Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI), pronounced ‘gɔθi‘, is the world’s first geostationary orbit satellite image sensor in order to observe or monitor an ocean-color around the Korean Peninsula [1][2]. The spatial resolution of GOCI is about 500m and the range of target area is about 2,500km×2,500km centered on Korean Peninsula. GOCI was loaded on Communication, Ocean, and Meteorological Satellite (COMS) of South Korea which was launched in June, 2010. It will be operated by Korea Ocean Satellite Center (KOSC) at Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST), and capture the images of ocean-color around the Korean Peninsula 8 times a day for 7.7 years.
The ocean data products that can be derived from the measurements are mainly the chlorophyll concentration, the optical diffuse attenuation coefficients, the concentration of dissolved organic material or yellow substance, and the concentration of suspended particles in the near-surface zone of the sea. In operational oceanography, satellite derived data products are used in conjunction with numerical models and in situ measurements to provide forecasting and now casting of the ocean state. Such information is of genuine interest for many categories of users.