|
July 10, 2007
NOAA's Polar-orbiting Satellite Data
Currently, CoastWatch provides AVHRR SST data from each of NOAA's existing polar-orbiting satellites. However, it should be noted that since the launch of NOAA-18, NOAA-15 data are no longer being quality-checked anymore. Imagery are still produced since people use the imagery for things besides temperature, such as identifying fronts, eddies, currents, etc. NOAA-16, 17, and 18 data are being checked right now, as well as the new MetOp data. Hopefully, MetOp HRPT products will be available soon!!!!!
June 12-14, 2007
CoastWatch Node Operations Managers Meeting
CoastWatch celebrated 20 years of continuous service at the 2007 CoastWatch Node Operations Managers meeting in Annapolis, MD. This annual meeting brings CoastWatch managers and partners together to discuss items such as data distribution, products and services, and user support. Participants were from various NOAA Offices, but included at least one from each major Line Office. See a group photo taken downtown Annapolis at City Dock.
March 27, 2007
GeoTIFF Applets for CW Data
CoastWatch now has a Java Applet tool for viewing all datasets. Below each image are links for downloading the HDF data, Metadata, and the PNG and TIFF images. Now, there is also a link that reads "Explore this TIFF in CW Applet." This tool allows a user to move the cursor over the image and get the location and value for a specific point. Use "Product Search" to view the most recent imagery.
January 2007
NOAA 200th Celebration
All through 2007, NOAA will be celebrating its 200th anniversary. This celebration will highlight the rich history of science, service, and stewardship provided by NOAA and its predecessors. There are many great stories to tell, from the founding of the U.S. Survey of the Coast by Thomas Jefferson to the activities of the agency today, all of which are dedicated to the protection, management, and understanding of our ocean, coasts, and skies.
CoastWatch has made a contribution to present-day NOAA and is considered an "honorable mention" within NOAA's Foundation Data Sets and Products, as well as Breakthroughs in science thinking, discoveries, and insight. Go to the website for more information on NOAA's 200th anniversary events and activities.
December 8, 2006
GOES SST Navigation Modified
Starting with 2006_341_21, GOES SST Bayesian Products have a change in the navigation. The gridded data now reads the satellite projection retrievals at a point one-half cell, or 0.025 degrees, to the north and west. This fix affects all of the currently operational (i.e. Bayesian-derived) gridded products. Please send any questions to the CoastWatch Help Desk.
November 28, 2006
New Version of CoastWatch Utilities
A new version of the CoastWatch Utilities is now available. Download v3.2.1 with these new features:
On Windows/Linux/Solaris, Java is now included in the download
On-the-fly units conversion in CDAT
Support for latest NOAA 1b data including MetOp
Better Mac OS X support
Reformatted and more accessible help system
Faster application startup
October 19, 2006
Successful Satellite Launch
The MetOp-A satellite was successfully launched by a Soyuz rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 12:28 EDT. The European Space Agency (ESA) has begun the early orbit activity and will assess the health and safety of the satellite. On 23 October, a European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) team supported by NOAA/NASA personnel began the 8-week Satellite In-Orbit Validation. This involves turn-on and check-out of the instruments. The launch of MetOp-A is a significant milestone for the U.S.- European Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS). The agreement between NOAA and EUMETSAT coordinates respective polar satellite launches to improve coverage of weather and climate conditions. Check back for global datasets from this satellite in the coming months!
(NOAA Press Release)
September 18-21, 2006
Oceans 2006 MTS/IEEE Conference
The MTS/IEEE Oceans conference is an annual event that CoastWatch exhibits at. This year, the conference was held at the Hynes Convention Center in downtown Boston, MA. Together, CoastWatch and other NOAA offices showed the latest advances in NOAA science, and available products and services. Follow this link for more information on next year's event in Vancouver. See you there!
July 21, 2006
CoastWatch Exhibits at the AMS Maury Project/ NOAA Open House
CoastWatch exhibited for the teachers of the AMS Maury Project on July 21, at the NOAA Science Center in Silver Spring, MD. These science teachers, from all over the country, were very enthusiastic to learn more about satellite data, NESDIS and NOAA. For the past several years, NOAA has been a part of the American Meteorological Society's Maury Project , as one of their field trip destinations. The teachers selected for this project take what they've learned back to the classroom and "teach the teachers." This helps NOAA reach a wider audience.
