Software method for enhancing IR satellite sensor cloud images

Claim 1

A method of enhancing two-dimensional IR satellite sensor cloud information for presentation on a raster scan display screen comprising the steps of: (a) sampling and storing two-dimensional IR sensed cloud image radiance information pertinent to a predetermined geographical region from a geostationary orbit meteorological satellite in a memory of a general purpose digital computer; (b) sampling and storing earth surface weather related information for said predetermined geographical region from multiple sources in said memory; (c) sampling and storing current and forecasted upper-air temperature information obtained from radiosonde instruments at mandatory and significant altitude levels above said geographical region; (d) storing in said memory of said digital computer information relative to the elevation above means seal level of the earth's surface in said predetermined geographical region; (e) processing the stored information sampled in steps a, b, c and d to create cloud image raster scan signals exhibiting three-dimensional characteristics of said IR satellite sensor cloud information; and (f) applying said raster scan signals to a visual display device.

Claim 2

A method of enhancing two-dimensional IR satellite sensor cloud information for presentation on a raster scan display screen comprising the steps of: (a) sampling and storing two-dimensional IR sensed cloud image radiance information pertinent to a predetermined geographical region from a geostationary orbit meteorological satellite in a memory of a general purpose digital computer; (b) sampling and storing earth surface weather related information for said predetermined geographical region from multiple sources in said memory; (c) sampling and storing current and forecasted upper-air temperature information obtained from radiosonde instruments at mandatory and significant altitude levels above said geographical region; (d) storing in said memory of said digital computer information relative to the elevation above means seal level of the earth's surface in said predetermined geographical region; (e) processing the stored information sampled in steps a, b, c and d to create cloud image raster scan signals exhibiting three-dimensional characteristics of said IR satellite sensor cloud information; and (f) applying said raster scan signals to a visual display device.

Claim 3

A method for enhancing IR satellite sensor cloud information for later presentation on a raster scan display screen comprising the steps of: (a) sampling two-dimensional IR sensed cloud image brightness count information pertinent to a predetermined geographical region from a geostationary orbit meteorological satellite and storing in a memory of a general purpose digital computer; (b) transforming said satellite image-coordinate IR brightness count information to Cartesian coordinate format in said digital computer; (c) assembling surface weather data for gridded locations within a predetermined geographical region from a plurality of publicly available sources and storing same in said memory; (d) extrapolating the surface weather data assembled and stored in step (c) for a plurality of pixel locations within said geographical region; (e) assembling upper-air temperature data from National Weather Service (NWS) radiosonde transmitted information for a plurality of discrete altitude levels at plural locations within said region and storing same in said memory; (f) extrapolating the upper-air temperature data assembled in step (e) for altitudes intermediate said discrete altitude levels and for each of said plurality of pixel locations within said geographical region; (g) computing from the extrapolated data obtained in steps (d) and (f) a temperature for a Lifted Condensation Level at each of said pixel locations; (h) determining from the computer temperatures of step (g) a presence or absence of clouds at each of said pixel locations; (i) determining for each pixel location where clouds are determined to be present in step (h) a vertical temperature characteristics of said clouds at a plurality of altitudes; (j) converting said vertical temperature characteristics of said clouds at each pixel location as determined by step (i) into digitally-encoded, multi-bit words representative of color shades at each of said plurality of elevations in a raster scan format; and (k) presenting said digitally encoded color shade data on a video display terminal.

Claim 4

A method for enhancing IR satellite sensor cloud information for later presentation on a raster scan display screen comprising the steps of: (a) sampling two-dimensional IR sensed cloud image brightness count information pertinent to a predetermined geographical region from a geostationary orbit meteorological satellite and storing in a memory of a general purpose digital computer; (b) transforming said satellite image-coordinate IR brightness count information to Cartesian coordinate format in said digital computer; (c) assembling surface weather data for gridded locations within a predetermined geographical region from a plurality of publicly available sources and storing same in said memory; (d) extrapolating the surface weather data assembled and stored in step (c) for a plurality of pixel locations within said geographical region; (e) assembling upper-air temperature data from National Weather Service (NWS) radiosonde transmitted information for a plurality of discrete altitude levels at plural locations within said region and storing same in said memory; (f) extrapolating the upper-air temperature data assembled in step (e) for altitudes intermediate said discrete altitude levels and for each of said plurality of pixel locations within said geographical region; (g) computing from the extrapolated data obtained in steps (d) and (f) a temperature for a Lifted Condensation Level at each of said pixel locations; (h) determining from the computer temperatures of step (g) a presence or absence of clouds at each of said pixel locations; (i) determining for each pixel location where clouds are determined to be present in step (h) a vertical temperature characteristics of said clouds at a plurality of altitudes; (j) converting said vertical temperature characteristics of said clouds at each pixel location as determined by step (i) into digitally-encoded, multi-bit words representative of color shades at each of said plurality of elevations in a raster scan format; and (k) presenting said digitally encoded color shade data on a video display terminal.

