JAXA Earth Observation Data

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

05/2006

​The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) provides access to satellite data from JAXA’s Earth observation missions, including high-resolution imagery and various environmental parameters. The dataset encompasses over 1,000 TB  of archived satellite data, making it one of the most comprehensive collections of Earth observation data. JAXA operates several Earth observation satellites that provide global environmental and geospatial data. It includes data from multiple JAXA missions, such as ALOS-2 (land observation), GOSAT (greenhouse gases), GCOM-W (water cycle), GCOM-C (climate monitoring), and Himawari (weather observations). The dataset covers several decades of observations, with some datasets extending back to the 1980s.

Key features include:

• Atmospheric Monitoring: Tracks greenhouse gas levels (CO₂, CH₄), aerosols, water vapor, and cloud properties.
• Land Observations: Provides land surface temperature, vegetation indices (NDVI, EVI), urban growth mapping, and disaster response data.
• Oceanic Measurements: Covers sea surface temperature, ocean color, chlorophyll concentration, and sea ice extent.
• Climate Change Indicators: Tracks long-term changes in Earth's environment.
• Disaster Response & Early Warning: Used for real-time monitoring of typhoons, wildfires, and earthquakes.

The total number of observations varies by mission and parameter. Given that JAXA satellites capture data daily, weekly, or monthly, the dataset consists of millions of individual observations spanning decades. For instance:

• GOSAT greenhouse gas monitoring: Over 56,000 global observation points.
• ALOS-2 terrain and land cover changes: Millions of SAR images worldwide.
• GCOM-W & GCOM-C climate data: Continuous Earth monitoring at global scale.