Science

Atovian Weather Service set to receive live images from US Satellites

The Atovian Ministry of Energy, Agriculture, and the Environment now possesses the technology to receive and decode data from polar-orbiting weather satellites operated by the United States government. These weather satellites, NOAA 15, NOAA 18, and NOAA 19, are operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is a regulatory and scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce. The data transmitted by these satellites can be received by a properly tuned radio receiver and decoded by software to create images directly from the sensors on the satellites.

An example of the images received from a NOAA weather satellite with false color added. This image was received and decoded by the University of Akron Amateur Radio Club W8UPD.

The government now possesses a software defined radio, or SDR, which is the typical hardware used to receive these kinds of signals. A new antenna is also in development to increase the quality of the signals to create more clear images.

A screenshot of the software used to receive the data signals from a NOAA weather satellite

A program is being automated in order to record the transmitted data every time one of these satellites travels overhead, and the government is currently working with other organizations to solve the bugs and issues that this program is causing.

This new system will surely allow the Ministry to better understand the weather patterns occurring in the atmosphere above the Kingdom, and will also be a benefit to our scientific advancement.