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- Yes - Model TSI-440 - Total Sky Imager
Yes - Model TSI-440 -Total Sky Imager
The Model TSI-440 Total Sky Imager is a full color sky camera and software package that offers the forecaster as well as the atmospheric research community an easy-to-use and reliable field sensor for sky imaging. The TSI is designed for long-term field installations and features state-of-the-art camera optics as well as user-serviceable mirror components. The system captures images into industry-standard JPEG format data files, which are then analyzed for parameters such as fractional cloud cover. For installations where the TSI can be connected to a TCP/IP network, the system acts as a sky image server to World-Wide-Web browsers on the Internet.
Images from the sky are captured via a solid state CCD imaging camera that looks downward on a heated hemispherical mirror. The mirror images the hemisphere over the system into the lens, and has a solar-ephemeris guided shadowband to block the intense direct-normal radiation from the sun. An image processing program running on a user-provided PC workstation captures images via TCP/IP at a user-defined sampling rate and saves them to JPEG files for analysis. The analysis software first masks out known obstructions-the camera, its arm, and the sun-blocking shadowband The raw color image is analyzed for fractional cloud cover and both are stored as files.
- Real-time cloud images accessible via a web browser using TCP/IP
- Open architecture uses standard JPEG files
- TSI-Manager image processing application collects data and converts raw images into cloud cover on your workstation
- Color imager uses reliable CCD technology
- Environmentally sealed for long-term field use