A system to distribute satellite incident solar radiation in real-time

Combining direct reception of satellite data, supercomputing and computer n etworking, we developed a system to distribute satellite products to users in real-time. Geostationary meteorological satellite (GMS) data is received every hour, and high-spatial resolution images of incident solar radiation are produced. The hourly solar radiation is obtained for 0.01 degrees grid s, which meets requirements of the agricultural applications in the norther n Japan. The estimated daily values are validated by ground measurements, w hich show a root-mean square (rms) error of about 8-14%. Several products o f solar radiation are produced immediately after the hourly GMS data recept ion and are then transferred to the web server for on-line access from the users. Consequently, the satellite products can be obtained through the Wor ld Wide Web within 5 min after the data reception, which can be classified as real-time distribution. The system has been continuously operated since June 1997, and it has proved that the real-time monitoring of the earth sur face using satellite products may be possible using systems integrating adv anced technologies. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.