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Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Hurricane Satellite (HURSAT) from International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) B1, Version 6

HURSAT B1

browse graphicHURSAT-B1
The Hurricane Satellite (HURSAT) from derived International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) B1 observations of tropical cyclones worldwide. The B1 data are subsampled observations from the global constellation of geostationary satellites (GOES, Meteosat, GMS, and FY2 series) spanning 1978 through to present year. The data include infrared window, visible and other channels available from the satellite instruments. IBTrACS (International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship) best track locations of all global tropical cyclones were temporally interpolated to match the satellite data resolution. The satellite data were then gridded to 8km, with grid centers fixed on the tropical cyclone center of circulation at 3-hour intervals. Data are provided in a convenient NetCDF format which is self-documenting and follows standard storage and metadata conventions. HURSAT version 6 also contains information about the image derived from storm centering algorithms including ARCHER [Wimmer's SSEC algorithm] and the axisymmetric technique. Azimuthal statistics derived from these positions are also provided. Version 6 supersedes all other HURSAT B1 versions.
  • Cite as: Knapp, K. R.; Kossin, J. P. (2017): Hurricane Satellite (HURSAT) from International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) B1, Version 6. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Center for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V55X274D [access date]. Also cite this paper when data is used as a source: Knapp, K. R. and J. P. Kossin, 2007: New global tropical cyclone data from ISCCP B1 geostationary satellite observations.Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, 1, 013505. doi:10.1117/1.2712816
gov.noaa.ncdc:C00997
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Distribution Formats
  • XML
  • netCDF (Version: version 4)
    • File Specification: CF convention
    • File Compression: netCDF internal compression is applied
Ordering Instructions Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions.
Distributor NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact Customer Engagement Branch
DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
1-828-271-4800
ncei.sat.info@noaa.gov
Time Period 1978-05-30 to Present (time interval: 3-hour)
Spatial Reference System urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4326
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West: -180.0
East: 180.0
South: -90.0
North: 90.0
Spatial Coverage Map
General Documentation
Processing Documents
Associated Resources
Publication Dates
  • publication: 2017-05-01
  • creation: 2017-01-02
Edition Version 6
Data Presentation Form Digital image
Dataset Progress Status Ongoing - data is continually being updated
Data Update Frequency Annually
Purpose To provide a cohesive data set of historical tropical cyclone centered imagery for future analysis (e.g., forecast development, climate analysis, etc.).
Use Limitations
  • The data are not original resolution satellite data. Instead, all images are approximately 8km resolution.
Dataset Citation
  • Cite as: Knapp, K. R.; Kossin, J. P. (2017): Hurricane Satellite (HURSAT) from International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) B1, Version 6. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Center for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V55X274D [access date]. Also cite this paper when data is used as a source: Knapp, K. R. and J. P. Kossin, 2007: New global tropical cyclone data from ISCCP B1 geostationary satellite observations.Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, 1, 013505. doi:10.1117/1.2712816
Cited Authors
  • Knapp, Ken
    DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • Kossin, James
    DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Originators
  • Knapp, Ken
    DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Collaborators
  • Kossin, James
    DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Publishers
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Theme keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
  • Earth Science > Atmosphere > Weather Events > Tropical Cyclones
  • Earth Science > Human Dimensions > Natural Hazards > Tropical Cyclones > Hurricanes
  • Earth Science > Human Dimensions > Natural Hazards > Tropical Cyclones > Hurricanes
  • Earth Science > Human Dimensions > Natural Hazards > Tropical Cyclones > Typhoons
  • Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure > Anticyclones/Cyclones
  • Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure > Sea Level Pressure
  • Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Pressure > Sea Level Pressure
  • Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Optics > Radiance
  • Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Albedo
  • Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Net Radiation
  • Earth Science > Atmosphere > Aerosols > Aerosol Optical Depth/Thickness
  • Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Solar Irradiance
  • Earth Science > Spectral/Engineering > Infrared Wavelengths
  • Earth Science > Spectral/Engineering > Visible Wavelengths
  • Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds
  • Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Essential Climate Variables (ECVs)
