Argos (satellite system)
Argos is a satellite-based system which collects, processes and disseminates environmental data from fixed and mobile platforms worldwide. What makes Argos unique is the ability to geographically locate the source of the data anywhere on the Earth. For over 20 years, Argos has provided data to environmental research and protection communities that, in many cases, was otherwise unobtainable. The system is fully proven and highly reliable. Many remote automatic weather stations report via Argos.
Argos was developed under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES, the French space agency), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, USA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, USA).
The system utilizes both ground and satellite-based resources to accomplish its mission. This includes instruments carried aboard the NOAA polar orbiting environmental satellites (POES), receiving stations around the world, and major processing facilities in France and the United States. This fully integrated system works to conveniently locate and deliver data from the most remote platforms to the user's desktop, often in near real-time.
Argos is operated by CLS/Argos, based in Toulouse, France. CLS has subsidiaries in the U.S., namely, Service Argos, Inc. and North American CLS. These companies together operate the system and promote its use.
Operating Agencies
The Argos satellite-based system was set up by:
- the French space agency (CNES)
- the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Recent partners in this international cooperative venture are: