Using the JSTAR Mapper to Monitor Natural Disasters

Since 2011, the JPSS satellite series has generated Environmental Data Records (EDR) - retrievals of geophysical variables such as atmospheric aerosols, land surface temperature, sea ice extent, and ocean color. The JSTAR Mapper website was created by NOAA STAR to give users access to full resolution imagery of these geophysical phenomena. The website, built on OpenLayers, allows users to view most NOAA-generated EDRs for both Suomi NPP and NOAA-20, as well as products from GCOM AMSR2, Sentinal-5A TROPOMI, and select blended products created from multiple satellites.

In this talk, we will show how this site, and its companion, the STAR EDR Long-term Monitoring (LTM) site, can be used to comprehensively monitor all types of natural disasters and their aftermaths. The wide range of products available on the JSTAR Mapper website allows for users to observe hurricanes, severe weather outbreaks, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and others. By using the new animation functions, users can observe the evolution of these events over time, in addition to longer term disasters such as droughts or large scale floods. Arctic and Antarctic views allow users to take unique advantage of the frequent polar overpasses. Additionally, the ability to overlay different products can give users insights into these events that they might not see with a single layer.