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GIBBS - Known Issues
The following is a list of known problems which we have been alerted to and (if possible) are attempting to fix.
  • Navigation problems with early GOES satellites
    • Affects: GOES-5 & 6 - All channels - All times
    • Description: Navigation of the B1 data from the early GOES satellites is somewhat inaccurate. This results in displacements of a few (sometimes many) pixels between the plotted coastlines and what the image shows (best seen in visible images). This can not be immediately fixed until better navigation information is derived.
    • Example: GOES-5 Mar-01-1984 - You can clearly see that the coastlines (e.g., the Carolinas) do not line up with the actual image.
  • Sunlight contamination
    • Affects: All satellites - Visible imagery - Near local midnight at times of year near the equinoxes (Late March and September)
    • Description: During these times, sunlight can enter the instrument directly and contaminate the image. It has the potential to affect the infrared and water vapor channels as well. This imagery can not be fixed, since it is what the sensor observed. While this affects all satellites, it has the most significant effect on the Meteosat since it also affects the water vapor channel too.
    • Example: Meteosat-5 Feb-17-2003 - The sun glint appears in the visible image and affects the water vapor image as well.
  • Time discrepancy between JPEG image and html
    • Affects: All satellites - All channels - All times
    • Description: There is a discrepancy between the time listed inside the JPEG image and that listed on the html page. The time on the image lists the actual time the image was started. The html page lists the nearest synoptic time (that is, round to a multiple of 3). Satellite images are not snapshots, but are scanned in (originally as the satellite spun) from left to right. To scan the entire Earth generally took 25 minutes, so images which start at 11:30 UTC have their last scan complete at 11:55 UTC, which is close to 12:00 UTC.
    • Example: Meteosat-2 Nov-04-1983 - The image started at 11:30 and ended at 11:55 so it is listed as 12:00UTC.
  • Partial image for some GOES images
    • Affects: GOES imagery - All channels - All times
    • Description: The sector processing centers often will provide a partial image of the full disk if a complete full disk image is not available.
    • Example: GOES-8 Aug-22-1997 - This partial image is all that is available for this time; a complete full disk is not available.