About GeoColor

GeoColor is a multispectral product composed of True Color (using a simulated green component) during daytime, and an Infrared product that uses bands 7 and 13 at night. During the day, the imagery looks approximately as it would when viewed with human eyes from space. At night, the blue colors represent liquid water clouds such as fog and stratus, while gray to white indicate higher ice clouds, and the city lights come from a static database derived from the VIIRS Day Night Band.

GeoColor was developed at the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) and the STAR Regional and Mesoscale Meteorology Branch (RAMMB). For a full description of the algorithm, please see this article.

Please credit CIRA/NOAA when using GeoColor imagery.

NOTE: Lighted areas shown in nighttime images are not real-time depictions of city lights. The layer is derived from a compilation of JPSS VIIRS Day Night Band images and is included for orientation purposes.

• For more details, see the CIRA GeoColor Product Quick Guide, (PDF, 1.24 MB)