The FIRE Project

The International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project's (ISCCP) First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) project is a program to validate the cloud parameters derived by the ISCCP. The 4- to 5-year program will concentrate on clouds in the continental United States, particularly cirrus and marine stratocumulus clouds. As part of the validation process, FIRE will acquire satellite, aircraft, balloon, and surface data. These data (except for the satellite data) will be amalgamated into one common data set. Plans are to generate a standardized format structure for use in the PCDS. Data collection will begin in April 1986, but will not be available to the general scientific community until 1987 or 1988. Additional pertinent data sets already reside in the PCDS. Other qualifications of the PCDS for use in this validation program were enumerated.