Claim 12

A method for enhancing IR satellite sensor cloud information for later presentation on a raster scan display screen comprising the steps of: (a) sampling and storing two-dimensional, satellite image-coordinate, IR brightness count digital data streams from a geostationary orbit meteorological satellite into the memory of a general purpose digital computer; (b) transforming said satellite image-coordinate IR brightness count digital data to Cartesian coordinate format in said digital computer; (c) assembling grid-point locations within said predetermined geographical region from a plurality of publicly available sources and storing same in said memory; (d) extrapolating the surface weather data assemble and stored in step (c) for each pixel location within said geographical region; (e) retrieving current mandatory and significant level radiosonde temperature data; (f) generating grids of radiosonde temperatures at predetermined levels in the atmosphere; (g) retrieving National Meteorological Center forecast temperature grids at the predetermined levels established in step (f); (h) computing a forecasted rate of change of temperature at each of said predetermined levels and at each of said grid-point locations; (i) modifying the radiosonde temperatures at each of said predetermined levels and grid-point locations by the computer forecasted rate of change of temperature obtained in step (h) to yield a "current" grid-point value of temperature at altitudes intermediate said predetermined levels to yield a current temperature profile; (j) extrapolating said "current" grip-point value of temperature at altitudes intermediate said predetermined levels to yield a current temperature profile; (k) computing form the extrapolated data obtained in steps (d) and (j) the temperature of the Lifted Condensation Level at each of said pixel locations; (l) determining from the computer temperatures of step (k) the presence or absence of clouds at each of said pixel locations; (m) determining for each pixel location where clouds are determined to be present in step(1) a vertical temperature characteristics of said clouds at a plurality of altitudes; (n) converting said vertical temperature characteristics of said clouds at each pixel location as determined by step (m) into digitally-encoded, multi-bit words representative of color shades at each of said plurality of elevations in a raster scan format; and (o) presenting said digitally encoded color shade data on a video display terminal.

Claim 13

A method for enhancing IR satellite sensor cloud information for later presentation on a raster scan display screen comprising the steps of: (a) sampling and storing two-dimensional, satellite image-coordinate, IR brightness count digital data streams from a geostationary orbit meteorological satellite into the memory of a general purpose digital computer; (b) transforming said satellite image-coordinate IR brightness count digital data to Cartesian coordinate format in said digital computer; (c) assembling grid-point locations within said predetermined geographical region from a plurality of publicly available sources and storing same in said memory; (d) extrapolating the surface weather data assemble and stored in step (c) for each pixel location within said geographical region; (e) retrieving current mandatory and significant level radiosonde temperature data; (f) generating grids of radiosonde temperatures at predetermined levels in the atmosphere; (g) retrieving National Meteorological Center forecast temperature grids at the predetermined levels established in step (f); (h) computing a forecasted rate of change of temperature at each of said predetermined levels and at each of said grid-point locations; (i) modifying the radiosonde temperatures at each of said predetermined levels and grid-point locations by the computer forecasted rate of change of temperature obtained in step (h) to yield a "current" grid-point value of temperature at altitudes intermediate said predetermined levels to yield a current temperature profile; (j) extrapolating said "current" grip-point value of temperature at altitudes intermediate said predetermined levels to yield a current temperature profile; (k) computing form the extrapolated data obtained in steps (d) and (j) the temperature of the Lifted Condensation Level at each of said pixel locations; (l) determining from the computer temperatures of step (k) the presence or absence of clouds at each of said pixel locations; (m) determining for each pixel location where clouds are determined to be present in step(1) a vertical temperature characteristics of said clouds at a plurality of altitudes; (n) converting said vertical temperature characteristics of said clouds at each pixel location as determined by step (m) into digitally-encoded, multi-bit words representative of color shades at each of said plurality of elevations in a raster scan format; and (o) presenting said digitally encoded color shade data on a video display terminal.