| You are in: DMSP >> Sensor Suite >> OL-S Sensor | Today's Forecast | DMSP Image of the Day |
|
Operational Line Scan (OL-S) Sensor
The OL-S is the primary sensor on DMSP Spacecraft and supports air, ground and naval operations. The DMSP cloud imagery is used to provide military weather forecasters cloud cover intelligence critical to space, air, and ground operations, improving the capability to find, track, and locate critical targets during combat and to assess mission impact after engagement. The OL-S produces cloud imagery for areas of special interest at fine resolution (0.3 nm). Thermal infrared IR is slightly lower resolution than the daytime visible fine-mode imagery. On board smoothing decreases the resolution and the data rate by a factor of 25. Cloud imagery is provided globally at ìsmoothî (1.5nm) resolution. DMSP data are also applied in the civilian sector. The OL-S also provides lowlight (nighttime) visible imagery that enable mapping city night lights and distinguishing them from potential fires. The resulting benefit is the efficient allocation of ground resources to fight fires that may endanger property or life. The OLS also detects ice cover and has become an important tool for the Naval Ice Center and Canadian Ice Center while also serving as an aid for forecasting safe ship navigation. 
OLS Performance Parameters: Swath width: 1600 km Spatial Resolution: 0.3 NMI – Visible Day 1.5 NMI – Visible Night 0.3 NMI – Infrared Spectral Bands: 0.4 to 11 microns – Visible Day 0.5 to 0.9 microns – Visible Night 10 to 13 microns – Infrared Mulitple record/playback rates Record: 67,666;1,331 KBPS Playback: 1,331;2,662KBPS Mulit-orbit onboard data storage capability is up to 4 orbits a lowest record speed. |