The National Satellite Meteorological Center (NSMC) was founded in 1971. It is one of the operational centers of China Meteorological Administration(CMA)  and is tasked to support nation-wide weather forecasts, climate research, and natural disaster monitoring with space-based Earth Observation (EO) data and derived products.

The main responsibilities of NSMC are as follows:

  • to make plan for China’s meteorological satellite development; to define user requirements for the meteorological satellite system;
  • to operate the meteorological satellite system; to receive, process, archive and disseminate satellite data to end users;
  • to provide information service based on meteorological satellite data for weather forecast, climate prediction, the earth environment monitoring, and space weather monitoring and warning;
  • to promote nation-wide utilization of meteorological satellite data based on research on algorithms and development of products;
  • to provide user with technical guidance on meteorological satellite remote sensing;
  • entrusted by China Meteorological Administration, to exercise supervision and management for the implementation of satellite engineering project contracts.

To fulfill the responsibilities, NSMC operates a number of equipments to receive, process and disseminate the meteorological satellite data. There are about 400 people working for NSM, who are engaged in system operation and maintenance, conducting research for new system establishment and application, and satellite remote sensing information service.

FY-4B: FY-4B, which is the first operational geostationary satellite in FY-4 series, was successfully launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 0:17 on June 3, 2021, and was successfully positioned over the equator at 123.5 degrees east longitude at 17:07 on June 10, 2021. There are 4 instruments on the FY-4B, Advanced Geostationary Radiation Imager (AGRI), Geostationary Interferometric Infrared Sounder (GIIRS), Geostationary High Speed Imager (GHI), and Space Environment Package(SEP).

Table . FY-4 product list.

Type

Product name

Product specifications

Format

Temporal type

Spatial resolution

Minutely

Hourly

Daily

Ten-Daily

Monthly

Atmosphere

Aerosol optical depth

1 km

NetCDF

Atmospheric correction image

1 km

NetCDF

Atmospheric motion vector

64 km

NetCDF

Convective initiation

4 km

NetCDF

Fog detection

4 km

NetCDF

Dust detection

4 km

NetCDF

Total column precipitable water

4 km

NetCDF

Vertical moisture profile

16 km

NetCDF

Vertical temperature profile

16 km

NetCDF

Lightning detection

78 km

NetCDF

Rainfall rate

4 km

NetCDF

Tropopause folding

4 km

NetCDF

Ocean

Sea surface temperature

4 km

NetCDF

Cloud and radiation

All sky radiation

4 km

NetCDF

Clear sky masks

4 km

NetCDF

Clear sky radiation

4 km

NetCDF

Cloud optical depth

4 km

NetCDF

Cloud phase

4 km

NetCDF

Cloud top height

4 km

NetCDF

Cloud top pressure

4 km

NetCDF

Cloud top temperature

4 km

NetCDF

Cloud type

4 km

NetCDF

Downward long wave radiation: surface

4 km

NetCDF

Outgoing long wave radiation

4 km

NetCDF

Upward long wave radiation: surface

4 km

NetCDF

Reflected shortwave radiation: TOA

4 km

NetCDF

Surface solar irradiance

4 km

NetCDF

Land surface

Fire/hot spot

2 km

NetCDF

Land surface temperature

4 km

NetCDF

Land surface emissivity

12 km

NetCDF

Note: The symbol √ means this product is available.

FY-3E:FY-3E, which is the first early-morning orbit satellite in China’s polar-orbiting meteorological satellite family, was launched on July 5, 2021. It is the first satellite of batch 03 of Chinese second-generation polar-orbiting meteorological satellite series FY-3, and it is also the world’s first civilian early-morning orbiting meteorological satellite. The design life of FY-3E is 8 years. It is equipped with 11 sets of remote sensing instruments, including: MERSI (medium resolution spectral imager), HIRAS (hyper-spectral infrared atmospheric sounder), MWTS (Micro-Wave Temperature Sounder), MWHS (Micro-Wave Humidity Sounder), GNOS (GNSS Occultation Sounder), WindRad (Wind radar), SIM (Solar Irradiance Monitor), SSIM (Solar Spectral Irradiance Monitor), XEUVI (Solar X-ray and Extreme Ultraviolet Imager), IPM (Triple-angle Ionospheric PhotoMeter), and SEM (Space Environment Monitor), among which WindRad, SSIM and XEUVI are new instruments, the MWHS is an inherited load, and the performance of 7 instruments including HIRAS has been improved.

Table . FY-3 product list.

