Earth Observation and Data Assimilation Acronyms

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Page last updated 17/03/2010.

Numerals A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

NumeralsGo to top of page
1DVAR One-Dimensional Variational Assimilation
3DVAR Three-Dimensional Variational Assimilation
4DVAR Four-Dimensional Variational Assimilation (3 space + time)
AGo to top of page
AAPP ATOVS and AVHRR Processing Package (EUMETSAT)
AATSR Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer
AC Analysis Correction Scheme (pre variational data assimilation)
ACOBS OBServations file used in the Analysis Correction Scheme (Met Office)
ACRIM Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor
ADEOS Advanced Earth Observing Satellite
AIREPS Aircraft observations (UKMO data analysis system)
AIRS Advanced Infrared Sounder
AMDAR Aircraft Meteorological Data and Reporting
AMSR Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer
AMSU Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit
ASAR Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar
ASTER Advanced Spacebourne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer
Analysis The optimised (or simultaneous best-fit) to a model background and a set of observations
ATLID Atmospheric Lidar
ATOVS Advanced TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder
ATS Applications Technology Satellite
ATSR Along Track Scanning Radiometer
AVHRR Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
AVNIR Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer
BGo to top of page
BackgroundA model forecast, valid at the start of an assimilation cycle. It provides a best guess to the analysis before the observations are taken into acount.
BADC British Atmospheric Data Centre
BAS British Antarctic Survey
BDDN Broadband Data Distribution Network
BIRA/IASB Belgian Institue for Space Aeronomy
BLUE Best Linear Unbiased Estimator
BNSC British National Space Centre
BUV Backscatter Ultraviolet Spectrometer
CGo to top of page
CALVAL Calibration and Validation
CASI Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager
CCD Charged Coupled Device
CCR Cloud Cover Radiometer
CDA Command and Data Acquisition
CEOS Committee on Earth Observation Satellites
CERES Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System
CESAR Cold Atmospheric Emission Spectral Radiometer
CGAM Centre for Global Atmosphere Modelling
CG Conjugate Gradient
CIRA Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere
CLAES Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer
CNES Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales
COASTLOOC COAstal Surveillance Through Observation of Ocean Colour
COMMA Cologne Model of the Middle Atmosphere
CPOM Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling
CryoSat Cryosphere Satellite
CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
CTM Chemical Transport Model
CZCS Coastal Zone Colour Scanner
DGo to top of page
DAAC Distributed Active Archive Centre
DANTE Data AssimilatioN Towards Envisat
DAO Data Assimilation Office
DARC Data Assimilation Research Centre
DARE Data Assimilation in Readiness for Envisat
DCP Data Collection Platform
DCS Data Collection System
DIAL Differential Absorption Lidar
DLR German Aerospace Centre
DMSP Defense Meteorological Satellite Programme
DOAS Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy
DORIS Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite
DPI Data Presence Indicator
DRIR Direct Readout Infrared Radiometer
DS Dwell Sounding
DSR Data Set Record
DU Dobson Unit
EGo to top of page
EBS Error Breeding System
EC European Commission
ECMWF European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts
ECOC Electrochemical Ozone Cell
EEM EURAD Emission Model
EKF Extended Kalman Filter
EM Error Mode
EMLS EOS Microwave Limb Sounder
ENIAC Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer
EnKF Ensemble Kalman Filter
ENRICH European Network for Research Global Change
ENVISAT Environmental Satellite
