# Operational Linescan System
*sensor . products*

DMSP visible and infrared wide-swath imaging sensor used for cloud cover and low-light/nighttime observations.

## Specifications
- **manufacturer**: us-air-force
- **deployment context**: orbital
- **sensor**: {"instrument_family":"passive-optical","measurement_principle":"passive","swath_km":3000,"spec_disclosure":"undisclosed"}
- **entity type**: sensor
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-16
- **verified by**: agency-doc
- **claim status**: agency-sourced
- **provider**: us-air-force
- **attributes**: {"kind":"sensor","manufacturer":"us-air-force","deployment_context":"orbital","description":"DMSP visible and infrared wide-swath imaging sensor used for cloud cover and low-light/nighttime observations.","sensor":"{\"instrument_family\":\"passive-optical\",\"measurement_principle\":\"passive\",\"swath_km\":3000,\"spec_disclosure\":\"undisclosed\"}"}
- **relevance**: in-scope

## Editorial
Operational Linescan System (OLS) is a passive visible and infrared whiskbroom imager on Defense Meteorological Satellite Program spacecraft, used for global cloud, cloud-top-temperature, and low-light nighttime observations.[^noaa-ncei-ols][^noaa-ncei-dmsp] The instrument collects global imagery across an approximately 3000 km swath twice per day.[^noaa-ncei-ols] Its visible, infrared, and photomultiplier-tube sensitivity paths support daytime cloud imaging, thermal infrared sensing, and faint nighttime VNIR emission detection.[^noaa-ncei-ols] OLS low-light visible observations underpin the long-running DMSP nighttime-lights composites.[^noaa-ncei-ols][^eog-dmsp-nightlights] For night-lights time series, satellite-era gain and calibration differences matter: stable-light products depend on intercalibration because visible pixels are relative digital values and operational gain changes affect radiance consistency.[^noaa-ncei-ols][^eog-dmsp-nightlights]

## Compositional position
- dmsp-f18 (missions) --[mission_payloads]--> Operational Linescan System

## Sources
- [noaa-ncei-ols] | DMSP Operational Linescan System, NOAA NCEI | https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/dmsp-operational-linescan-system | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-16
- [noaa-ncei-dmsp] | Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, NOAA NCEI | https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/satellite/defense-meteorological-satellite-program | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-16
- [eog-dmsp-nightlights] | DMSP Nighttime Lights, Earth Observation Group | https://eogdata.mines.edu/products/dmsp/ | tier=community | accessed=2026-06-16
- [wmo-oscar-dmsp-f18] | WMO OSCAR satellite record: DMSP-F18 | https://space.oscar.wmo.int/satellites/view/dmsp_f18 | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-16

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Source: https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/ols
Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. (CC-BY 4.0)