14 December 2022
21 May 2020
FCI, on the MTG-I satellite, will continue the very successful operation of the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) on Meteosat Second Generation (MSG). Requirements have been formulated by regional and global numerical weather prediction (NWP) and nowcasting communities.
These requirements are reflected in the design which allows for scanning the full Earth disc in 10 minutes in support of the full disc scanning service (FDSS), or the upper quarter of the disc (i.e., Europe) in 2.5 minutes in support of the rapid scanning service (RSS).
The FCI measures in 16 channels in the visible and infrared spectrum of which eight are placed in the solar spectral domain between 0.4µm to 2.2µm, delivering data at a 1km spatial sampling distance (resolution) at nadir (sub-satellite point the centre of the disc). The additional eight channels are in the thermal spectral domain between 3.8µm and 13.3µm, delivering data at 2km spatial sampling distance at nadir. This observation mode is referred to as full disc high spectral resolution imagery (FDHSI) mission.
Furthermore, the FCI samples two channels in the solar domain (0.6µm and 2.2µm) at higher spatial sampling distance of 0.5km. and two channels in the thermal domain (3.8µm and 10.5µm) at higher spatial sampling distance of 1km at nadir. This observation mode is referred to as high spatial resolution fast imagery (HRFI) mission.
With both missions, the FCI instrument supports the full disc scanning service (FDSS) and the rapid scanning service (RSS).
With the FCI on board the MTG-I satellites, Europe will continue to play the leading role in imaging radiometry from the geostationary orbit in the decades to come.
Figures 3-5 illustrate the variation of average pixel area in km2 for imagery with 1km spatial sampling distance at nadir, and approximate pixel contours for four selected locations in Europe.
Instrument information
| Channel | Centre Wavelength | Spectral Width | Spatial Sampling Distance (SSD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| VIS 0.4 | 0.444µm | 0.060µm | 1.0km |
| VIS 0.5 | 0.510µm | 0.040µm | 1.0km |
| VIS 0.6 | 0.640µm | 0.050µm | 1.0km; 0.5km |
| VIS 0.8 | 0.865µm | 0.050µm | 1.0km |
| VIS 0.9 | 0.914µm | 0.020µm | 1.0km |
| NIR 1.3 | 1.380µm | 0.030µm | 1.0km |
| NIR 1.6 | 1.610µm | 0.050µm | 1.0km |
| NIR 2.2 | 2.250µm | 0.050µm | 1.0km; 0.5km |
| IR 3.8 (TIR) | 3.800µm | 0.400µm | 2.0km; 1.0km |
| WV 6.3 | 6.300µm | 1.000µm | 2.0km |
| WV 7.3 | 7.350µm | 0.500µm | 2.0km |
| IR 8.7 (TIR) | 8.700µm | 0.400µm | 2.0km |
| IR 9.7 (O3 ) | 9.660µm | 0.300µm | 2.0km |
| IR 10.5 (TIR) | 10.500µm | 0.700µm | 2.0km; 1.0km |
| IR 12.3 (TIR) | 12.300µm | 0.500µm | 2.0km |
| IR 13.3 (CO2 ) | 13.300µm | 0.600µm | 2.0km |
Spectral Response Functions
The following represent the best knowledge of the FCI spectral response functions (SRFs), provided as a function of the wavelength (Figure 6).
Users can access the Spectral Response Functions via our sftp site:
More details are provided in this news story.