CoastWatch used this opportunity to share several new remote sensing tutorials with the teachers. We asked for their feedback to help us shape them into useful materials for the classroom. These lessons will be available online in the coming months.
June 16, 2006
New East Coast Node
On June 16, 2006, the new East Coast Node was established!! The node is co-located with NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office in Annapolis, MD., and will provide near real-time oceanographic satellite data to Federal, state, and local marine scientists, coastal resource managers, and the general public for regions from Maine to Florida. The East Coast Node website offers new technology for data discovery and access to appeal to a wide range of users. Satellite data is collected from a variety of NOAA offices and then processed, mapped, and distributed via the Internet.
June 13, 2006
New Cloud Mask, GOES 10 Replaced
On June 15, 2006 the GOES 10/12 SST operational products will include a new cloud mask called Bayesian. The GOES-SST with the old cloud mask will be running simultaneously for a month. This will allow an overlap for users to switch naming conventions and data streams to the new GOES-SST Bayesian product.
On June 20, 2006 GOES-11 data will be generated in place of GOES-10 SSTs, and will have the new Bayesian Cloud Mask. The GOES-11 SST has not been validated, yet, but will be within the next two months. The quality of this product may vary during this time period until the validation is completed. In addition to the cloud mask, the new Bayesian products will have a new file format with header file, SST records, and Pclear records. Any questions regarding this new product can be submitted through the CoastWatch Feedback Form.
May 25, 2006
New GOES Satellite Launched
NOAA and NASA officials confirmed that a new GOES satellite, designed to track hurricanes and other environmental conditions, successfully reached orbit last night after it was launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Initially called GOES-N, the satellite will be renamed GOES-13 once it reaches final orbit. Follow this link for the Full Story.
April 27, 2006
CoastWatch and the Volvo Ocean Race
The Volvo Ocean Race is the premier sailing event featuring the V070 sailboat sponsored by syndicates from around the world. The Race will cover 32,500 nautical miles, stop in nine ports, including two in the United States, and sail through four oceans over an eight-month period. From April 17 - May 7, the racers were docked in Baltimore, MD as part of the Baltimore Waterfront Festival, and then in Annapolis, MD for the Maritime Heritage Festival. NOAA set up a booth at both events to provide information on CoastWatch involvement and
NOAA's involvment with the race.
Quarterly Newsletter Available
Beginning this fiscal year, CoastWatch has a quarterly newsletter with the latest and greatest about the program, including the Nodes. CoastWatch Q1 Newsletter (PDF),
CoastWatch Q2 Newsletter (PDF)
March 28, 2006
Attention Ocean Color Users!
Effective April 24, 2006, operations and maintenance of the Okeanos processing system of processors and FTP servers will transition from NESDIS/ORA to NESDIS/OSDPD personnel. The change should not cause any disruption in the product distribution nor in the user interface. Help desk inquiries related to Okeanos products will be fielded by OSDPD personnel.
The point of contact will be the SSD Helpdesk: Phone - (301) 763-8222, Email - SSDHelpdesk@noaa.gov.
March 15, 2006
MODIS True Color 250m Images
All CoastWatch MODIS true color images are now searchable through the main product search interface. You can search the most recent images for all regions or use the search tool to choose a specific region. True color regions are identified with "(250m)".
February 20-24, 2006
2006 Ocean Sciences Meeting
ASLO, TOS, and AGU convened the 2006 Ocean Sciences meeting in Honolulu. CoastWatch set up an exhibit, along with NOAA/NODC and NOAA/NCCOS to provide information on data and products currently available. Attendance and interest where at a high as session subjects included coastal ocean processes, physical oceanography, oceans and climate, and many more. The next ocean sciences meeting will be in Orlando, Florida, March 2-7, 2008.
January 31, 2006
Chesapeake Bay Remote Sensing Symposium
CoastWatch, NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office (NCBO), and the Chesapeake Bay Program sponsored the Chesapeake Bay Remote Sensing Symposium on January 31, 2006 at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, MD to facilitate the integration of ocean remote sensing products into existing and developing Chesapeake Bay decision support tools. The Symposium convened over fifty representatives from regional organizations currently involved with remote sensing and water quality monitoring activities in the Chesapeake Bay. Symposium discussions prompted development of an initial implementation plan that involves collaborative efforts across Federal and State agencies and academic institutions. Presentations, a list of participants, and additional information can be found on the ocean remote sensing page through the NCBO website.
|
|