  • Oceanic - Surface - Sea Level
Data Center keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Platform keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Platform Keywords
  • GOES-1 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 1
  • GOES-2 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 2
  • GOES-3 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 3
  • GOES-4 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 4
  • GOES-5 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 5
  • GOES-6 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 6
  • GOES-7 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 7
  • GOES-8 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 8
  • GOES-9 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 9
  • GOES-10 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 10
  • GOES-11 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 11
  • GOES-12 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 12
  • SMS-2 > Synchronous Meteorological Satellite 2
  • METEOSAT-4 > Meteosat Operational Programme 1 (MOP-1)
  • METEOSAT-5 > Meteosat Operational Programme 2 (MOP-2)
  • METEOSAT-6 > Meteosat Operational Programme 3 (MOP-3)
  • METEOSAT-7
  • GMS-1 > Geostationary Meteorological Satellite-1
  • GMS-2 > Geostationary Meteorological Satellite-2
  • GMS-3 > Geostationary Meteorological Satellite-3
  • GMS-4 > Geostationary Meteorological Satellite-4
  • GMS-5 > Geostationary Meteorological Satellite-5
  • MTSAT-1R > Multi-functional Transport Satellite 1 Replacement
  • METEOSAT-8
Instrument keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
  • VAS > VISSR Atmospheric Sounder
  • JAMI > Japanese Advanced Meteorological Imager
  • SEVIRI > Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager
  • GOES I-M IMAGER
  • VISSR-METEOSAT > Visible and Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer (METEOSAT Series)
Place keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
  • Geographic Region > Global
  • Geographic Region > Equatorial
  • Geographic Region > Global Ocean
Data Resolution keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Horizontal Data Resolution Keywords
  • 1 km - < 10 km or approximately .01 degree - < .09 degree
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Temporal Data Resolution Keywords
  • Hourly - < Daily
Stratum keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
  • Vertical Location > Sea Surface
  • Vertical Location > Mesosphere
Use Constraints
  • Cite as: Knapp, K. R.; Kossin, J. P. (2017): Hurricane Satellite (HURSAT) from International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) B1, Version 6. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Center for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V55X274D [access date]. Also cite this paper when data is used as a source: Knapp, K. R. and J. P. Kossin, 2007: New global tropical cyclone data from ISCCP B1 geostationary satellite observations.Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, 1, 013505. doi:10.1117/1.2712816
  • 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.
Access Constraints
  • 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.
Fees
  • In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.
Lineage information for: dataset
Lineage Statement The HURSAT data are created by merging the IBTrACS data (which provides positions of tropical cyclones) with the ISCCP B1 data (which are subsampled geostationary data). The IBTrACS positions of tropical cyclones are interpolated in time to match the geostationary image time. The geostationary data are then interpolated to a latitude/longitude grid centered on the cyclone center, using nearest neighbor. The resulting data are stored in netCDF files. Some cyclone centering techniques are applied to the data and their results are stored in the netCDF files as well.
Processor
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Processing Steps
  • Identify tropical cyclone(s) in satellite data.
    Rationale: Need to know where the tropical cyclones are.
  • Calculate spatial grid from satellite data
    Rationale: Produce satellite imagery centered on active tropical cyclones
  • Calculate objective storm center using the ARCHER algorithm
    Rationale: The ARCHER routine objectively identifies the storm center using IR scene data. This reduces the impact of navigation errors in the source ISCCP B1 data.
  • Write ARCHER parameters and other statistics of the gridded data to final netCDF file
    Rationale: Need to get the ARCHER information (produced with Matlab and output stored in ASCII) back to the HURSAT netCDF file. Azimuthal averages are produced based on various estimates of the storm center, including the ARCHER algorithm.
Processing Environment The data are produced on Linux systems using IDL scripts. The ARCHER module was provided as a Matlab program, so is processed in Matlab. ARCHER data is passed back to IDL to be included in final HURSAT netCDF files.
Processing Documents
Source Datasets
Lineage information for: repository
Processing Steps
  • 2015-04-22T00:00:00 - NOAA created the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) by merging NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), and National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), including the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), per the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Public Law 113-235. NCEI launched publicly on April 22, 2015.
Last Modified: 2023-06-23
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