Sensor · Spaceborne

METimage meteorological imager

Missions → Metop-SG-A1 (Commissioning)

Visible and infrared imaging instrument on Metop-SG A satellites for clouds, aerosols, surface and ocean products, and high-latitude nowcasting support.

Sensor

METimage is a passive optical visible and infrared multispectral meteorological imager on Metop-SG A satellites, previously named the Visible and Infrared Imager (VII). ^[1] The instrument provides 20 visible-to-infrared channels, with channel centres spanning 443 nm to 13.345 um, 500 m nadir resolution for all channels, and an approximately 2670 km swath. ^[1] Its coverage pattern supports global observation twice per day for long-wave channels and once per day for short-wave channels. ^[1] METimage has demonstrated sea-surface temperature retrieval and atmospheric-motion-vector production on Metop-SG A1, pairing broad visible and thermal imaging with meteorological cloud, aerosol, ocean and surface products. ^[1] ^[2] First METimage scenes were captured in September 2025, while commissioning and performance tuning still preceded operational data provision. ^[2] The instrument sits in the Metop-SG imager role alongside the wider atmospheric sounding and microwave payload suite. ^[3]

Operator pricing

Pricing not publicly listed by operator

Supply chain position

carried by Metop-SG-A1

Methods this sensor implements

Demonstrated

Atmospheric motion vectors (AMV)via Metop-SG-A1
METimage imagery supports nowcasting and motion-vector applications.
Sea-surface temperature retrievalvia Metop-SG-A1
METimage visible/infrared imaging supports SST products.
Multispectral optical imaging
[wmo-metimage] 20 channels with centres from 443 nm to 13.345 um at 500 m nadir resolution; edge covers its reflective channels only.
Thermal infrared imagingvia Metop-SG-A1
[wmo-metimage] 20 channels from 443 nm to 13.345 um at 500 m; edge covers its thermal channels.

Capable, undemonstrated

None on record.

Topics this relates to

Atmospheric Wind Observation Atmospheric motion vectors (AMV)(demonstrated)well suited

Weather nowcasting Atmospheric motion vectors (AMV)(demonstrated)well suited

Disaster damage assessment Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)well suited

Snow cover Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)well suited

Cloud properties Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)adequate

Coastal erosion Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)adequate

Crop-type mapping Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)adequate

Deforestation Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)adequate

Flooding Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)adequate

Illegal construction Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)adequate

Land cover change Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)adequate

Terrain elevation Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)adequate

Urban change Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)adequate

Crop phenology Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)marginal

Crop stress and yield Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)marginal

Inland water Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)marginal

Mineral exploration Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)marginal

Pasture and grazing Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)marginal

Wildfire Multispectral optical imaging(demonstrated)marginal

Sea surface temperature Sea-surface temperature retrieval(demonstrated)well suited

Ocean heat content Sea-surface temperature retrieval(demonstrated)marginal

Building thermal performance Thermal infrared imaging(demonstrated)well suited

Urban heat island Thermal infrared imaging(demonstrated)well suited

Sources

[1]WMO OSCAR instrument record: METimageagency doc2026-06-16
[2]METimage delivers spectacular first images, EUMETSATagency doc2026-06-16
[3]Metop-SG instruments overview, EUMETSATagency doc2026-06-16

Cite https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/metimage Markdown twin → Field definitions → Suggest a correction →

How to cite this page

Plain text

METimage meteorological imager. EO-Atlas, SpectraWorks B.V. https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/metimage (CC BY 4.0)

BibTeX

@misc{eoatlas:products:sensor:metimage,
  title = {METimage meteorological imager},
  author = {{EO-Atlas}},
  publisher = {SpectraWorks B.V.},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
  url = {https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/metimage}
}