| Instrument | Agency | Missions | Status | Type | Measurements &
applications | Technical characteristics |
3MI
Multi-Viewing Multi-Channel Multi-Polarisation Imaging | EUMETSAT (ESA) | Current: -
Future: METOP-SG A1, METOP-SG A2, METOP-SG A2 Copy
Complete: - | Being developed | Atmospheric chemistry | Measure aerosol parameters, air quality index, surface albedo, cloud information |
| Waveband: | VIS-SWIR: 12 channels between 0.41 µm to 2.1 µm
VIS, NIR, SWIR |
| Spatial resolution: | 4km |
| Swath width: | 2200x2200 km for the VNIR channels
2200 x 1100 km for the SWIR channels
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| Accuracy: | |
| Data Access: | |
| Data Format: | net-CDF4 |
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ABI
Advanced Baseline Imager | NOAA | Current: -
Future: GOES-R, GOES-S, GOES-U, GOES-T
Complete: - | Being developed | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (vis/IR) | Detects clouds, cloud properties, water vapour, land and sea surface temperatures, dust, aerosols, volcanic ash, fires, total ozone, snow and ice cover, vegetation index. |
| Waveband: | 16 bands in VIS, NIR and IR ranging from 0.47 µm to 13.3 µm
VIS, NIR, SWIR, MWIR, TIR |
| Spatial resolution: | 0.5 km in 0.64 µm band; 2.0 km in long wave IR and in the 1.378 µm band; 1.0 km in all others
Best resolution: 500 m |
| Swath width: | |
| Accuracy: | Varies by product |
| Data Access: | |
| Data Format: | |
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AIS (RCM)
Automated Identification System (RADARSAT Constellation) | CSA | Current: -
Future: RADARSAT C-1, RADARSAT C-2, RADARSAT C-3
Complete: - | Being developed | Data collection | Ship identification (name, location, heading, cargo, etc). |
| Waveband: | VHF (162 MHz)
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| Spatial resolution: | N/A |
| Swath width: | 800 km minimum |
| Accuracy: | Better than 90% ship detection, for Class A ships, when ships are in view for a minimum of 5 minutes. |
| Data Access: | Constrained Access |
| Data Format: | |
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ALADIN
Atmospheric Laser Doppler Instrument | ESA | Current: -
Future: ADM-Aeolus
Complete: - | Being developed | Lidars | Global wind profiles (single line-of-sight) for an improved weather prediction. |
| Waveband: | UV: 355 nm
UV |
| Spatial resolution: | One wind profile every 200 km along track, averaged over 50 km |
| Swath width: | Along line 285 km parallel to satellite ground track |
| Accuracy: | Wind speed error below 2 m/s |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | |
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ALISS III
Advanced LISS III | ISRO | Current: -
Future: RESOURCESAT-3, RESOURCESAT-3A
Complete: - | Being developed | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (vis/IR) | For crops and vegetation dynamics, natural resources census, disaster management and large scale mapping of themes. |
| Waveband: | 4 bands in VNIR and 1 band in SWIR
VIS, NIR, SWIR |
| Spatial resolution: | 20 m, 10 m
Best resolution: 10 m |
| Swath width: | 925 km |
| Accuracy: | 200m |
| Data Access: | Constrained Access |
| Data Format: | |
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AMR-C
AMR-C Climate-quality microwave radiometer | NASA (NOAA) (CNES) (ESA) (EUMETSAT) | Current: -
Future: Sentinel-6 A - Jason-CS A, Sentinel-6 B - Jason-CS B
Complete: - | Being developed | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave) | Capabilities of the AMR with the addition of high stability wet-tropospheric path delay correction. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: 18.7, 23.8 and 34 GHz. The feasibility of an additional high-frequency component for high resolution support to the SAR mode of SRAL is being assessed
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 25 km (high-resolution to support the SAR-mode of SRAL being assessed)
Best resolution: 25 m |
| Swath width: | Nadir-only viewing, associated to the JASON-CS radar altimeter |
| Accuracy: | |
| Data Access: | |
| Data Format: | |
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APAN
Advanced PAN | ISRO | Current: -
Future: RESOURCESAT-3S, RESOURCESAT-3SA
Complete: - | Being developed | High resolution optical imagers | High-resolution images for the study of topography, urban areas, development of DTM, run-off models etc., urban sprawl, forest cover/timber volume, land use change. |
| Waveband: | Panchromatic VIS: 0.45 - 0.90 µm
VIS |
| Spatial resolution: | 1.25 |
| Swath width: | 60 km |
| Accuracy: | 50m |
| Data Access: | Constrained Access |
| Data Format: | |
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ATLAS
Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System | NASA | Current: -
Future: ICESat-II
Complete: - | Being developed | Lidars | Provide date on ice sheet height and sea ice thickness, land altitude, aerosol height distributions, cloud height and boundary layer height. |
| Waveband: | VIS-NIR: Laser emits at 1064 nm (for altimetry) and 532 nm (for atmospheric measurements)
VIS |
| Spatial resolution: | 66 m spots separated by 170 m
Best resolution: 66 m |
| Swath width: | |
| Accuracy: | Aerosol profile: 20%, Ice elevation: 20 cm, Cloud top height: 75 m, Land elevation: 20 cm, geoid: 5 m |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | |
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CPR (EarthCARE)
Cloud Profiling Radar (EarthCARE) | JAXA (NICT) | Current: -
Future: EarthCARE
Complete: - | Being developed | Cloud profile and rain radars | Measurement of cloud properties, light precipitation, vertical motion. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: 94 GHz
MW, W-Band |
| Spatial resolution: | Range resolution: 500m (100m sample)
Horizontal resolution: 800m (500m sample) |
| Swath width: | |
| Accuracy: | |
| Data Access: | No Access |
| Data Format: | HDF5 |
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DDMI (CYGNSS)
Delay Doppler Mapping Instrument (DDMI) | NASA (NOAA) | Current: -
Future: CYGNSS
Complete: - | Being developed | Other | Constellation of bistatic radar receivers using GPS satellite transmitters to detect ocean surface roughness and estimate near-surface wind speed from calm sea through hurricane force conditions and under all levels of precipitation. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: 1.575 GHz
L-Band |
| Spatial resolution: | 20-50 km (variable in ground processing)
Best resolution: 20000 m |
| Swath width: | Field of view of potential GPS specular point contacts extends 740 km cross-track in both port and starboard directions. |
| Accuracy: | wind speed RMS retrieval uncertainty: 2 m/s for winds less than 20 m/s and 10% for winds greater than 20 m/s |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | TBD |
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