Observation systems

• Argo
  Argo (oceanography)
  Argo is an observation system for the Earth's oceans that provides real-time data for use in climate, weather, oceanographic and fisheries research. Argo consists of a large collection of small, drifting oceanic robotic probes deployed worldwide. The probes float as deep as 2 km. Once every...
  
  
• Global Atmosphere Watch
  Global Atmosphere Watch
  The Global Atmosphere Watch is a worldwide system established by the World Meteorological Organization a United Nations agency to monitor trends in the Earth's atmosphere...
  
  
• Automatic weather station
  Automatic weather station
  An automatic weather station is an automated version of the traditional weather station, either to save human labour or to enable measurements from remote areas...
  
  
• Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS)
  Remote Automated Weather Station
  The Remote Automated Weather Stations system is a network of weather stations run by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management and monitored by the National Interagency Fire Center, mainly to observe potential wildfire conditions....
  
  
• Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS)
• Meteorological Aerodrome Report (METAR)
  METAR
  METAR is a format for reporting weather information. A METAR weather report is predominantly used by pilots in fulfillment of a part of a pre-flight weather briefing, and by meteorologists, who use aggregated METAR information to assist in weather forecasting....
  
  
• NEXRAD radar
  NEXRAD
  NEXRAD or Nexrad is a network of 159 high-resolution Doppler weather radars operated by the National Weather Service, an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the United States Department of Commerce...
  
  
• Global Sea Level Observing System
  Global Sea Level Observing System
  The Global Sea Level Observing System is an Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission program whose purpose is to measure sea level globally for long-term climate change studies. The program's purpose has changed since the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and the program now collects realtime...
  
  
• SST buoys
  Sea surface temperature
  Sea surface temperature is the water temperature close to the oceans surface. The exact meaning of surface varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air masses in the Earth's atmosphere are highly modified by sea surface temperatures within a...
  
  
• Hurricane Hunters
  Hurricane Hunters
  The Hurricane Hunters are aircraft that fly into tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeastern Pacific Ocean for the specific purpose of directly measuring weather data in and around those storms. In the United States, the Air Force, Navy, and NOAA units have all participated in...
  
  
• Dropsonde
  Dropsonde
  A dropsonde is a weather reconnaissance device created by the National Center for Atmospheric Research , designed to be dropped from an aircraft at altitude to more accurately measure tropical storm conditions as the device falls to the surface...
  
  
• Weather balloon
  Weather balloon
  A weather or sounding balloon is a balloon which carries instruments aloft to send back information on atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity and wind speed by means of a small, expendable measuring device called a radiosonde...
  
  

Orbital instrumentation

• AIRS
  Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
  The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is one of six instruments flying on board NASA’s Aqua satellite, launched on May 4, 2002. The instrument is designed to support climate research and improve weather forecasting....
  
  
• AMSU-A
  Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit
  The Advanced microwave sounding unit is a multi-channel microwave radiometer installed on meteorological satellites. The instrument examines several bands of microwave radiation from the atmosphere to perform atmospheric sounding of temperature and moisture levels.-Products:Level-1 radiance data...
  
  
• ASTER
  Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer
  ASTER is a Japanese sensor which is one of five remote sensory devices on board the Terra satellite launched into Earth orbit by NASA in 1999...
  
  
• Aqua
  Aqua (satellite)
  Aqua is a multi-national NASA scientific research satellite in orbit around the Earth, studying the precipitation, evaporation, and cycling of water. It is the second major component of the Earth Observing System preceded by Terra and followed by Aura .The name "Aqua" comes from the Latin word...
  
  
• Aura
  Aura (satellite)
  Aura is a multi-national NASA scientific research satellite in orbit around the Earth, studying the Earth's ozone layer, air quality and climate. It is the third major component of the Earth Observing System following on Terra and Aqua...
  
  
• AVHRR
  Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
  The Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer is a space-borne sensor embarked on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration family of polar orbiting platforms . AVHRR instruments measure the reflectance of the Earth in 5 relatively wide spectral bands...
  
  
• CALIPSO
  CALIPSO
  CALIPSO is a joint NASA and CNES environmental satellite, built in the Cannes Mandelieu Space Center, which was launched atop a Delta II rocket on April 28, 2006. Its name stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations...
  
  
• CloudSat
  CloudSat
  CloudSat is a NASA Earth observation satellite, which was launched on a Delta II rocket on 28 April 2006. It uses radar to measure the altitude and properties of clouds, adding to information on the relationship between clouds and climate in order to help resolve questions about global warming...
  
  
• CERES
  CERES
  CERES may refer to:* California Environmental Resources Evaluation System * Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies of the University of Toronto...
  
