Converting legacy GOES data

[raspstephan]

Hi,

we are hoping to use older generation GOES data. We found this cloud bucket: https://console.cloud.google.com/storag ... oes-legacy

It seems to contain the data for GOES 8-15 in AREA format. We would like to convert this to some more common format (for example, NetCDF).

We found this Java McIDAS Area to NetCDF converter: https://www.ssec.wisc.edu/visit/netcdf/
The conversion worked but the resulting data has some issues:
1. For several satellites Band 1 is always missing (all values are -1)
2. For some other satellites (e.g. GOES 11 and 15), the data is seemingly corrupt (see attached image).

To check whether this is an issue with the raw data, I opened the data in McIDAS-V. There the data seems fine, so it must be an issue with the conversion. Does anyone have any tips on how to convert the data to NetCDF (or any other more common format) or what the issue with the converter above could be?

I know that this isn't probably the right place to ask about the conversion specifically but I didn't know where else to start.

Best,
Stephan

[bobc]

Hello,

I'm not overly familiar with AreaToNetCDF.jar and I don't think any of the code has been updated in over a decade. There's a chance that it's not fully compatible with newer java versions. As for getting this legacy data in netCDF format, there are a couple options I can think of:

1. Use McIDAS-V. If you load the AREA files through the General>Files/Directories chooser you can display the raw data. From the Layer Controls, you can select File>Save>Export Displayed Data to NetCDF. These netCDF files can be read into McIDAS-V and possibly other software/applications as well. If you're interested in other calibrated values (e.g. BRIT, Temperature, Albedo) you can set up a local dataset (Tools>Manage ADDE Datasets from the Main Display window) using the AREA format. You would then load your data through the Satellite>Imagery chooser, display the calibration you're interested in, and write the netCDF file the same way you would with the data loaded through the General>Files/Directories chooser.
2. You could bypass writing netCDF files yourself by ordering the data in netCDF format from NOAA CLASS. From the CLASS webpage, you can select "GOES Satellite Data - Imager (GVAR_IMG)" in the dropdown at the top of the page, and select the date(s), time(s), satellite(s), band(s), and domain(s) you're interested in. Once you're in the shopping cart, you can choose netCDF as the data format before ordering the data.

I would suggest trying each of the above options with a few images to see if they give you netCDF data in a format that works for you.

Thanks,
Bob Carp
McIDAS User Services