Software method for enhancing IR satellite sensor cloud images
First Claim
1. A method of enhancing two-dimensional IR satellite sensor cloud information for presentation on a raster scan display screen comprising the steps of:
- (a) sampling and storing two-dimensional IR sensed cloud image radiance information pertinent to a predetermined geographical region from a geostationary orbit meteorological satellite in a memory of a general purpose digital computer;
(b) sampling and storing earth surface weather related information for said predetermined geographical region from multiple sources in said memory;
(c) sampling and storing current and forecasted upper-air temperature information obtained from radiosonde instruments at mandatory and significant altitude levels above said geographical region;
(d) storing in said memory of said digital computer information relative to the elevation above means seal level of the earth'"'"'s surface in said predetermined geographical region;
(e) processing the stored information sampled in steps a, b, c and d to create cloud image raster scan signals exhibiting three-dimensional characteristics of said IR satellite sensor cloud information; and
(f) applying said raster scan signals to a visual display device.
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Abstract
To improve the quality of the raster scan display on a video monitor or two-dimensional infrared satellite cloud imagery so as to provide it with a three-dimensional appearance, the satellite data is computer processed to first convert from satellite image to Cartesian coordinates and then combined with localized weather information obtained from ground observations and radiosonde data, such weather information including temperatures, humidity readings, pressures and other earth conditions at gridded locations within predetermined global regions. In this fashion, the satellite cloud base and cloud top temperatures are determined and converted into altitude profiles at each of 640×480 pixel locations comprising the satellite imagery. The resulting raster scan bit stream is representative of a 3-D display of the cloud formations. By using time-lapse animation, a four-dimensional presentation, i.e., one including time as a factor, can be displayed.
50 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method of enhancing two-dimensional IR satellite sensor cloud information for presentation on a raster scan display screen comprising the steps of:
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(a) sampling and storing two-dimensional IR sensed cloud image radiance information pertinent to a predetermined geographical region from a geostationary orbit meteorological satellite in a memory of a general purpose digital computer; (b) sampling and storing earth surface weather related information for said predetermined geographical region from multiple sources in said memory; (c) sampling and storing current and forecasted upper-air temperature information obtained from radiosonde instruments at mandatory and significant altitude levels above said geographical region; (d) storing in said memory of said digital computer information relative to the elevation above means seal level of the earth'"'"'s surface in said predetermined geographical region; (e) processing the stored information sampled in steps a, b, c and d to create cloud image raster scan signals exhibiting three-dimensional characteristics of said IR satellite sensor cloud information; and (f) applying said raster scan signals to a visual display device.
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2. A method for enhancing IR satellite sensor cloud information for later presentation on a raster scan display screen comprising the steps of:
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(a) sampling two-dimensional IR sensed cloud image brightness count information pertinent to a predetermined geographical region from a geostationary orbit meteorological satellite and storing in a memory of a general purpose digital computer; (b) transforming said satellite image-coordinate IR brightness count information to Cartesian coordinate format in said digital computer; (c) assembling surface weather data for gridded locations within a predetermined geographical region from a plurality of publicly available sources and storing same in said memory; (d) extrapolating the surface weather data assembled and stored in step (c) for a plurality of pixel locations within said geographical region; (e) assembling upper-air temperature data from National Weather Service (NWS) radiosonde transmitted information for a plurality of discrete altitude levels at plural locations within said region and storing same in said memory; (f) extrapolating the upper-air temperature data assembled in step (e) for altitudes intermediate said discrete altitude levels and for each of said plurality of pixel locations within said geographical region; (g) computing from the extrapolated data obtained in steps (d) and (f) a temperature for a Lifted Condensation Level at each of said pixel locations; (h) determining from the computer temperatures of step (g) a presence or absence of clouds at each of said pixel locations; (i) determining for each pixel location where clouds are determined to be present in step (h) a vertical temperature characteristics of said clouds at a plurality of altitudes; (j) converting said vertical temperature characteristics of said clouds at each pixel location as determined by step (i) into digitally-encoded, multi-bit words representative of color shades at each of said plurality of elevations in a raster scan format; and (k) presenting said digitally encoded color shade data on a video display terminal. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for enhancing IR satellite sensor cloud information for later presentation on a raster scan display screen comprising the steps of:
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(a) sampling and storing two-dimensional, satellite image-coordinate, IR brightness count digital data streams from a geostationary orbit meteorological satellite into the memory of a general purpose digital computer; (b) transforming said satellite image-coordinate IR brightness count digital data to Cartesian coordinate format in said digital computer; (c) assembling grid-point locations within said predetermined geographical region from a plurality of publicly available sources and storing same in said memory; (d) extrapolating the surface weather data assemble and stored in step (c) for each pixel location within said geographical region; (e) retrieving current mandatory and significant level radiosonde temperature data; (f) generating grids of radiosonde temperatures at predetermined levels in the atmosphere; (g) retrieving National Meteorological Center forecast temperature grids at the predetermined levels established in step (f); (h) computing a forecasted rate of change of temperature at each of said predetermined levels and at each of said grid-point locations; (i) modifying the radiosonde temperatures at each of said predetermined levels and grid-point locations by the computer forecasted rate of change of temperature obtained in step (h) to yield a "current" grid-point value of temperature at altitudes intermediate said predetermined levels to yield a current temperature profile; (j) extrapolating said "current" grip-point value of temperature at altitudes intermediate said predetermined levels to yield a current temperature profile; (k) computing form the extrapolated data obtained in steps (d) and (j) the temperature of the Lifted Condensation Level at each of said pixel locations; (l) determining from the computer temperatures of step (k) the presence or absence of clouds at each of said pixel locations; (m) determining for each pixel location where clouds are determined to be present in step(1) a vertical temperature characteristics of said clouds at a plurality of altitudes; (n) converting said vertical temperature characteristics of said clouds at each pixel location as determined by step (m) into digitally-encoded, multi-bit words representative of color shades at each of said plurality of elevations in a raster scan format; and (o) presenting said digitally encoded color shade data on a video display terminal. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification