SOLERAS - University Research Project: Georgia Institute of Technology. Atlas of satellite insolation in the United States, Mexico and South America

Technical Report · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6231353· OSTI ID:6231353

A summary is given of the development, testing and applications of the satellite insolation estimation project of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Agriculture and Resources Inventory Surveys through Aerospace Remote Sensing (AgRISTARS) program. The NOAA/AgRISTARS procedure uses data from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) to estimate daily total insolation (on a horizontal surface) at an array of 1 x 1 latitude-longitude locations throughout the continental United States, Mexico, and parts of South America. This methodology is compared with some other satellite techniques in terms of accuracy and applicability. Summary maps of monthly average daily total insolation for the period July 1982 through December 1983, as well as annual total maps for 1983, are presented for all three geographic coverage areas. As measures of temporal and spatial variability, monthly and annual data are also presented for the standard deviation of the daily insolation values about the monthly mean, and for root-mean-square values of both north-south and east-west differences over 1 latitude or longitude spacing. From the estimated error analysis the monthly mean values appear to be accurate to about 5% of the mean value, except for the western part of the United States when GOES-1 was put back into temporary service as the western GOES satellite.

• Research Organization: Midwest Research Inst., Kansas City, MO (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-83CH10093
• OSTI ID: 6231353
• Report Number(s): MRI/SOL-1704; ON: DE86005641
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140100* -- Solar Energy-- Resources & Availability
DAILY VARIATIONS
DATA COVARIANCES
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
INSOLATION
LATIN AMERICA
MAPS
MEXICO
MONITORING
NORTH AMERICA
SATELLITES
SOUTH AMERICA
USA
VARIATIONS