40th anniversary of Dundee’s ‘window on the world’

It's Dundee's window on the world, and celebrating its 40th birthday. The Satellite Receiving Station's first tracking antenna was fitted on the roof of the Uni's Ewing building back in 1975 providing detailed images of the earth's atmosphere and surface.

Professor Steve Park from Dundee Uni explains what happens with the data...

University of Dundee Electrical and Electronic Engineering lecturers Peter Baylis and John Brush oversaw the installation of the Station’s first dish type tracking antenna on the roof of the University’s Ewing Building in 1975.

Although Baylis and Brush retired a few years ago, the original dish is still used for one of the current antenna systems. It is a part of a five-strong network of tracking antennas mounted on building rooftops across the University campus.

Manager Neil Lonie said the station’s main function is to support UK environmental scientists with data, although there are many other users across Europe and further afield.

He said: “We work closely with the Plymouth Marine Laboratory. They use our data to generate information such as sea surface temperatures and chlorophyll levels for marine scientists. An important aspect is directing research ships, with images delivered soon after we receive them to locate marine features of particular interest.

“Our data are also used in other areas such as monitoring volcanic activity, sea ice, vegetation cover, wild fires and obviously in meteorology.”

The Station is the only one of its kind in Scotland and one of only a handful in the UK. It operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The antennae receive information in real time from a number of polar orbiting satellites that provide amazingly detailed images of the earth’s atmosphere and surface.

Iconic images have been captured, including some showing major storms and others showing the entire UK covered in snow during 2010. The station also captured images of the volcanic ash cloud which engulfed Iceland and disrupted European air travel, again in 2010.

Media outlets regularly use images from the Station that show extreme weather and other events.

The UK Natural Environment Research Council funds the Station operations and its seven-strong team. The satellites are owned and operated by the European organisation EUMETSAT and US organisations NASA and NOAA.

Today, the Station is part of the University of Dundee’s Space Technology Centre. This is led by Professor Stephen Parkes, who also the leads the University’s spin out STAR-Dundee Ltd, a manufacturer of electronics for the space industry.

Data from Dundee Satellite Receiving Station can be accessed at