| Acronym | Meaning |
| CIMSS | Cooperative Institute For Meteorological Satellite Studies |
| ESSA | Environmental Science Services Administration (preceded NOAA) |
| ERS | ESA Remote Sensing Satellite |
| DORIS | Doppler Orbitography And Radiopositioning Integrated By Satellite (EOS) |
| NOAA | National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration |
| GOES | Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite |
| VLF | Very Low Frequency |
| JPL | Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| NWS | National Weather Service (NOAA) |
| LIDAR | LIght Detection And Ranging |