Skip to content
USRADIOGUY

USRadioguy.com

Welcome to USRadioguy.com – Unlocking the Potential of Software Defined Radio

  • Home
    • Home of USRadioguy
    • USRadioguy Newsletter
    • Tried and Tested Hardware
    • What is RTL-SDR?
    • Global Weather Data
  • Satellite Reception
    • Geo Stationary Satellites
      • Geo-stationary Satellite Imagery Reception
      • GOESTOOLS on the PI
      • Update Goestools for GOES 18,19
      • Receiving GOES with SatDump CLI Mode
      • GOES receiving in Windows for SatDump GUI
      • Decoding EWS-G1/EWS-G2
      • GOES GRB Reception WIP
      • Optimizing a WIFI Grid Antenna for Maximum Efficiency
    • APT Satellites
      • APT RECEPTION
      • Satdump for Meteor and NOAA decoding
      • METEOR M2- Series
      • WxtoImg Fix
      • Converting to new TLE format
      • Layering Fire and Hotspot Data on Meteor Sat Imagery
      • HRPT Satellite Tracking and Capture
    • Receiving Other Satellites
      • Inmarsat Decoding
      • Receiving the Funcube Amateur Satellite
    • User Maps and Dish Pointers
      • Satellite Dish Pointer
      • User Global Ground Station Maps
      • Usermap rendered with Cesium
      • Global Map of Govt Dish Stations
    • Satellite Details & Information
      • ORBITAL DYNAMICS 101
      • HRIT/EMWIN & GRB Defined
      • Mesoscale Imagery Defined
      • Viterbi, R/S Errors, Packets
      • GOES BAND IMAGERY
      • Stray Light Zone (SLZ)
      • Drifting a geostationary satellite
      • GOES-R Series Multimedia Tour
      • Online Satellite Imagery and Information
      • Satellite Frequencies
      • Solar and Space Weather
  • Satellite Imagery
    • IMAGERY- Current GOES East & West HRIT Satellite Imagery
    • IMAGERY- GOES 16&18 – Past 96 Hours of Imagery
    • High Resolution Imagery
    • Daily 3D view of Earth
    • NOAA APT Satellite imagery
    • PlanetMaker
    • GOES16 A full year of received imagery
  • Imagery Processing
    • Custom Color Lookup Table & Gradients
    • GOES-R Custom Imagery Scripts
    • Global geo-ring composites
    • MODIS VIIRS Global Coverage
    • 3D Satellite Tracking
    • The quest for True Color Imagery
    • 3D animation of realtime data
    • Layering Geo-Spatial Fire Data into Satellite Imagery
    • Orbital dynamics and the Moon
    • National Hurricane Data
  • News, VLOGS & BLOGS
    • News & USRadioguy Blogs
    • USRadioguy VLOGS
  • Project Lab
    • Orbital Information and Visualizations
      • Enhanced Planet Earth
      • Satellites in Orbit
      • Solar System
      • Objects in Orbit
    • Current Station Weather
      • Current Groundstation Weather
      • Global Weather Data
      • Space Weather
    • WWII RADIO
      • WWII K-24 Aerial Camera
      • WWII RADIO
      • RADIO SET SCR-284
      • VS-3 VIBRATOR CONVERSION
      • VIBRATOR CONVERSION MODULE
      • BD-71 Field Switch Board and EE-8B Field Telephones
      • R-100/URR 1944 MORALE RADIO
      • A PORTABLE WWII ERA “MORALE RADIO”
      • AN/GRR-5 THE ANGRY 5
      • WWII Audio Page
    • Raspberry Pi Projects
      • ADS-B Reception
      • Allsky Camera
      • Pi Based Picture Frame
      • PI Based Broadcastify Server
      • Solar Power for PI
    • Hubble Space Telescope Data Processing
    • Zombie Satellites
    • DRONES
  • About Me
    • About Usradioguy
      • SETEC Astronomy
    • Tried and Tested Hardware
    • Rare Captures
    • My Other Interests
    • Presentations
    • Merchandise
    • Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • 3D animation of realtime data

3D animation of realtime data

3D animation of Satellite data

With the data I have been receiving from GOES 16-17 and Himawari 8 (via relay from GOES 17) I wanted to bump up the way I could visualize the imagery. So, using my data and adding downloaded data from Elecktro LN2, GK2A, I am able to compose a global composite through the use of the Sanchez tool. Using Sanchez’s built-in tools I take a series of images, from the same general timeframe. In these experiments, I used data I have from December 25, 2020 at roughly 14:00 UTC. I then combine all 5 satellites using Sanchez’ reprojection option and stitching option to make one flat equirectangular image of the earth:

Re-projected imagery 12.25.2020

I also generate two additional files, a cloud layer file from the same data, this is done with no underlay.

Blue Cloud Layer, Inverted
Transparent cloud layer. Note you can see some of the areas where the satellite imagery is stitched. This will disappear on the rendered 3D imagery as I use just a slight transparency.

