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    • International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) B1 Uniform (B1U) Dataset

    Metadata Updated: September 19, 2023

    Data are collected from the suite of weather satellites operated by several nations and processed into B1 data by several groups in government agencies, laboratories, and universities. Data is submitted in multiple formats, depending on the satellite and nation submitting the data. In order to alleviate complexity when creating satellite products, NCEI processes the data into the B1 Uniform (B1U) format, which is used in multiple satellite products. Data are included in the ISCCP H-Series collection, but are a intended as a standalone interim product on their own.

    Data Variables: The primary data variable are the satellite radiance scans: the images. The following is a list of the more prevalent imagery: IRWIN - Infrared window channel image (~11 microns) VSCHN - Visible Channel image.(~0.6 microns) IRWVP - Infrared Water Vaport Channel (~6.7 microns) IRSPL - Split Window IR channel (~12 microns) There are many other channels. See documentation for list.

    The various file headers contain information on - navigation (i.e., calculating lat/lons for each pixel and vice versa) - calibration (i.e., calculating physical values for each image count ... e.g., converting counts to temperature) - timing (to calculate the time of each scan line). - and more

    Measurement resolution is dependent on the source geostationary instrument. The scans were spatially subsampled to reduce the file sizes. This often results in a spatial resolution of 8 - 10 km near satellite nadir (the resolution decreases away from this point).

    The images are provided every 3 hours near (but not exactly at) synoptic hours (00, 03, 06, ..., 21 UTC).

    The spatial coverage spans the globe (longitudinally) but geostationary satellites can't really observe the poles. The latitudinal extent is about 65 degrees.

    The temporal coverage begins in the 1978 for early SMS satellites. Each satellite will have a different temporal span than another. The globe (longitudinally) can be considered covered beginning in 1982 when there were two satellites of the Western Hemisphere, one at the Prime Meridian and another over the Western Pacific (4 total). The true global coverage (5 satellites) began in 1998.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Date June 23, 2023
    Metadata Created Date October 28, 2022
    Metadata Updated Date September 19, 2023
    Reference Date(s) 2008 (publication), February 1, 2006 (creation)
    Frequency Of Update monthly

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from ncdc

    Other Data Resources

    Graphic Preview

    Sample image of ISCCP B1U IRWIN channel during the "Storm of the Century" Blizzard. (1993-03-13-21)

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date June 23, 2023
    Metadata Created Date October 28, 2022
    Metadata Updated Date September 19, 2023
    Reference Date(s) 2008 (publication), February 1, 2006 (creation)
    Responsible Party NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.ncdc:C01551
    Access Constraints Cite as: Knapp, K. R. (2008): "International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) B1 Uniform (B1U) Dataset [indicate subset used]." NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. [indicate access date], Users should also cite Knapp (2008) when using the ISCCP-B1 data or other ISCCP-B1 imagery or GIBBS imagery in a publication or website. Knapp, K. R., 2008: Scientific data stewardship of International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project B1 global geostationary observations. Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, 2, 023548, doi:10.1117/1.3043461, Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives., Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
    Bbox East Long 180.0
    Bbox North Lat 70
    Bbox South Lat -70
    Bbox West Long -180.0
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update monthly
    Graphic Preview Description Sample image of ISCCP B1U IRWIN channel during the "Storm of the Century" Blizzard. (1993-03-13-21)
    Graphic Preview File https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/metadata/images/C01551_ISCCP-B1U.jpg
    Graphic Preview Type JPEG
    Harvest Object Id f2a21c26-a7ab-42a8-84f2-c50dca56a330
    Harvest Source Id 2cb3ef77-1683-4c2a-9119-dc65e50917c6
    Harvest Source Title ncdc
    Licence Spatial sampling limits resolution to roughly 8 km., Temporal sampling can't resolve phenomena at times more than every 3 hours., The early data (prior to 2012) most of the data were dynamically redused to 8-bit values (0-255). More recent data is generally at the full satellite resolution (e.g., up to 10-12 bits)., See associated documentation for a full description of use limitations.
    Lineage NCEI produces ISCCP B1U data directly from ISCCP B1 data. The B1 files currently are (and historically have been) sent to NCEI by numerous providers. The original means were 9 track tapes and most recently files are delivered electronically. Each agency provided the file in their own format. This mean that even the same satellite can have different formats if there are different providers for the data (e.g., Canada's AES and NCEI produced GOES 8 data or both CSU abd UWS provided data for early GOES satellites). Thus, the primary purpose of B1U is to reduce the number of decoders needed to read the data from dozens to 1.
    Metadata Language eng; USA
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-180.0, -70.0], [180.0, -70.0], [180.0, 70.0], [-180.0, 70.0], [-180.0, -70.0]]]}
    Progress onGoing
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 1982-01-01

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