EOF Empirical Orthogonal Function
EOS Earth Observing System
EOS-AERO EOS Aerosol Mission
EOS-ALT EOS Altimetry Mission
EOS-AM EOS Morning Crossing (Ascending) Mission
EOS-CHEM EOS Chemistry Mission
EOS-COLOR EOS Ocean Colour Instrument
EOS-PM EOS Afternoom Crossing (Descending) Mission
EOSAT Earth Observing Satellite Company
EOSDIS EOS Data and Information System
EOSP Earth Observing Scanning Ploarimeter
EPA Environment Protection Agency
EPS Ensemble Prediction System
ERB Earth Raditation Budget
ERBE Earth Raditation Budget Experiment
ERBE-NS ERBE Nonscanner
ERBE-S ERBE Scanner
ERBS Earth Raditation Budget Satellite
ERS European Remote Sensing Satellite
ERTS Earth Resources Technology Satellite
ESA European Space Agency
ESABC Envisat Stratospheric Aircraft and Balloon Campaign
ESAMS European Symposium on Atmospheric Measurements from Space
ESMR Electrically Scanning Microwave Radiometer
ESOC European Space Operations Centre, Darmstadt
ESSA Environmental Science Service Administration
ESSC Environmental Systems Science Centre
ETKF Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter
EU European Union
EUMETSAT European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
EURAD University of Koln CTM of the EURAD project
FGo to top of page
FAAM Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (UK)
FISH Fast In situ Stratospheric Hygrometer
FMI Finnish Meteorological Institute
FOAM Forecasting Ocean-Atmosphere Model
FOV Field of View
FTIR Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometer
FTS Fourier-Transform Absorption Spectrometer
FWS Filter Wedge Spectrometer
GGo to top of page
GAC Global Aerospace Corporation
GARP Global Atmospheric Research Programme
GCM Global Circulation Model
GDAS Global Data Assimilation System
GEO Geostationary Earth Observatory
GEOS DAS Goddard Earth Observing System Data Assimilation System
GERB Geostationary Earth Radiation Experiment
GHIS GOES High Resolution Interferometer Sounder
GLAS Geoscience Laser Altimeter System
GLAS Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheric Sciences
GLOSS UKMO data analysis system
GLRS Geoscience Laser Ranging System
GMS Geostationary Meteorologicl Satellite
GOCE Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer
GOES Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite
GOME Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment
GOMOS Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars
GOSCOMP Global Operational Sea Surface Temperature Computation
GPS Global Positioning System
GRACE Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment GUV Ground-based Ultraviolet Radiometer
GRIB Grid data in binary form
GSM Global Spectral Model
GTS Global Telecommunications System
GVAR GOES Variable
HGo to top of page
HadAMx Hadley Centre Atmospheric Model version x (Met Office)
HadCMx Hadley Centre Coupled Model version x (Met Office)
HALOE Halogen Occultation Experiment
HIRDLS High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder
HIRIS High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer
HIRS High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder
HIS High Spectral Resolution Interferometer Sounder
HMMR High Resolution Multifrequency Microwave Radiometer
HRC Highly Reflective Cloud
HRDI High Resolution Doppler Interferometer
HRIR High Resolution Infrared Radiometer
HRIS High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer
HRPT High Resolution Picture Transmission
IGo to top of page
IASB Institut d'Aeronomie Spatial de Belgique
IASI Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer
IAU Incremental Analysis Update
IDCS Image Dissector Camera System
IFOV Instantaneous Field of View
IFS Integrated Forecasting System (ECMWF's forecasting model)
ILAS Improved Limb Atmospheric Spectrometer
IMG Interferometric Monitor for Greenhouse Gases
IMK Institut fuer Meteorologie und Klimaforschung
InnovationThe vector difference y-H[xb], where y is the observation vector, H is the forward model, and xb is the model background state.
INSAT Indian National Satellite
INTERDOL INTERcomparison of envisat chemistry instruments data to strengthen the global monitoring of the Depletion of the Ozone Layer
IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
IR Infrared
IRIS Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer
IRTS Infrared Temperature Sounder
ISAMS Improved Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder
ISRO Indian Space Research Organization
ITCZ Intertropical Convergence Zone
ITIR Intermediate Thermal Infrared Radiometer
ITOS Improved TIROS Operational System
ITPR Infrared Temperature Profile Radiometer
IUP BremenInstitute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen
JGo to top of page
JMA Japan Meteorological Agency
JPL Jet Propulsion Laboratory
KGo to top of page
KF Kalman Filter
KNMI Het Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut
LGo to top of page
LAM Local Area Model
LASA Lidar Atmospheric Sounder and Altimeter
LAWS Laser Atmospheric and Wind Sounder
LEO Low Earth Orbit
LIMS Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere
LIS Lightning Imaging Sensor
LLR Laser Retro Reflector
LMD Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique, Paris
LOS Line Of Sight
LRIR Limb Radiance Inversion Radiometer
LS Linearization State
LST Land Surface Temperature
LUT Look Up Table
LW Long wave
MGo to top of page
MAERI Marine Atmosphere Emitted Radiance Interferometer
MARS Meteorolical Archive and Retrieval System (ECMWF)
MCSST Multichannel Sea Surface Temperatures
MERIS Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer
METAR Meteorological Airfield Report
METDB METeorological Data Base (Met Office)
MeteoSat Meteorological Satellite
MetO Met Office (UK)
MetOP Meteorological Operation Program (polar orbiter satellites)
METSAT Meteorological Satellite
MHS Microwave Humidity Sensor
MIMR Multifrequency Imaging Microwave Radiometer
MIPAS Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding
MISR Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer
MLS Microwave Limb Sounder
MMCC Mission Management Control Centre
MO The Met Office (UK)
MODIS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer
MOGREPS Met Office Global and Regional Ensemble Prediction System
MOPITT Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere
MOPS Moisture Observation Pre-processing System
MORECS Met Office Rainfall and Evaporation Calculation System
MOSES Met Office Surface Exchange Scheme
MOZART a Model for OZone and chemical tracers
MRF Medium Range Forecast
MRIR Medium Resolution Infrared Radiometer
MSC Meteorological Satellite Centre
MSDOL Monitoring of Stratospheric Depletion of Ozone Layer
MSG Meteosat Second Generation
MSSCC Multicolour Spin Scan Cloud Camera
MSU Microwave Sounding Unit
MTPE Mission To Planet Earth
MTS Microwave Temperature Sounder
MWR Microwave Radiometer
MUSE Monitor of Ultraviolet Solar Energy
MVIRI Meteosat Visible and InfraRed Imager
NGo to top of page
NAE North Atlantic and Europe (Met Office model domain)
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASDA National Space Development Agency
NCAR National Centre for Atmospheric Research (USA)
NCAS National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NERC, UK)
NCDC National Climatic Data Centre
NCEO National Centre for Earth Observation (NERC, UK)
NCEP National Centers for Environmental Prediction (USA)
NDSC Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change
NEODAAS NERC Earth Observation Data Acquisition and Analysis Service
NEODC NERC Earth Observation Data Centre
NERC Natural Environment Research Council (UK)
NESDIS National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service
NESR Noise Equivalent Spectral Radiance
NEXRAD Next Generation Radar
NILU Norwegian Institute for Air Research
NIR Near Infrared
NMC National Meteorological Centre (USA)
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmosphere Admisistration
NOC National Oceanography Centre (UK)
NRT Near Real Time
NSCAT NASA Scatterometer
NSSDC National Space Science Data Centre
NWP Numerical Weather Prediction
OGo to top of page
OCCAM Ocean Circulation and Climate Advanced Modelling
OCO Orbiting Carbon Observatory
OCTS Ocean Colour and Temperature Scanner
OI Optimal Interpolation
OLR Outgoing Longwave Radiation
OMI Ozone Monitoring Experiment
OPD Observation Processing Database
OPS Observation Processing System (data selection and quality control system) of the Met Office
OSE Observing System Experiment
OSSE Observing System Simulation Experiment
OVID Optical Visible and near Infrared Detector
OZVAL Geophysical cross-VALidation of Envisat OZone products through assimilation in a global photochemical transport model (an ENVISAT AO proposal)
PGo to top of page
PBL Planetary Boundary Layer
PCG Project Coordinating Group
PDF Probability Density Function
PF Perturbation Forecast
PGE Probability of Gross Error
PMD Polarisation Measurement Device
PML Plymouth Marine Laboratory
PMR Pressure Modulator Radiometer
PMSL Pressure Mean Sea Level
POD Precise Orbit Determination
POEM Polar Orbit Earth Observation Missions
POES Polar Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite
PPMV Parts Per Million by Volume
PR Precipitation Radar
PSAS Physical space Statistical Assimilation System
PSC Polar Stratospheric Cloud
PV Potential Vorticity
QGo to top of page
QG Quasi Geostrophic
QSCAT .