Once that is done, I typically resize the images down from the original size (too make it a bit faster in loading on the server.

Then the tricky part comes in. I am not going to go into a ton of detail on this as there are so mnay tutorials on this on the internet. I have used a combination of NASA World Winds software and a combination of three.js software, (A JavaScript-based library) and WebGL. Both when used are not for the faint of heart, It took me a manyf days to start rendering these 3D images.

The equirectangular views generated above are used to create my virtual planet earth. Each layer is placed as earth surface, earth cloud and earth cloud transparent. Each of these gives the visual perspective to look like a 3D object.

Layered 3D earth Using real satellite data.

Once those layers are all good, then the script with all the options I have chosen and set, build a virtual universe in which my little Class M planet will fit into. Bump maps are generated so that the sphere that the overlay is placed on can also show elevations, such as mountains or valleys, and a specular layer map is also used so that sunlight can glint off of water, just as lakes, streams, rivers, and oceans.

Here are a couple of examples showing the final results: You can control the view by clicking and moving your mouse around, and using your mouse wheel to zoom in and out.

Full Rendering of Earth with composited satellite imagery and a toolbar to control different settings. Uses the data from October 26,2022 (GOES 16-18 and Himawari 8, GK2A, Electro-L No. 2, and EWS-G1). This version uses a tiled star map and some fancy graphics to create a near photo-realistic universe. Cloud layer is turned off, try enabling it in the options to see the IR cloud imagery.


3D rendering of Planet Earth using data from October 26,2022 (GOES 16-18 and Himawari 8, GK2A, Electro-L No. 2, and EWS-G1

3D rendering of the solar system, with earth using the same data from October 26,2022 (GOES 16-178 and Himawari 8, GK2A, Electro-L No. 2, and EWS-G1 You can use the increase or decrease buttons to speed up or slow down the orbits. (My solar system still has Pluto as a planet!) The planets are layered with reprojected imagery from NASA JPL and http://planetpixelemporium.com/planets.html


Next steps: Automate the the stitching of imagery, reprojection using near realtime data, perhaps once per hour. Then use that imagery in combination with dark side imagery to create a near real time globe with options to scroll through dates and time.

Hardware Humor Imagery Processing Interesting stuff you should know! Launch News Life News Product Review Satellites Science Software Space Weather Uncategorized VLOG

Satellite And Weather Related Feeds

  • CIMSS Satellite Blog
  • USRadioguy.com
  • wildfires
  • NASA Earth Observatory
  • SPC Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Tornado/Severe Thunderstorm Watch
  • satellites
  • Satellites News -- ScienceDaily
  • Satellite Liaison Blog
Trout Fire in New Mexico produces a pyrocumulonimbus cloud
Trout Fire in New Mexico produces a pyrocumulonimbus cloud
Blowing dust in Argentina
Blowing dust in Argentina
Canadian wildfire smoke over Alaska
Canadian wildfire smoke over Alaska
End Of Life for NOAA 15 and 19?….not so fast…
End Of Life for NOAA 15 and 19?….not so fast…
Vitality GOES
Vitality GOES
Decommissioning NOAA-18
Decommissioning NOAA-18
The fire cycle
Unmasking the complicated chemistry of wildfire smoke: What's in it?
Unmasking the complicated chemistry of wildfire smoke: What's in it?
NOAA unveils powerful convergence of AI and science with revolutionary Next-Generation Fire System technology
NOAA unveils powerful convergence of AI and science with revolutionary Next-Generation Fire System technology
Earth’s Clouds on the Move
Earth’s Clouds on the Move
Seasonal Breakup in the Amundsen Gulf
Seasonal Breakup in the Amundsen Gulf
Egypt’s Mediterranean Coast
Egypt’s Mediterranean Coast
SPC PDS Severe Thunderstorm Watch 399
SPC PDS Severe Thunderstorm Watch 399
Five historically huge solar events
Five historically huge solar events
65 years since the world’s first weather satellite
65 years since the world’s first weather satellite
Investing in America: NOAA's Science, Service and Stewardship in Action
Satellite measures CO2 and NO2 simultaneously from power plant emissions for the first time
Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space
Small, faint and 'unexpected in a lot of different ways': Astronomers make galactic discovery
Late-Season Atlantic Hurricane-Force Low
Late-Season Atlantic Hurricane-Force Low
Atmospheric River Strikes Eastern U.S.
Atmospheric River Strikes Eastern U.S.
Another Week, Another Deep South Soaker
Another Week, Another Deep South Soaker
  • Facebook Geo Stationary Satellites
  • Usradioguy Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Reddit
  • Github
  • Linkedin

Copyright © 2025 USRadioguy.com - All Rights Reserved. All material protected by Fair Use Section 107 of the Copyright Act. This site is Verified and Secured with 256 bit SSL encryption