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NV5 Geospatial Blog

Each month, NV5 Geospatial posts new blog content across a variety of categories. Browse our latest posts below to learn about important geospatial information or use the search bar to find a specific topic or author. Stay informed of the latest blog posts, events, and technologies by joining our email list!



Not All Supernovae Are Created Equal: Rethinking the Universe’s Measuring Tools

Not All Supernovae Are Created Equal: Rethinking the Universe’s Measuring Tools

6/3/2025

Rethinking the Reliability of Type 1a Supernovae   How do astronomers measure the universe? It all starts with distance. From gauging the size of a galaxy to calculating how fast the universe is expanding, measuring cosmic distances is essential to understanding everything in the sky. For nearby stars, astronomers use... Read More >

Using LLMs To Research Remote Sensing Software: Helpful, but Incomplete

Using LLMs To Research Remote Sensing Software: Helpful, but Incomplete

5/26/2025

Whether you’re new to remote sensing or a seasoned expert, there is no doubt that large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini can be incredibly useful in many aspects of research. From exploring the electromagnetic spectrum to creating object detection models using the latest deep learning... Read More >

From Image to Insight: How GEOINT Automation Is Changing the Speed of Decision-Making

From Image to Insight: How GEOINT Automation Is Changing the Speed of Decision-Making

4/28/2025

When every second counts, the ability to process geospatial data rapidly and accurately isn’t just helpful, it’s critical. Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) has always played a pivotal role in defense, security, and disaster response. But in high-tempo operations, traditional workflows are no longer fast enough. Analysts are... Read More >

Thermal Infrared Echoes: Illuminating the Last Gasp of a Dying Star

Thermal Infrared Echoes: Illuminating the Last Gasp of a Dying Star

4/24/2025

This blog was written by Eli Dwek, Emeritus, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD and Research Fellow, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA. It is the fifth blog in a series showcasing our IDL® Fellows program which supports passionate retired IDL users who may need support to continue their work... Read More >

A New Era of Hyperspectral Imaging with ENVI® and Wyvern’s Open Data Program

A New Era of Hyperspectral Imaging with ENVI® and Wyvern’s Open Data Program

2/25/2025

This blog was written in collaboration with Adam O’Connor from Wyvern.   As hyperspectral imaging (HSI) continues to grow in importance, access to high-quality satellite data is key to unlocking new insights in environmental monitoring, agriculture, forestry, mining, security, energy infrastructure management, and more.... Read More >

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Suomi NPP: Setting a New Standard for Global Climate Monitoring

Anonym

On October 28, 2011, the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (NPP) spacecraft lifted off from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California and began its scheduled five year mission as a new installment to the NASA fleet of Earth observing systems.  Now in a pole-to-pole orbit around the globe, sensors aboard the NPP platform collect information related to our planet's land, atmosphere, ice, and oceans.  The geospatial information derived from the Suomi NPP platform has the potential to clearly demonstrate the value of continuous earth observation towards understanding the dynamics of climate change, and the impacts to our planet.

Amidst much debate about both the causes and effects of climate change, time is a key theme.  Weather events that occur over a short period of time are easily understood, even if they are unusual or historic.  However, relating a brief weather occurrence to a broader climatic trend that plays out over a longer time period can invite a difference of opinion regarding causation.  Given that our historic weather records are young relative to the hourglass by which the Earth functions, it's not surprising that we lack a good reference point for perceiving changes to climate.  Despite a late start, over the past several decades humanity is using remotely sensed data to amass a record of Earth observations related not only to weather, but to a wide range of interconnected processes and properties of our planet.  The Suomi NPP platform represents the latest effort to use satellite technology to bolster our historical record and gain a broad understanding of how our planet changes over time.

Through the use of five imaging instruments, including the largest, and arguably most important sensor onboard, the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), Suomi NPP collects measurements used to improve understanding of the complex interactions of the earth's natural climatic and ecological systems, and provide for the ability to react to changes based on more accurate predictions.  Together, the instruments will allow scientists and the geospatially inclined to:

  • Measure the relative health of the ozone layer
  • Monitor natural disasters, such as wildfires, volcanic eruptions, snowstorms, droughts, floods, hurricanes and dust plumes
  • Use sounding instruments to collect information about cloud cover, atmospheric temperatures, humidity and other variables to improve the accuracy of weather predictions
  • Map changes to global land vegetation to understand the global carbon cycle and monitor agricultural processes that may predict food shortages and famines
  • Track changes to Earth’s sea ice, land ice and glaciers as indicators of climate change
  • Measure air pollution by tracking soot, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide
  • Maintain a global record of atmospheric, land surface and sea surface temperatures critical to understanding the long-term dynamics of climate change

NASA_Suomi_NPP_Atmosphere_

As the Suomi NPP system collects critical data records of vegetation, clouds, aerosols, sea and land surface temperature, and the productivity of our biosphere, we will gain an unprecedented ability to understand how the components of interconnected Earth systems affect one another and how climate change may be affecting them both individually and collectively.  Ultimately, this knowledge can inform our decisions about how we choose to interact with our natural environment.  In the meantime, here's hoping the Suomi NPP system resoundingly legitimates the need to prioritize continued funding for satellite-based scientific endeavors in the United States.   How will you use NPP VIIRS data?

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