Type

Product name

Product specifications

Format

Temporal type

Spatial resolution

Hourly

Daily

Ten-Daily

Monthly

Atmosphere

Aerosol optical depth

1 km, 5 km

HDF5.0

Atmospheric Total Cloud liquid water

5 km

HDF5.0

Dust storm index

1 km

HDF5.0

Microwave rain rate

25 km

HDF5.0

Fog detection

1 km

HDF5.0

Precipitation

1 km

HDF5.0

Perceptible water

1 km, 5 km

HDF5.0

Rain detection

15 km

HDF5.0

Total ozone

50 km

HDF5.0

Vertical humidity profile

33 km

HDF5.0

Vertical temperature profile

33 km

HDF5.0

Ocean

Sea surface Temperature

25 km

HDF5.0

Sea surface wind speed

25 km

HDF5.0

Cryosphere

Sea ice

12 km

HDF5.0

Snow cover

1 km

HDF5.0

Snow depth

25 km

HDF5.0

Snow water equivalent

25 km

HDF5.0

Cloud and radiation

Cloud amount

5 km

HDF5.0

Cloud mask

1 km

HDF5.0

Cloud optical depth

5 km

HDF5.0

Cloud phase

1 km

HDF5.0

Cloud type

1 km

HDF5.0

Cloud top temperature

1 km, 5 km

HDF5.0

Cloud top height

1 km, 5 km

HDF5.0

Cloud water content

25 km

HDF5.0

Outgoing longwave radiation

5 km

HDF5.0

Land and ecology

 

Albedo

1 km

HDF5.0

Fire detection

1 km

HDF5.0

Land cover

1 km

HDF5.0

Land surface reflectance

250 m, 1 km,

5 km

HDF5.0

Land surface Temperature

25 km

HDF5.0

Fire detection

1 km

HDF5.0

Soil moisture

25 km

HDF5.0

Normalized difference vegetation index

250 m, 1 km,

5 km

HDF5.0

Leaf area index

25 km

HDF5.0

Fraction of photosynthetically active radiation

25 km

HDF5.0

Net primary productivity

25 km

HDF5.0

Note: The symbol √ means this product is available.

FY-2H: FY-2H is the last one of the FY-2 series. The FY-2 spacecraft is spin-stabilized that rotates at speed of 100 r·min–1. The primary payload is a 5-channel Visible and Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer (VISSR), which takes hourly full-disk imagery of the Earth in VIS, IR, and water vapor spectral bands. At present, the operational observation position is 86.5°E.

Table: FY-2 product list.

Type

Product name

Product specifications

Format

Temporal type

Spatial resolution

Hourly

Daily

Ten-Daily

Monthly

Atmosphere

Atmospheric motion vector

HDF5.0

Dust detection

5 km

HDF5.0

Precipitation estimation

5 km

HDF5.0

Precipitation index

5 km

HDF5.0

Total precipitable water

5 km

HDF5.0

Upper-tropospheric humidity

5 km

HDF5.0

Ocean

Sea surface temperature

5 km

HDF5.0

Cryosphere

Snow cover

5 km

HDF5.0

Cloud and radiation

All sky radiation

5 km

HDF5.0

Blackbody brightness temperature

5 km

HDF5.0

Clear sky radiation

5 km

HDF5.0

Cloud classification

5 km

HDF5.0

Cloud detection

5 km

HDF5.0

Cloud top temperature

5 km

HDF5.0

Cloud total amount

5 km

HDF5.0

Outgoing Long wave Radiation

5 km

HDF5.0

Surface solar irradiance

5 km

HDF5.0

Land and ecology

Land surface temperature

5 km

HDF5.0

Note: The symbol √ means this product is available.

Regular training events:
  • 1 Nov. 2021 – 5 Nov. 2021, 11TH ASIA-OCEANIA METEOROLOGICAL SATELLITE USERS’ CONFERENCE (AOMSUC-11) AND 2021 FENGYUN SATELLITE USER CONFERENCE(FYSUC-2021)
  • 29 Oct. 2021, Joint China Austrilia Vlab Centers of Excellence Regional Focus Group meeting
  • 8 Jun. 2021, Joint China Austrilia Vlab Centers of Excellence Regional Focus Group meeting
  • 26 Apr. 2022, Joint China Austrilia Vlab Centers of Excellence Regional Focus Group meeting

Sat Op Contact Information

Dr. WANG Jinsong

Sat Op Director

Mr. XIAN Di

Sat Op VLab Point of Contact