  
• DMC
  Disaster Monitoring Constellation
  The Disaster Monitoring Constellation consists of a number of remote sensing satellites constructed by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd and operated for the Algerian, Nigerian, Turkish, British and Chinese governments by DMC International Imaging...
  
  
• Envisat
  Envisat
  Envisat is an Earth-observing satellite. It was launched on 1 March 2002 aboard an Ariane 5 from the Guyana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guyana into a Sun synchronous polar orbit at an altitude of...
  
  
• EROS
  EROS (satellite)
  Earth Resources Observation Satellite is a series of Israeli commercial Earth observation satellites, designed and manufactured by Israel Aircraft Industries , with optical payload supplied by El-Op. The satellites are owned and operated by ImageSat International, another Israeli company, with...
  
  
• GOES
  Goes
  Goes is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands in Zuid-Beveland, in the province Zeeland. The city of Goes has approximately 27,000 residents.-History of Goes:...
  
  
• GOMOS
• GRACE
  Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment
  The Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment , a joint mission of NASA and the German Space Agency, has been making detailed measurements of Earth's gravity field since its launch in March 2002....
  
  
• Hydros
• ICESat
  ICESat
  ICESat , part of NASA's Earth Observing System, was a satellite mission for measuring ice sheet mass balance, cloud and aerosol heights, as well as land topography and vegetation characteristics...
  
  
• IKONOS
  IKONOS
  IKONOS is a commercial earth observation satellite, and was the first to collect publicly available high-resolution imagery at 1- and 4-meter resolution. It offers multispectral and panchromatic imagery. The IKONOS launch was called by John E. Pike “one of the most significant developments in...
  
  
• Jason-1
• Landsat
• MERIS
  MERIS
  MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer is one of the main instruments on board the European Space Agency 's Envisat platform.This instrument is composed of five cameras disposed side by side, each equipped with a pushbroom spectrometer. These spectrometers use two-dimensional CCDs...
  
  
• MetOp
  MetOp
  MetOp is a series of polar orbiting meteorological satellites operated by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. The satellites are all part af the EUMETSAT Polar System. It is intended to replace the soon to be retired TIROS network...
  
  
• Meteor
  Meteor (satellite)
  The Meteor craft are weather observation satellites launched by the USSR. The Meteor satellites were designed to monitor atmospheric and sea-surface temperatures, humidity, radiation, sea ice conditions, snow-cover, and clouds.-Meteor 2-21:...
  
  
• Meteosat
  Meteosat
  The Meteosat series of satellites are geostationary meteorological satellites operated by EUMETSAT under the Meteosat Transition Programme and the Meteosat Second Generation program....
  
  
• MLS
  Microwave Limb Sounder
  The Microwave Limb Sounder experiments measure microwave thermal emission from the limb of Earth's upper atmosphere...
  
  
• MIPAS
• MISR
  MISR
  The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer is a scientific instrument on the Terra satellite launched by NASA on December 18, 1999. This device is designed to measure the intensity of solar radiation reflected by the Earth system in various directions and spectral bands; it became operational in...
  
  
• MODIS
  MODIS
  The Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer is a payload scientific instrument launched into Earth orbit by NASA in 1999 on board the Terra Satellite, and in 2002 on board the Aqua satellite...
  
  
• MOPITT
  MOPITT
  MOPITT is a payload scientific instrument launched into Earth orbit by NASA on board the Terra satellite in 1999. It is designed to monitor changes in pollution patterns and its effect in the lower atmosphere of the Earth...
  
  
• MTSAT
• NMP
  New Millennium program
  New Millennium Program is a NASA project with focus on engineering validation of new technologies for space applications. Funding for the program was eliminated from the FY2009 budget by the 110th United States Congress, effectively leading to its cancellation.The spacecraft in the New Millennium...
  
  
• NOAA-N'
  NOAA-N'
  NOAA-19, designated NOAA-N prior to launch, is the last of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's POES series of weather satellites...
  
  
• NPOESS
  NPOESS
  The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System was to be the United States' next-generation satellite system that would monitor the Earth's weather, atmosphere, oceans, land and near-space environment. NPOESS satellites were to host proven technologies and operational...
  
  
• OMI
  Omi
  was an ancient Japanese hereditary title denoting rank and political standing that, along with muraji, was reserved for the most powerful clans during the Kofun period...
  
  
• OCO
  Orbiting Carbon Observatory
  The Orbiting Carbon Observatory is a NASA satellite mission intended to provide global space-based observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide . The original spacecraft was lost in a launch failure on February 24, 2009, when the payload fairing of the Taurus rocket which was carrying it failed to...
  
