GOES Satellite Imagery for GIS

The IEM has a long history processing the GOES Satellite information into formats and services appropriate for GIS. This processing was based on the GINI format of products provided by NOAA. The IEM implemented a number of services and archives based on this format.

With the advent of GOES-R and GOES-S, this GINI format was discontinued and the IEM pulled the plug on the various GOES East services back in 2018 and now in late 2019 GOES West.

A renewed effort is now being made to process the new GOES-R and GOES-S data into similar formats and services as before. There is not a one-to-one match here due to many reasons.

The source of our GOES data comes via Unidata NIMAGE products, which nicely merge the netCDF tiles into consistent products. These products use a geostationary satellite projection that the IEM attempts to natively store and use within the various services.

Satellite native projections


current imagery folder

Ready for Google-Maps


Tile Map Service
OpenLayers Example

Changes

OGC Web Map Service

GOES West infrared imagery
https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/wms/goes/west_ir.cgi?

GOES West Alaska infrared imagery
https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/wms/goes/alaska_ir.cgi?

GOES West Hawaii infrared imagery
https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/wms/goes/hawaii_ir.cgi?


GOES West visible imagery
https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/wms/goes/west_vis.cgi?

GOES West Alaska visible imagery
https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/wms/goes/alaska_vis.cgi?

GOES West Hawaii visible imagery
https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/wms/goes/hawaii_vis.cgi?


GOES West water vapor imagery
https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/wms/goes/west_wv.cgi?

GOES West Alaska water vapor imagery
https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/wms/goes/alaska_wv.cgi?

GOES West Hawaii water vapor imagery
https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/wms/goes/hawaii_wv.cgi?

Note: To get the WMS capabilities, you need to add
VER=1.1.1&SERVICE=WMS&REQUEST=GetCapabilities
to the URIs above. Your WMS application may require it.

Color Ramps Used

Channel 1
Channel 1 Color Ramp

Channel 2
Channel 2 Color Ramp

Channel 3
Channel 3 Color Ramp

Channel 4
Channel 4 Color Ramp

Channel 5
Channel 5 Color Ramp

Channel 6
Channel 6 Color Ramp

Channel 7
Channel 7 Color Ramp

Channel 8
Channel 8 Color Ramp

Channel 9
Channel 9 Color Ramp

Channel 10
Channel 10 Color Ramp

Channel 11
Channel 11 Color Ramp

Channel 12
Channel 12 Color Ramp

Channel 13
Channel 13 Color Ramp

Channel 14
Channel 14 Color Ramp

Channel 15
Channel 15 Color Ramp

Channel 16
Channel 16 Color Ramp

Archive

Since 20 Dec 2005, the IEM has archived 4km composites of East/West imagery.

Since 8 March 2009, water vapor channel was added to the archive as well.

Since 21 June 2011, the IEM started archiving GOES East and West vis,ir, and water vapor imagery in PNG format on the AWIPS 211 projection.

Since 14 March 2012, the IEM started archiving all of the GINI processed imagery.

22 March 2012, removed the confusing filenames of including the GOES satellite identifier in the filename. This causes problems when the satellites change from east to west.

Today's archive of imagery
https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/archive/data/2024/03/19/GIS/sat/
The URL pattern contains the year, month, and day. The datafiles have timestamps in UTC.

Online Applications