Scientist use remote sensing stations to acquire real time imagery and data from various orbiting satellites to help them better understand global warming and climate change. Terascan, a satellite imagery receiving and processing program, is used to download and then take images and add post capture meta data such as borders and tags. These images are then cataloged and put into an ArcGIS database for later review and research. A combination of automation, streamlining, and back-end optimizations will allow research to continue with the best available data which will help us better understand the effects of climate change.

1. (In conjunction with the Geosciences Department of WMU)
Satellite Imagery
Acquisition and Presentation
Jacob Comer
Travis Thompson
Dylan Weber
NOAA-18

2. Introduction and Background
Dylan
Design and Implementation
Travis
Frontend, Testing, and Summary
Jake
Introduction

3. Background
• Client
• History of satellite receiver
• Problems
• Solutions

4. Design and Implementation
• NOAA Satellites
• Recieving Station
• Application and Database Server

5. Testing and Summary
• Frontend Design
• Testing Image Accuracy & Aquisition
• Testing Image Database Insertion
• Testing Web Frontend
• Testing Robustness of Backend
• Summary

6. System Architecture Overview
HRPT
NOAA-[15-19]
Coax
Receiving
Station
Samba
Database
Server
Application
Server
Socket
Client
HTTP
Antenna

7. Client
• Primary Stakeholder
Dr. Mohamed Sultan -
Chair, Dept. Of
Geosciences Western
Michigan University
• Primary Contact
Kyle Chouinard - Systems
Administrator, Dept. Of
Geosciences Western
Michigan University

8. Satellite Receiver
• Installed on Everett Tower
2004.
• Uses Terascan Software on
Receiver in Rood Hall
• Provides information for
hydrolic, oceanographic,
and meteorological studies
• Inoperational since 2008.

9. Satellites
• Noaa 15 - 19
• Advanced Very High
Resolution Radiometer
(AVHRR)
• Advanced Microwave
Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A)
• Microwave Humidity
Sounder (MHS)

10. Terascan
• Proprietary Seaspace Software
• Used for downloading raw data from polar
orbiting satellites.
• Converts raw data to various image
formats.

11. Problems
• Reciever wasn't communicating with
satellites
• Outdated software and hardware
• Poor documentation
• Licensing Problems

12. Outdated Hardware and Software
• Updated to Terascan 4.0
• Upgraded hardware
• Installed CentOS

13. Poor Documentation/Licensing
• Contacted Seaspace
• Renewed License

14. Design & Implementation
Travis Thompson

15. System Architecture Overview
HRPT
NOAA-[15-19]
Coax
Receiving
Station
Samba
Database
Server
Application
Server
Socket
Client
HTTP
Antenna

16. Satellites
HRPT
NOAA-[15-19]
Coax
Receiving
Station
Samba
Database
Server
Application
Server
Socket
Client
HTTP
Antenna

17. NOAA Satellites
• Polar Orbiting
• High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT)
• Transmition on L-Band (1670 - 1720 MHz)
• Advanced Very High
Resolution Radiometer
(AVHRR)
Satellite Frequency
NOAA-15 1702.5 MHz
NOAA-16 1702.5 MHz
NOAA-17 1698.0 MHz
NOAA-18 1707.0 MHz
NOAA-19 1698.0 MHz

18. NOAA Satellites Cont.
Name Launch date Period (min)
NOAA 19 February 6, 2009 102
NOAA 18 May 20, 2005 102
NOAA 17 June 24, 2002 101.1
NOAA 16 September 21, 2000 101.9
NOAA 15 May 13, 1998 101.1

19. Polar Orbit
Video Here

20. NOAA-15 Passes

21. Receiving Station Overview
HRPT
NOAA-[15-19]
Coax
Receiving
Station
Samba
Database
Server
Application
Server
Socket
Client
HTTP
Antenna

22. Antenna
• 1.5m Dish inside a 1.8m Radome
• Integrated Tracking System
• L-Band (1670 - 1720 MHz)
• 3 Axis Positioner

23. Receiving Station
• CentOS 5.7 x64
• TeraScan 4.0.1
• Image Reception
Scheduler

24. Satellite Tracking

25. Satellite Tracking Cont.

26. Satellite Scheduling

27. Application & Database Server
Overview
HRPT
NOAA-[15-19]
Coax
Receiving
Station
Samba
Database
Server
Application
Server
Socket
Client
HTTP
Antenna

28. Application & Database Server
• Windows Server 2008 R2
• ArcGIS 10
• PostgreSQL 8.3
• Apache / Tomcat

29. Image Insertion Automation
Scan Watch
Directory
Find Raster
Dataset
Insert into
Catalog
Move into
Processed
Directory

30. • ArcPy Python Library
• Connection to ArcGIS SDE Database Server
• Insert Raster Dataset into the Database
import arcpy
from arcpy import env
Image Insertion Automation Cont.
sdeDB = "E:/TeraScan/automation/Localhost.sde"
env.workspace = sdeDB
arcpy.RasterToGeodatabase_conversion(filename,
sdeDB)

31. ArcCatalog

32. Frontend, Testing, &
Summary
Jacob Comer

33. Frontend
HRPT
NOAA-[15-19]
Coax
Receiving
Station
Samba
Database
Server
Application
Server
Socket
Client
HTTP
Antenna

34. Frontend Technologies Flow
Application Server
Database
Server Client Side
Socket

35. Frontend Design

36. Table of Contents

37. Turning on a Layer

38. Multiple Layers

39. Layer Transparency

40. Layer Transparency Cont.

41. Graphs

42. Graphs Cont.

43. Testing Image Accuracy & Aquisition
• View images as they are aquired
• Verify images against images that are
known to be accurate
• Set up a log that logs when images are
being downloaded

44. Testing Image Database Insertion
• Automate encoding into GEOTIFF format
• Verify images visually
• Log automated transfer of encoded images
to database drive
• Log automated insertion into database
• Log removal of images on original box to
keep clutter down

45. Automated Transfer of Files

46. Automated Insertion Into Database

47. Testing Web Frontend
• Group testing of features
o Attempt to break Everything we have implemented
• Client testing of features
o Make sure they don't break anything accidentally
• Ensuring security of database connection

48. Testing Robustness of Backend
• Multiple connections
• Query for non-existing image
• Attempt to access restricted information on
the server

49. Summary
• Automates image aquisition, processing,
and insertion into database
• The backend will automatically make
database images accessible from the web
frontend
• The web frontend will overlay the images
on a (google) map and allow meta-data to
be viewed