Giovanni: Exploring, Visualizing, and Acquiring Atmospheric Data

The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Earth Sciences (GES) Data and Information Services Center (DISC) has made great strides in facilitating science and applications research by, in consultation with its users, developing innovative tools and data services. One such tool that has gained much popularity and continues to evolve in response to science research and application needs is Giovanni, an interactive data analysis and visualization tool, used primarily for exploring large and many NASA atmospheric datasets for atmospheric phenomena of interest. With the rapidly increasing amounts of archived atmospheric data from NASA missions: Aura (instruments: OMI, MLS, HIRDLS, TES), Aqua (MODIS, AIRS), and Terra (MODIS), and the newest missions (Cloudsat and CALIPSO), as well as data from heritage mission/instruments, such TOMS, UARS, and TOVS, Giovanni easily enables users to manipulate data and uncover nuggets of information that potentially lead to scientific discovery. The basic Giovanni capabilities of providing area plots, one or two variable time plots, Hovmoller plots, ASCII output, image animation, two parameter intercomparisons, two parameter plots, scatter plots (relationships between two parameters), and temporal correlation maps have been enhanced with many new and more advanced functions, such as vertical profiles, vertical cross-sections, zonal averages, and the newest function, multi-instrument vertical plots beneath the A-Train track. This presentation presents remote sensing atmospheric observations measured by several NASA remote sensing instruments utilizing and demonstrating Giovanni's features. A comprehensive list of geophysical parameters measured by the aforementioned instruments, including description of data preparation for utilization in Giovanni will be provided. By emphasizing Giovanni's newest features, which add to those of interest to the atmospheric community, advances in the GES DISC A-Train Data Depot (ATDD) will be described. In addition, potential inclusion of ground station measurements of pollution into Giovanni, and utilization of this system in air-quality studies will be addressed. Additional information can be found at the Giovanni website: http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/techlab/giovanni/