The document discusses how a series of new high-resolution geostationary Earth imaging sensors will provide improved global environmental monitoring capabilities in the coming years. These sensors, including the Advanced Himawari Imager, Advanced Baseline Imager, and Advanced Meteorological Imager, offer unprecedented spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution. They can image the entire Earth every 10-15 minutes, providing near-real-time situational awareness. As more of these sensors are deployed, they will become significant tools for monitoring the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and lithosphere to support decision making around environmental issues.

1. Towards Persistent Global Environmental Intelligence –
Observations Lead the Way
Harlan Yates, Harris Corporation, Melbourne, FL; and T. Jordan and P. Kota
In the next several years, the face of global environmental intelligence will be
changing rapidly. A series of high-resolution geostationary Earth imaging sensors
are being deployed with unprecedented spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution
providing improved geostationary Earth observation on a global scale. In
particular, we will present detailed visual results and capabilities of the Advanced
Himawari Imager (AHI)/Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI)/Advanced
Meteorological Imager (AMI) class of multispectral imagers. The impressive mix
of the sensors’ reflective and emissive spectral bands inherently supports
application of this technology to the science of meteorology, as well as provides
higher quality and persistent imaging of the land and sea. A considerably higher
temporal frequency, up to six times faster, of observations captured from
geostationary platforms will provide near-real-time situational awareness. As
deployments continue in the foreseeable future, the benefits will quickly expand in
geographic coverage. These sensor systems will become significant tools for
environmental situational awareness and monitoring to better inform our decision
makers and policies concerning issues of societal impact. This posterillustrates
opportunities for improved environmental intelligence monitoring of the whole
Earth system, including examples of the atmosphere, hydrosphere/cryosphere, and
lithosphere.