False Color Merged IR Visualization now available!

The GES DISC Hurricane Data Analysis Tool has now added the capability to animate false color images of Merged IR data in addition to the previously available grayscale images.    This capability enhances the images and animations that can be created with the Merged IR data from geostationary weather satellites.

To access this capability with the tool, the Merged IR dataset must be selected.  When this selection is made, the Dataset box will provide a choice between "Black and White" and "False Color".    After selecting False Color, the geographical area, time increment, and temporal criteria can then be entered.     Note that selecting extended time periods with a large number of images will greatly increase the time required to generate the animation.

When the animation is generated, it appears as an Animated GIF image.  To save the image as an Animated GIF, Windows users will need to right-click on the image, then enter the name of the animation, including the ".gif" suffix, in the "Save Image As" field.     Macintosh users will have to adapt these instructions for their operating system. 

More information is available in the Hurricane Data Analysis Tool FAQ. 

An animation of Hurricane Katrina generated with the False Color option in the Hurricane Data Analysis Tool is shown below.    Note that this animation was generated with the Pre-Defined palette;   Dynamic and Custom palettes can also be used.