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International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project, D-Series (Superseded)

Published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Catalog Last Checked: July 11, 2026 at 09:52 PM | Dataset Last Updated: July 01, 1987 at 12:00 AM
**ISCCP D-Series has been superseded by a newer version. Users should not use ISCCP D-Series except in rare cases (e.g., when reproducing previous studies that used the ISCCP D-Series).** ISCCP was established in 1982 as part of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) to collect and analyze satellite radiance measurements to infer the global distribution of clouds, their properties, and their diurnal, seasonal, and interannual variations. Period of record is July 1, 1983 through December 31, 2009. ISCCP D-Series dataset consists of the following products: (1) D1 - Cloud products gridded to 2.5 deg at 3 hourly time steps. This includes about 200 variables, including cloud products, ancillary data and static data. (2) D2 - Monthly averages of cloud products gridded to 2.5 degree. This includes many variables and processing inputs (e.g., ancillary data) as well as outputs (cloud products, etc.). D2 data are temporal averages of the D1 data. (3) DX - Pixel level cloud products in the satellite-projection. This data is roughly 32 km and 3 hourly. This data is used to derive the D1 product. In addition, there are ancillary data files included with the archive; these inputs that are used to create the D-series data.

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  • NCEI Dataset Landing Page

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  • HDSS Access System

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  • ISSCP, H-Series

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  • ISCCP cloud data products

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  • The International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP): The First Project of the World Climate Research Programme

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  • Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Keywords

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  • GCOS Essential Climate Variables

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Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds Atmospheric - Upper-air - Cloud Properties Geographic Region > Global Vertical Location > Troposphere ISCCP > International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project Earth Remote Sensing Instruments > Passive Remote Sensing > Spectrometers/Radiometers > Imaging Spectrometers/Radiometers > AVHRR > Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Earth Remote Sensing Instruments > Passive Remote Sensing > Spectrometers/Radiometers > Radiometers > MTSAT 1R Imager Earth Remote Sensing Instruments > Passive Remote Sensing > Spectrometers/Radiometers > Radiometers > MTSAT 2 Imager