RGo to top of page
RA-2 Radar Altimeter 2
RAL Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (UK)
Residual The vector difference y-H[x], where y is the observation vector, H is the forward model, and x is the analysis.
RF Radio frequency
RFTOZ Regional dIFferences in Transformation of Ozone
RFTOZAL Regional dIFferences in Transformation of Ozone and AerosoL
RIS Retrofreflector in Space
RMS Royal Meteorological Society (UK)
RMS Root Mean Square
ROSE Research on Ozone in the Stratosphere and its Evolution
RTM Radiative Transfer Model
RTTOV Radiative Transfer Model for TOVS
SGo to top of page
SA/CNRS Service d'Aeronomie/ Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France)
SAFIRE Spectroscopy of the Atmosphere Far Infrared Emission SAR Synthetic Aperture Radar
SAGE Stratosphere Aerosol and Gas Experiment
SAM Satratospheric Aerosol Measurement
SAMS Satratospheric and Mesopheric Sounder
SATOBS Geostationary Satellite Data (Met Office data analysis system)
SAT120 Satellite (120 km)
SBUV Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Radiometer
SCAMS Scanning Microwave Spectrometer
SCANSAR Scanning SAR Imaging Technique (for wide swath coverage)
SCATS Scatterometer Winds (Met Office data analysis system)
SCIAMACHY Scanning, Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Cartography
SCMR Surface Composition Mapping Radiometer
SCR Selective Chopper Radiometer
SCS Suite Control System (Met Office)
SEAWIFS Sea Wide Field-of-view Spectrometer
SEM Space Environment Minister
SEVIRI Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager
SIRS Satellite Infrared Spectrometer
SLIMCAT Single layer Isentropic Model of Chemistry And Transport
SLR Satellite Laser Ranging
SMM Solar Maximum Mission
SMMR Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer
SMOS Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity
SMS Synchronous Meteorological Satellite
SOCC Satellite Operations Control Centre
SODA Studies of Ozone Distribution based on Assimilated satellite measurements
SOLSTICE Solar Stellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment
SONDES radiosondes and wind profilers (Met Office data analysis system)
SPARC Stratospheric Processes And their Role in Climate
SPOT Systeme Probatoire d'Observation de la Terre
SR Scanning Radiometer
SSI Spectral Statistical Interpolation
SSM/I Special Sensor Microwave Imager
SSM/T Special Sensor Microwave Temperature
SSST Skin Sea Surface Temperature
SST Sea Surface Temperature
SSU Stratospheric Sounding Unit
SW Shortwave
SYNOPS surface synoptic reports (Met Office data analysis system)
TGo to top of page
TES Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer
THIR Temperature Humidity Infrared Radiometer
TIP TIROS Information Processor
TIROS Television and Infrared Observational Satellite
TMI TRMM Microwave Imager
TMR TOPEX Microwave Radiometer
TOA Top Of Atmosphere
TOMS Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer
TOVS TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder
TOPEX Ocean Topography Experiment
TRMM Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission
TWERLE Tropical Wind Energy Conversion and Reference Level Experiment
UGo to top of page
UARS Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
UGAMP Universities Global Atmospheric Modelling Programme (UK)
UHF Ultra High Frequency
UKMO United Kingdon Meteorological Office (acronym now obsolete)
UM Unified Model (Met Office)
UPMC University of Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris, France
USGCRP US GLobal Change Research Programme
UTC Coordinated Universal Time
UTLS Upper Troposphere Lower Stratosphere
UV Ultraviolet
VGo to top of page
Var Variational Data Assimilation
VAROBS OBServations file used in the Variational Data Assimilation Scheme (Met Office)
VAS VISSR Atmospheric Sounder
VDUC VAS Data Utilization Centre
VHRR Very High Resolution Radiometer
VIRR Visible and Infrared Radiometer
VIRS Visible Infrared Scanner
VIRSR Visible Infrared Scanning Radiometer
VIS Visible
VISSR Visible and Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer
VMR Volume Mixing Ratio
VTPR Vertical Temperature Profile Radiometer
WGo to top of page
WEFAX Weather Facsilile
WMO World Meteorological Organization
WSR Weather Service Radar
XGo to top of page
YGo to top of page
ZGo to top of page

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