Imager products from the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite, to be launched in October 2011, will be based on the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). Under an optimistic scenario, we will present some of the first images and products from VIIRS to show at conference time. If not, we will show simulations based on heritage sensors, including the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS), Earth Observing System (EOS) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR). We will pay particular attention to products from the VIIRS Day Night Band (DNB), a nighttime visible sensing capability modeled after the DMSP OLS sensor, which will be greatly improved. In particular, we will show how lunar calibration of the DNB data will make possible new products, for example, nighttime depictions of cloud properties, aerosols, and snow cover.

We will illustrate the improvements in the VIIRS imager compared to past operational sensors, including high resolution channels, resolution preservation at the edge of scan, and multispectral capabilities.