................16

   2.5. FORTRAN B3READ MODULE...............................19
	2.5.1. COMMENTS ON USE OF SOURCE MODULES............22

   2.6. B3README............................................23

   2.7. LAND/WATER MAP DATA.................................23

   2.8. RADIANCE DATA.......................................23
        2.8.1. SEGMENT 1: IMAGE IDENTIFICATION RECORD.......26a
        2.8.2. SEGMENT 2: LOCATION GRID RECORD..............28
        2.8.3. SEGMENT 3: CALIBRATION/NORMALIZATION TABLES..28
        2.8.4. SEGMENT 4: DATA RECORDS......................30

   2.9. SAMPLE OUTPUT FROM READING MODULES..................34


3. DATA CHARACTERISTICS:

   3.1. SATELLITE RADIOMETER DESCRIPTIONS...................52
        3.1.1. NOAA.........................................52
	3.1.2. METEOSAT.....................................52
	3.1.3. GOES.........................................53
	3.1.4. GMS..........................................54
	3.1.5. INSAT........................................54

   3.2. STAGE A DATA DESCRIPTION............................61

   3.3. DATA VOLUME REDUCTION PROCEDURE.....................61

   3.4. GLOBAL PROCESSING CENTER OPERATIONS.................64


4. RADIANCE CALIBRATION:....................................66

   4.1. NOMINAL CALIBRATIONS................................67
        4.1.1. NOAA POLAR ORBITER (AVHRR)...................67
	4.1.2. METEOSAT.....................................70
	4.1.3. GOES (VISSR).................................73
	4.1.4. GMS (VISSR)..................................82
	4.1.5. INSAT (VHRR).................................84

   4.2. NORMALIZED CALIBRATIONS.............................85

   4.3. ABSOLUTE CALIBRATION................................87


5. IMAGE NAVIGATION:

   5.1. INFORMATION PROVIDED................................88

   5.2. CALCULATION TECHNIQUES..............................89
        5.2.1. TECHNIQUE WHEN --- AND --- ARE KNOWN.........89
	5.2.2. TECHNIQUE WHEN ORBIT/ATTITUDE ELEMENTS 
	       ARE KNOWN....................................91

   5.3. OUTPUT QUANTITIES...................................93

   5.4. NAVIGATION ACCURACY.................................93


6. REFERENCES:

   6.1. GENERAL.............................................94

   6.2. PROJECT DOCUMENTS...................................96

   6.3. RELATED REPORTS.....................................97


7. APPENDICES...............................................99

   7.1. SOLAR CONSTANT TABLE................................99

   7.2. NOAA SPECTRAL RESPONSE:............................100
        7.2.1. NOAA-7......................................102
	7.2.2. NOAA-8......................................106
	7.2.3. NOAA-9......................................110
	7.2.4. NOAA-10.....................................114
	7.2.5. NOAA-11.....................................118
	7.2.6. NOAA-12.....................................121
	7.2.7. NOAA-14.....................................124
	7.2.8. NOAA-15.....................................125a


   7.3. METEOSAT SPECTRAL RESPONSE:........................126
        7.3.1. METEOSAT-2..................................126
	7.3.2. METEOSAT-3..................................128
	7.3.3. METEOSAT-4..................................130
	7.3.4. METEOSAT-5..................................133

   7.4. GOES SPECTRAL RESPONSE:............................136
        7.4.1. GOES-5......................................136
	7.4.2. GOES-6......................................138
	7.4.3. GOES-7......................................140
	7.4.4. GOES-8......................................143
	7.4.5. GOES-9......................................147
	7.4.6. GOES-10.....................................149a

   7.5. GMS SPECTRAL RESPONSE:.............................150
        7.5.1. GMS-1.......................................150
	7.5.2. GMS-2.......................................153
	7.5.3. GMS-3.......................................154
	7.5.4. GMS-4.......................................156
	7.5.5. GMS-5.......................................158

   7.6. INSAT SPECTRAL RESPONSE:...........................162
	7.6.1. INSAT-1B....................................162

PREFACE

   The operational data collection phase of the International
Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) began on 1 July 
1983 as the first element of the World Climate Research Program
(WCRP).  Since then, raw visible and infrared images from the
international network of operational geostationary and polar
orbiting meteorological satellites (GOES-E, GOES-W, METEOSAT,
GMS, and NOAA) have been routinely processed to develop a global
dataset of calibrated radiances and derived cloud parameters
for climate research.

