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GIS Technology Improves CoastWatch Web Site
CoastWatch: www.coastwatch.msu.edu
The Great Lake Sea Grant Network, in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is serving up improved charts of Great Lakes surface water temperatures on its CoastWatch Web site. During the past year, Michigan Sea Grant and the entire CoastWatch team have been working to improve the charts by upgrading the software with the latest in geographic information system (GIS) technology.
In addition to improving the existing lake surface temperature charts, the upgraded system provides the CoastWatch team with a tool that has greater flexibility. The new system enables the team to easily refine parameters and create new charts. In addition, upgrades have provided solutions to maintenance issues, including faster recovery time if the system should fail.
Michigan Sea Grant and the CoastWatch team have collaborated with the NOAA-Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory and Michigan State University’s Remote Sensing and GIS Research and Outreach Service to process image data gathered by NOAA’s CoastWatch Great Lakes Node. Technical experts use computer automated translation of NOAA satellite data to create isothermic charts. The CoastWatch site features whole lake charts for Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie and Ontario; 16 regional charts and; 42 port charts.
As many as 600,000 CoastWatch images have been downloaded from the site in a five month period, and users have consistently commented on its usefulness in their work and play. The U.S. CoastGuard uses CoastWatch to guide their choice of protective gear. Hundreds of charter captains rely on it to help them find good fishing areas.
CoastWatch Features
• Charts are updated twice a day with plans to increase to four times daily by summer
• Whole lake charts of all Great Lakes
• Regional lake charts
• Port charts - currently 42 with plans to add more
• NOAA polar orbiter satellites provide data for charts
• Images with a lot of grey or black represent cloud-covered areas
For more information about CoastWatch features, contact
the CoastWatch team at: coastwatch@msue.msu.edu
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What is an isotherm?
An isotherm is a graphic representation of temperature gradients. “Iso” (similar) “therms” (temperatures) are connected points forming lines that are similar to elevation lines on a topographic map. When viewing port image maps, each line indicates a change in temperature of one degree fahrenheit.
For more information about surface temperature images,
see
www.coastwatch.msu.edu/help.html |
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