Global three-hourly cloud products as produced for the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. The data on are the ISCCP Stage D2 data (ISCCP-D2), at 280 km spatial resolution. There are 202 variables contained within the dataset, which is at three-hourly temporal resolution.

The data available at the time of publication of this dataset record in this archive have been obtained from the NASA Atmospheric Data Center (ASDC) and begin in July 1983 and extend to June 2006. A fuller dataset is available directly from ASDC - see link on this record.

The data are from a number of radiometers deployed on NOAA, GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite), METEOSAT, GMS and INSAT satellites operational during this period. This dataset is public.

The data periods for the various satellite instruments used within this generation of this dataset are given below:

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) versions 1,2 and 3:

- AVHRR on NOAA-7: 01/07/1983 to 31/01/1985

- AVHRR on NOAA-8: 01/10/1983 to 24/06/1984

- AVHRR on NOAA-9: 01/02/1985 to 08/11/1988

- AVHRR on NOAA-10: 17/11/1986 to 30/08/1991

- AVHRR on NOAA-11: 30/06/1997 to 18/10/1998

- AVHRR/2 on NOAA-12: 01/09/1991 to 31/12/1998

- AVHRR/2 on NOAA-14: 01/02/1995 to 30/09/2001

- AVHRR/3 on NOAA-15: 01/01/1999 to 31/07/2000

- AVHRR/3 on NOAA-16: 01/10/2001 to 30/06/2005

- AVHRR/3 on NOAA-17: 01/07/2002 to 30/06/2005

Very High Resolution Radiometer (VHRR):

- VHRR data on INSAT-1 series (INSAT-1A to 1D): 01/04/1988 to 31/03/1989

GOES-Imager:

- GOES-Imager data on GOES-10: 01/08/1998 to 30/06/2005

- GOES-Imager data on GOES-12: 01/04/2003 to 30/06/2005

Multispectral Imaging Radiometer (MIR):

- MIR data on METEOSAT-2: 01/07/1983 to 11/08/1988

- MIR data on METEOSAT-3: 11/08/1988 to 25/01/1991

- MIR data on METEOSAT-4 : 19/06/1989 to 30/06/1991

METEOSAT Visible and IR Imager (MVIRI):

- MVIRI data on METEOSAT-5: 01/02/1994 to 30/06/2005

- MVIRI data on METEOSAT-6: 01/03/1997 to 31/05/1998

Visible and Infrared Spin-Scan Radiometer (VISSR) data:

- VISSR data on GMS-1: 21/01/1984 to 30/06/1984

- VISSR data on GMS-2: 01/07/1983 to 27/091984

- VISSR data on GMS-3: 27/09/1984 to 04/12/1989

- VISSR data on GMS-4: 04/12/1989 to 30/06/1991

- VISSR data on GMS-5: 01/06/1995 to 30/04/2003

- VISSR data on GOES-5: 01/07/1983 to 30/07/1984

- VISSR data on GOES-6: 01/07/1983 to 21/01/1989

- VISSR data on GOES-7: 26/04/1987 to 30/06/1991

- VISSR data on GOES-8: 01/05/1995 to 31/03/2003

- VISSR data on GOES-9: 01/01/1996 to 30/06/2005

For further information about the satellites and their instruments please see the linked documentation pages.