   This report, which was prepared by the staff of the ISCCP 
Global Processing Center (GPC) with contributions from the many
other participants in the program, outlines the key factors and
steps involved in producing the basic ISCCP reduced resolution
global radiance (B3) dataset.  It is intended to serve as a guide
for B3 data users concerned with understanding the steps involved
in navigating, calibrating, and normalizing the radiances provided 
to the GPC by the ISCCP satellite data processing centers.  It is
also intended as a reference for the spectral response characteristics
of the imaging radiometers carried by the world's operational 
meteorological satellites; no other such compilation is known to exist.



Robert A. Schiffer
ISCCP Project Manager

GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS

AES      Atmospheric Environment Service, Downsview, Ontario, 
         Canada
AVHRR    Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer flown on 
         NOAA polar orbiters
CAS      Commission for Atmospheric Sciences
CIN      CSU SPC for INSAT
CME      CSU SPC for METEOSAT
CMS      Centre de Meteorologie Spatial, Lannion, France
CSU      Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado, USA
ESA      European Space Agency
EUM      EUMETSAT
EUMETSAT European Organization for the Exploitation of 
         Meteorological Satellites
GAC      Global Area Coverage data from AVHRR (4 km resolution)
GISS	 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Institute for Space 
         Studies, New York, New York, USA
GKSS	 Gesellschaft zur Erforschung von Kernbrennstoffen in 
         Schiffbau und Schiffahrt
GMS	 Geostationary Meteorological Satellite operated by JMA
GMT	 Greenwich Mean Time
GOES	 Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 
         operated by NOAA
GPC	 Global Processing Center of ISCCP
GVAR	 GOES Variable format
HIRS/2	 High Resolution Infrared Sounder flown on NOAA polar 
         orbiters
IAMAP	 International Association of Meteorology and 
         Atmospheric Physics
ICA	 ISCCP Central Archive located at NOAA/NESDIS
ICSU	 International Council of Scientific Unions
IMD	 India Meteorological Department, New Delhi, India
INSAT	 Indian Meteorological Satellite
IR       Infrared (11 µm) channel
ISCCP	 International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project, 
         first project of WCRP
JMA	 Japan Meteorological Agency, Tokyo, Japan
JPS	 Joint Planning Staff for the JSC
JSC	 Joint Scientific Committee for the World Climate Program
METEOSAT Geosynchronous Meteorological Satellite
MSC      Meteorological Satellite Center
MSU	 Microwave Sounding Unit flown on NOAA polar orbiters
NASA	 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 
         Washington, DC, USA
NCAR	 National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, 
         Colorado, USA
NESDIS	 National Environmental Satellite Data and Information 
         Service (NOAA), Washington, DC, USA
NOA      NOAA SPC for Afternoon orbiters
NOAA	 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
         Washington, DC, USA
NOM	 NOAA SPC for Morning orbiters
RSA	 Russian Space Agency
SAPC	 Special Area Processing Center of ISCCP
SCC	 Satellite Calibration Center of ISCCP
SPC	 Sector Processing Center of ISCCP
SSU	 Stratospheric Sounding Unit flown on NOAA polar orbiters
TIROS	 Television Infrared Observation Satellite
TOVS	 TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder System composed of 
         HIRS/2, SSU, MSU
USA	 United States of America
UTC	 Universal Time, Coordinated
UWS	 University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
VAS	 VISSR Atmospheric Sounder combination flown on GOES 
         satellites
VHRR	 Very High Resolution Radiometer
VIS	 Visible (0.6 µm) channel
VISSR	 Visible Infrared Spin-Scan Radiometer flown on GMS 
         and GOES
WCP	 World Climate Program under the auspices of WMO 
         and ICSU
WCRP	 World Climate Research Program, an element of the WCP
WMO	 World Meteorological Organization, United Nations, 
         Geneva, Switzerland
WV	 Water Vapor channel

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ISCCP Project Documents: B3 Radiance Data