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Commercial (Comm) Radio Occultation (RO) Raw Data Record (RDR) from Spire Global Subsidiary

Published by DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Catalog Last Checked: April 12, 2026 at 09:25 PM | Dataset Last Updated: December 17, 2020 at 12:00 AM
This dataset contains Commercial (Comm) Radio Occultation (RO) raw data from Spire Global Subsidiary, which is an established method for remote sounding of the atmosphere. The technique uses an instrument in low-Earth orbit (LEO) to track radio signals from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) transmitters as they rise or set through the atmosphere. The occulting atmosphere refracts or bends the radio signals, and given the precise positions of both satellites, the bending angle can be deduced from the time delay of the signal. Collecting these measurements for a full occultation through the atmosphere provides a vertical profile of bending angles, from which profiles of physical quantities such as temperature, humidity, and ionospheric electron density can be retrieved. These data primarily feed numerical weather prediction (NWP) models that support weather forecasts, and also support space weather analysis/prediction at NOAA.

Resources

6 resources available

  • NCEI Dataset Landing Page

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  • NCEI Direct Download

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  • UCAR COSMIC Program CDAAC GNSS Radio Occultation Datasets

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  • Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Keywords

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  • GCOS Essential Climate Variables

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  • NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

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