Enhanced visual displays of clouds over Indian monsoon region using INSAT-1D data

Image processing techniques have been utilized for enhanced visual displays of cloud imagery for clouds over the Indian subcontinent during July, month of the summer monsoon. Indian Satellite (INSAT-1D) bi-channel (infrared and visible band) data were used for contrast manipulation and false colour composite (FCC) production. Two combinations of the infrared and visible bands were used to form the third band required for the FCC method. It is shown here that for the third band, a new combination (IR2/VIS) is better than a previously suggested combination (2VIS-IR) for identifying clouds of different optical thickness during the monsoon season. Various colour combinations have also been studied experimentally in order to produce efficient displays of clouds which conform to common perceptions of their natural colour.