The CEOS Visualization Environment (COVE) is a browser-based system for visualizing satellite coverage and overpass data. COVE contains multiple Earth Observing satellites and is capable of rendering satellite ground tracks within Google Earth for any selected time period. COVE allows up to 4 globes simultaneously displaying satellite data, and any number of satellite ground tracks can be rendered on to a single globe. Additionally, COVE can generate coincidence data between two or more satellites.
Brian D. Killough, Ph.D.
CEOS Systems Engineering Office (SEO)
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: 757-864-7047
AMA, Inc. Developer:
Sanjay Gowda, Ph.D.
AMA, Inc.
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: 757-865-0944
First, select the mission and instrument from the cart on the left. Next, select the time period of interest. Finally, click "Add to Cart". The mission/instrument should automatically be selected inside the cart with a check next to the name. The satellite ground track should be seen in Google Earth using the color indicated next to the name in the cart. The user can select/deselect any mission/instrument in the cart as well as change the color of the ground track.
To generate coincidence data between two satellites, select two satellites from the "Missions and Instruments" list, and click 
. The coincidence data will be created and added to the globes.
Click on the Missions link under the header. Select the mission and instrument you are interested in from the list on the left.
COVE does not have instrument data with regards to specific operational conditions (i.e. actual real-time pointing), but does utilize general characteristics with regard to swath. Future versions of COVE will also include full field-of-regard that the instrument's pointing enables.
COVE is still under validation, but to date it is accurate to within a minute for time periods out to 5 months from the current date. This is because COVE utilizes an SGP4 propagator that receives satellite position and velocity data (TLE) on an hourly basis. If this data is not available for the SGP4 propagator, COVE uses a simple propagator (J2) to determine the future position of the satellite. This latter option is supported for repeating sun-synchronous orbits. COVE propagations using the SGP4 propagator are limited to 5 months from the date of the nearest TLE. Also note that COVE uses 1 minute integration time steps and has variations due to this alone.
Contact Brian Killough with the issue and the COVE team will attempt to rectify the situation in a timely manner.
Contact Brian Killough via email with your request. The information required is the mission and instrument that you desire. If the mission/instrument has not flown (notional), then provide the altitude, the nature of the orbit (i.e. repeating sun-synchronous), number of revolutions to repeat or the days to repeat. Notional mission/instruments are limited only to repeating sun-synchronous orbits. If further information is needed, the COVE team will contact you.
Yes. However, the orbital information is limited by the time period the TLE data is available for past missions, while notional missions are only possible if the orbit is repeating sun-synchronous.