Defense Meteorological Satellite Prog - Operational

The U.S. Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) system of 2 near-polar orbiting satellites provides information in visible (0.4 - 1.1 micrometers) and infrared (10.4 - 12.5 micrometers) formats. Data are archived after operational use. Frequent global coverage (up to 4 times daily) is useful for observing changes in snow and ice boundaries on regional to global scales, as well as for a wide variety of meteorological and cloud studies. The DMSP is the only meteorological satellite to operate visible-band sensors at night. Deposited content: descriptive metadata only; underlying research data are not included.