Future remote sensing with NexSat

Since 2004, the Naval Research Laboratory Marine Meteorology Division (NRL-MRY) has been providing global users (professional and amateur) with near real time and quality satellite image products within its “NexSat” website. With its wealth of current and archived satellite data (38 GEO and LEO sensors), fused products with NWP model output, static image and animation tools, and web-based training resources, NexSat is the premier one-stop-shop for remote sensing. The website has recently been upgraded with a user-friendly graphical interface, with quick and efficient access toward the intended product(s). Most of the products are also formatted for Google Earth viewing.

Originally designed to demonstrate the upcoming VIIRS capabilities over the continental US (CONUS), NexSat has evolved into a global weather satellite resource for both operational and R&D activities. NexSat is also actively involved in community outreach. During 2010, NexSat played a supporting role for agencies involved with the monitoring of the Iceland and Caribbean volcano eruptions, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the extensive Russian summer fires. Additionally, NexSat has teamed up with the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) to educate volunteer weather observers into the realm of basic remote sensing. Thus, the overarching goal for NexSat is to provide the public with operational, research-oriented, inventive, educational tools in the current timeframe, and also toward the next generation of environmental satellite systems.

Using NexSat, this presentation will preview the VIIRS sensor by presenting imagery produced from MODIS, AVHRR, and OLS data retrievals. Products from ancillary datasets (GEO, passive microwave sensors, etc.) will also be shown to illustrate the robustness of the NexSat website. Examples will include last year's significant environmental events, including the recent eastern Pacific coastal flooding, extensive dust outbreaks over Africa, an Iceland volcano (Eyjafjallajökull) eruption episode, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Finally, this talk will briefly describe NexSat's hosting of VIIRS proxy products based on reformatted MODIS data (synthetic VIIRS) in preparation for the actual NPP mission.