Clouds Data - GLOBE Observer
GLOBE Clouds Data
Jump to: Matched Satellite Data -- CLOUD GAZE -- Documentation and Related Data Links
Matched Satellite Data
When a GLOBE Clouds observation is taken within 15 minutes of a satellite overpass, the data are matched to NASA satellite data for further analysis. The GLOBE Clouds data and matching satellite data are provided as CSV files for the period named (some files are compressed into ZIP format if they were too large). These data files include all clouds data received by GLOBE and matched to satellite data by the NASA Langley Research Center GLOBE Clouds team as of the date in the file name (example: 2017_GLOBE-AnnualCloudData_2022-03-18_v3-0.csv).
Version notes:
- Version 1.1 includes all data from Version 1.0, plus data that was received after the Version 1.0 files were generated.
- Version 2.0 data includes additional satellite matches after a correction to the code used for matching, an error pointed out by a regular GLOBE Observer contributor
. The window before or after a satellite overpass to match with ground data was incorrectly set at 0.15 hours (9 minutes) rather than the full 15 minutes (0.25 hours) intended. All data starting from 2017-01-01 has been reprocessed using the new code, resulting in an additional 54,000+ satellite matches, a 36% increase. The 2018 Spring Data Challenge data file was replaced in March 2021 with a new version including some data missing from the December 2020 version. - Version 3.0 data changes the -99 value that used to represent "no data" is now left blank (no quality assurance flags added).
- The Terminator Problem specialized dataset consists of those clouds observations labeled by observers as being taken within an hour after sunrise or an hour before sunset. Read more about the specialty terminator observations.
Annual Data Sets
| Data Files - Latest Version | Date Range | Geographic Domain | Older Versions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 v3.1 | 2017-01-01 to 2017-12-31 | global | 2017 v1.0; 2017 v1.1; 2017 v2.0; 2017 v3.0 |
| 2018 v3.1 | 2018-01-01 to 2018-12-31 | global | 2018 v1.0; 2018 v1.1; 2018 v2.0; 2018 v3.0 |
| 2019 v3.1 | 2019-01-01 to 2019-12-31 | global | 2019 v1.0; 2019 v2.0; 2019 v3.0 |
| 2020 v3.1 | 2020-01-01 to 2020-12-31 | global | 2020 v2.0; 2020 v3.0 (all data processed initially using 2.0 version of satellite matching code) |
| 2021 v3.1 | 2021-01-01 to 2021-12-31 | global | 2021 v3.0 (all data processed initially using 3.0 version of satellite matching code) |
| 2022 v3.1 | 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 | global | N/A (all data processed initially using 3.0 version of satellite matching code, and first produced with the v3.1 data files in February 2023) |
| 2023 ongoing | 2023-01-01 to approx. current | global | This is a file of the current year's data that is updated weekly on Sunday. At the end of the year, a static full-year file will be added to this page. |
Challenge and Special Events Data Sets
| Data Files - Latest Version | Date Range | Geographic Domain | Older Versions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Eclipse v1.0 | 2017-08-21 | North America | N/A |
| 2018 Spring Cloud Challenge v3.0 | 2018-03-15 to 2018-04-15 | global | 2018 Spring Cloud Challenge v1.0; 2018 Spring Cloud Challenge v2.0 (Dec 2020 file); 2018 Spring Cloud Challenge v2.0 (Mar 2021 file) |
| 2019 Fall Cloud Challenge v3.0 | 2019-10-15 to 2019-11-15 | global | 2019 Fall Cloud Challenge v1.0; 2019 Fall Cloud Challenge v2.0 |
| 2020 Community Cloud Challenge v3.0 | 2020-07-15 to 2020-08-15 | global | 2020 Community Cloud Challenge v2.0 (all data processed initially using 2.0 version of satellite matching code) |
| 2021 Terminator Problem v2.0 | 2021-02-09 to 2021-07-06 | global, labeled with "terminator" | N/A (all data processed initially using 2.0 version of satellite matching code) |
| 2022 Clouds in a Changing Climate v3.0 | 2022-01-15 to 2022-02-15 | global | N/A (all data processed initially using 3.0 version of satellite matching code) |
| 2023 Eclipse v1.0 | 2023-10-14 | Parts of N & S America (GeoJSON polygon) | N/A (all data processed initially using 3.0 version of satellite matching code) |
Citation: Rogerson, T.M., M. Colón Robles, J.E. Taylor, <year>, GLOBE Clouds Dataset <version>, NASA Langley Research Center, https://observer.globe.gov/get-data/clouds-data.
The data obtained from NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) and GLOBE are free of charge for use in research, publications and commercial applications. When data from NASA LaRC and GLOBE are used in a publication, we request this acknowledgment be included: "These data were obtained from NASA Langley Research Center and the GLOBE Program." Please include such statements, either where the use of the data or other resource is described, or within the Acknowledgements section of the publication.
Acknowledgements: GLOBE Clouds at NASA Langley Research Center would like to thank the following teams for their support and collaboration: CALIPSO , CERES , FlashFLUX , SatCORPS , and ASDC .
CLOUD GAZE
The NASA GLOBE Community science project Leveraging Online and User Data through GLOBE And Zooniverse Engagement , or CLOUD GAZE, project is a collaboration between two giants of citizen science: The GLOBE Program and the Zooniverse online platform, funded for a pilot phase through NASA’s Citizen Science for Earth Systems Program . The CLOUD GAZE citizen science project characterizes cloud properties from sky photographs sent in through GLOBE Clouds ground observations. The GLOBE Clouds/CLOUD GAZE team at NASA Langley Research Center then produces datasets from three sources: (1) ground-cloud observations from The GLOBE Program, (2) NASA/NOAA satellite data, and (3) the CLOUD GAZE photographic characterizations. This data is provided as CSV files for the period or special event named.
Early Release CLOUD GAZE Test Datasets now available.
| Data Files - Latest Version | Date Range | Geographic Domain | Older Versions |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLOBE Observations Test Data | 2022-01-15 to 2022-01-25 | global | N/A |
| Cloud Cover Test Data | 2022-01-15 to 2022-01-25 | global | N/A |
| Cloud Type Test Data | 2022-01-15 to 2022-01-25 | global | N/A |
Citation: Rogerson, T.M., K. Ivey, M. Colón Robles, J.E. Taylor, <year>, CLOUD GAZE Test Dataset <version>, NASA Langley Research Center, https://observer.globe.gov/get-data/clouds-data.
The data obtained from the Zooniverse, NASA Langley Research Center (NASA LaRC), and The GLOBE Program are free of charge for use in research, publications, and commercial applications. When data from The Zooniverse, The GLOBE Program, and NASA LaRC are used in a publication, we request this acknowledgment be included, "These data were obtained from the Zooniverse online platform, the GLOBE Program and NASA Langley Research Center." Please include such statements, either where the use of the data or other resource is described, or within the Acknowledgements section of the publication.
Acknowledgements: The CLOUD GAZE team would like to thank the following groups for their support and collaboration: CLOUD GAZE citizen scientists, the Zooniverse online platform, The GLOBE Program, NASA Earth Data, NASA Langley Research Center, and the CLOUD GAZE Science Steering Committee.
Documentation links:
Data Variable, Units, and Definitions (describes the data in the dataset)
Documentation on How Satellite Data is Collocated to Ground Cloud Observations (v2.0, updated 01 May 2023 to include NOAA-20)
NASA GLOBE CLOUD GAZE Data Description
Related data sets: