Himawari JDDS

Himawari-8/9 imagery and geophysical products are provided via the JMA Data Dissemination System (JDDS). Satellite imagery and products such as High-resolution Cloud Analysis Information (HCAI) are provided via the Himawari JDDS.

Data access without registration

The JPEG satellite imagery listed in Table 1 is freely available without the need for registration.

Table 1 Himawari-8/9 JPEG imagery
Area Name Time Interval
Full disk (FD) Every 60 minutes
North Central Every 30 minutes
Northwest Every 30 minutes
Northeast Every 30 minutes
Sout Central Every 30 minutes
Southwest Every 30 minutes
Southeast Every 30 minutes
East Asia Every 30 minutes
North Japan Every 30 minutes
Southwest Japan Every 30 minutes

Data for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services

National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) can access the following satellite imagery and products via HTTPS after registration:

High-resolution Cloud Analysis Information (HCAI)

High-resolution Cloud Analysis Information consists of data on cloud mask (including dust mask), snow mask, cloud type, cloud top height and quality control. Each element has a spatial resolution of 0.02 degrees in both latitude and longitude, and is calculated using observational data from Himawari-8 or -9. The region of HCAI coverage is as detailed in Table 2 and Figure 1 below.

Table 2 HCAI regions and file sizes
Area Name Latitude Longititude File size / 10 min. Compressed file size / 10min.
FD Full Domain 60N-60S 80E-160W 180 MB 29.5 MB
NC North Central 45N-20S 90E-155E 50 MB 10 MB
NW Northwest 60N-5S 80E-145E 50 MB 10 MB
NE Northeast 60N-5S 135E-160W 50 MB 10 MB
TP Tropical 25N-25S 80E-160W 75 MB 15 MB
TE Tropical East 25N-25S 135E-160W 40 MB 7.5 MB
SW Southwest 5N-60S 80E-145E 50 MB 10 MB
SE Southeast 5N-60S 135E-160W 50 MB 10 MB
regions
Figure 1 High-resolution Cloud Analysis Information (HCAI) regions

AMV-based Sea-surface Wind data (ASWinds)

AMV-based Sea-surface Wind data (ASWinds) is an ocean-surface wind product involving wind speed estimation from the strong correlation between low-level AMVs, which are assigned to the lower troposphere, and sea-surface winds around tropical cyclones. It provides valuable information on wind distribution around tropical cyclones over ocean areas, where observation data are particularly sparse, using low-level AMVs derived from Himawari-8 full-disk and target-area imagery. In combination with JMA’s HimawariRequest service for tropical cyclone observation, the ASWinds product derived from target-area observation is expected to significantly contribute to tropical cyclone monitoring. The AMV-based Sea-surface Wind data are shown in Table 3.

Table 3 AMV-based Sea surface Wind data (ASWinds)
Area Name Latitude Longitude File size Interval Spatial resolution
FD Full Domain 65N-65S 80E-160W 1 MB 30 min 0.25 deg
TG Target Area 1,000 km x 1,000 km 200 KB 10 min 0.1 deg

Himawari-8/9 ASWinds were validated for areas around TCs occurring in 2016 based on comparison with ASCAT winds. The root mean square difference of the wind speed was 1.4 to 1.7 m/s. The following document provides details of product validation and other information:

Although the accuracy of ASWinds data around tropical cyclones has been verified, it is important to understand that their reliability for other regions, such as around extratropical cyclones, remains unverified.

Satellite imagery in HRIT format

JMA provides Himawari-8/9 data in the format prescribed by HRIT regulations. These data are intended to support users of the previous operational MTSAT series as an interim measure until preparations are complete for the reception of Himawari-8/9 data via HimawariCloud or HimawariCast. The details of Himawari-8/9 imagery in HRIT format are shown in Table 4.

Table 4 Himawari-8/9 imagery in HRIT
Format Product area Interval Notes
HRIT Full disk Every 30 minutes Bands: 5 (VIS: 1; IR: 4)
Spatial resolution: VIS: 1 km; IR: 4 km
Northern/southern disk division
Archived in tar and compressed gzip format

Terms and conditions

JMA provides Himawari JDDS accounts to National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs). Before using the service, users must submit fully completed and signed registration forms in scanned PDF format.

Once registration is complete, JMA will provide a user ID, password and dedicated URL. Users access data via an HTTPS client such as a Web browser or Wget.

Extremely heavy access impairing the download activities of other users may be recognized as a cyber-attack. Accordingly, users are asked to comply with the guidelines provided below to avoid having access terminated without notice.

  • Refrain from downloading the same files repeatedly except in the event of a failed download.
  • Refrain from downloading the same files with a different client.

Contact details for issues and inquiries:

  • Satellite Program Division, Japan Meteorological Agency
  • E-mail: metsat AT met.kishou.go.jp