  
• PARASOL
  PARASOL (satellite)
  PARASOL is a French-built Earth observing research satellite. It carries an instrument called POLDER which studies the radiative and microphysical properties of clouds and aerosols....
  
  
• QuickBird
  QuickBird
  QuickBird is a high-resolution commercial earth observation satellite, owned by DigitalGlobe and launched in 2001 as the first satellite in a constellation of three scheduled to be in orbit by 2008...
  
  
• QuikSCAT
  QuikSCAT
  The QuikSCAT is an earth-observing satellite that provided estimates of wind speed and direction over the oceans to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and others. This "quick recovery" mission intended to replace the NASA Scatterometer , which failed in June 1997...
  
  
• RADARSAT-1
  RADARSAT-1
  Radarsat-1 is Canada's first commercial Earth observation satellite.-Mission:It was launched at 14h22 UTC on November 4, 1995 from Vandenberg AFB in California, into a sun-synchronous orbit above the Earth with an altitude of 798 kilometers and inclination of 98.6 degrees...
  
  
• SCIAMACHY
  SCIAMACHY
  SCIAMACHY is one of ten instruments aboard of ESA's ENVIronmental SATellite, ENVISAT....
  
  
• SeaWiFS
  SeaWiFS
  SeaWiFS stands for Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor. It was the only scientific instrument on GeoEye's OrbView-2 satellite, and was a follow-on experiment to the Coastal Zone Color Scanner on Nimbus 7...
  
  
• SORCE
  SORCE
  The Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment is a NASA-sponsored satellite mission that provides state-of-the-art measurements of incoming X-ray, ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared, and total solar radiation...
  
  
• SPOT
  SPOT (satellites)
  SPOT is a high-resolution, optical imaging Earth observation satellite system operating from space. It is run by Spot Image based in Toulouse, France...
  
  
• TES
  Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer
  Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer or TES is a satellite instrument designed to measure the state of the earth's troposphere. It is an infrared Fourier Transform spectrometer and provides key data for studying tropospheric chemistry, troposphere-biosphere interaction, and troposphere-stratosphere...
  
  
• Terra
  Terra (satellite)
  Terra is a multi-national NASA scientific research satellite in a sun-synchronous orbit around the Earth. It is the flagship of the Earth Observing System...
  
  
• TRMM

Obsolete orbital instrumentation

• ERS
• Nimbus program
  Nimbus program
  The Nimbus satellites were second-generation U.S. robotic spacecraft used for meteorological research and development. The spacecraft were designed to serve as stabilized, Earth-oriented platforms for the testing of advanced systems to sense and collect atmospheric science data...
  
  
• Project Vanguard
  Project Vanguard
  Project Vanguard was a program managed by the United States Naval Research Laboratory , which intended to launch the first artificial satellite into Earth orbit using a Vanguard rocket as the launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Missile Annex, Florida....
  
  
• Seasat
  Seasat
  SEASAT was the first Earth-orbiting satellite designed for remote sensing of the Earth's oceans and had on board the first spaceborne synthetic aperture radar . The mission was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of global satellite monitoring of oceanographic phenomena and to help determine...
  
  
• TOPEX/Poseidon
  TOPEX/Poseidon
  Launched in 1992, TOPEX/Poseidon was a joint satellite mission between NASA, the U.S. space agency, and CNES, the French space agency, to map ocean surface topography. The first major oceanographic research vessel to sail into space, TOPEX/Poseidon helped revolutionize oceanography by proving the...
  
  
• TIROS
  TIROS
  TIROS, or Television Infrared Observation Satellite, is a series of early weather satellites launched by NASA, beginning with TIROS-1 in 1960. TIROS was the first satellite that was capable of remote sensing of the Earth. This initial remote-sensing effort was significant because it enabled Earth...
  
  

See also

• Meteorology
  Meteorology
  Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
  
  
• Earth Observing System
  Earth Observing System
  The Earth Observing System is a program of NASA comprising a series of artificial satellite missions and scientific instruments in Earth orbit designed for long-term global observations of the land surface, biosphere, atmosphere, and oceans of the Earth. The satellite component of the program was...
  
  
• Geographic information system
  Geographic Information System
  A geographic information system, geographical information science, or geospatial information studies is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographically referenced data...
  
  
• Weather radar
  Weather radar
  Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
  
  
• Weather satellite
  Weather satellite
  The weather satellite is a type of satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth. Satellites can be either polar orbiting, seeing the same swath of the Earth every 12 hours, or geostationary, hovering over the same spot on Earth by orbiting over the equator while...
  
  
• Automated Quality control of meteorological observations
  Automated Quality control of meteorological observations
  A meteorological observation at a given place can be inaccurate for a variety of reasons, such as a hardware defect. Quality control can help spot which meteorological observations are inaccurate....