Complete Metadata
@type dcat:Dataset
accessLevel non-public
contactPoint 
{
  "fn": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information",
  "@type": "vcard:Contact",
  "hasEmail": "mailto:ncei.orders@noaa.gov"
}
describedByType application/octet-steam
description **ISCCP D-Series has been superseded by a newer version. Users should not use ISCCP D-Series except in rare cases (e.g., when reproducing previous studies that used the ISCCP D-Series).** ISCCP was established in 1982 as part of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) to collect and analyze satellite radiance measurements to infer the global distribution of clouds, their properties, and their diurnal, seasonal, and interannual variations. Period of record is July 1, 1983 through December 31, 2009. ISCCP D-Series dataset consists of the following products: (1) D1 - Cloud products gridded to 2.5 deg at 3 hourly time steps. This includes about 200 variables, including cloud products, ancillary data and static data. (2) D2 - Monthly averages of cloud products gridded to 2.5 degree. This includes many variables and processing inputs (e.g., ancillary data) as well as outputs (cloud products, etc.). D2 data are temporal averages of the D1 data. (3) DX - Pixel level cloud products in the satellite-projection. This data is roughly 32 km and 3 hourly. This data is used to derive the D1 product. In addition, there are ancillary data files included with the archive; these inputs that are used to create the D-series data.
distribution 
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    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Landing page for the dataset.",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
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    "title": "HDSS Access System",
    "mediaType": "placeholder/value",
    "description": "Access to the D-Series data (D1, D2, DX) via HDSS ordering system (HAS).",
    "downloadURL": "https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/has/HAS.FileAppRouter?datasetname=3645&subqueryby=STATION&applname=&outdest=FILE",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
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    "title": "ISSCP, H-Series",
    "accessURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/metadata/geoportal/rest/metadata/item/gov.noaa.ncdc:C00956/html",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "**Current Version** To use the most recent version of the ISCCP data products, please follow the link.",
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  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "ISCCP cloud data products",
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    "description": "Rossow, W.B., and R.A. Schiffer, 1991: ISCCP cloud data products. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 72, 2-20.",
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    "title": "The International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP): The First Project of the World Climate Research Programme",
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    "mediaType": "application/pdf",
    "description": "Schiffer, R.A., and Rossow, W.B., 1983: The International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP): The First Project of the World Climate Research Programme. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 64, 779-784.",
    "downloadURL": "https://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/1983/1983_Schiffer_sc01000b.pdf",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Keywords",
    "accessURL": "https://earthdata.nasa.gov/about/gcmd/global-change-master-directory-gcmd-keywords",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "The information provided on this page seeks to define how the GCMD Keywords are structured, used and accessed. It also provides information on how users can participate in the further development of the keywords.",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "GCOS Essential Climate Variables",
    "accessURL": "https://public.wmo.int/en/programmes/global-climate-observing-system/essential-climate-variables",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Overview of the GCOS Essential Climate Variables.",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "NASA ISCCP Project Site",
    "accessURL": "https://isccp.giss.nasa.gov/",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "More information about the ISCCP D-Series can be found at this link.",
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    "title": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)",
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identifier https://data.noaa.gov/waf/NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/aim/iso/xml/C00976.xml
isPartOf ISSCP, H-Series
issued 1987-07-01T00:00:00.000+00:00
keyword 
[
  "Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds",
  "Atmospheric - Upper-air - Cloud Properties",
  "Geographic Region > Global",
  "Vertical Location > Troposphere",
  "ISCCP > International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project",
  "Earth Remote Sensing Instruments > Passive Remote Sensing > Spectrometers/Radiometers > Imaging Spectrometers/Radiometers > AVHRR > Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer",
  "Earth Remote Sensing Instruments > Passive Remote Sensing > Spectrometers/Radiometers > Radiometers > MTSAT 1R Imager",
  "Earth Remote Sensing Instruments > Passive Remote Sensing > Spectrometers/Radiometers > Radiometers > MTSAT 2 Imager",
  "Earth Remote Sensing Instruments > Passive Remote Sensing > Spectrometers/Radiometers > Imaging Spectrometers/Radiometers > VISSR-GMS > Visible and Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer (GMS Series)",
  "Earth Remote Sensing Instruments > Passive Remote Sensing > Profilers/Sounders > GOES I-M SOUNDER",
  "Earth Remote Sensing Instruments > Passive Remote Sensing > Profilers/Sounders > VAS > VISSR Atmospheric Sounder",
  "Earth Remote Sensing Instruments > Passive Remote Sensing > Spectrometers/Radiometers > Imaging Spectrometers/Radiometers > MVIRI > Meteosat Visible Infra-Red Imager",
  "Earth Remote Sensing Instruments > Passive Remote Sensing > Spectrometers/Radiometers > Imaging Spectrometers/Radiometers > SEVIRI > Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager",
  "Earth Observation Satellites > GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite)",
  "Earth Observation Satellites > METEOSAT > MSG > Meteosat Second Generation",
  "Earth Observation Satellites > MTSAT-1R > Multi-functional Transport Satellite 1 Replacement",
  "Earth Observation Satellites > MTSAT-2 > The Multi-functional Transport Satellite 2",
  "Earth Observation Satellites > GMS (Japan Geostationary Meteorological Satellite)",
  "Earth Observation Satellites > INSAT (Indian National Satellite)",
  "Earth Observation Satellites > NOAA POES (Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites)",
  "250 km - < 500 km or approximately 2.5 degrees - < 5.0 degrees",
  "10 km - < 50 km or approximately .09 degree - < .5 degree",
  "Hourly - < Daily",
  "Monthly - < Annual",
  "DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce"
]
landingPage https://isccp.giss.nasa.gov/
language 
[]
license https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified 1987-07-01T00:00:00.000+00:00
publisher 
{
  "name": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information",
  "@type": "org:Organization"
}
references 
[
  "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/metadata/geoportal/rest/metadata/item/gov.noaa.ncdc:C00956/html",
  "http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/1520-0477%281991%29072%3C0002%3AICDP%3E2.0.CO%3B2",
  "https://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/1983/1983_Schiffer_sc01000b.pdf"
]
rights otherRestrictions
spatial 180.0,-90.0,-180.0,90.0
temporal 1983-07-01T00:00:00+00:00/2009-12-31T00:00:00+00:00
title International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project, D-Series (Superseded)

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