McIDAS system GOES satellite image data file
File type: Various data file
A .goe file is a McIDAS data file containing satellite imagery from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) system.
The file belongs to the McIDAS family of software used to view and process satellite and other geophysical data.
File type category:
Various data file
Date updated: September 27, 2026
McIDAS (Man computer Interactive Data Access System), originally developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center, is a suite of software for working with satellite imagery, observational reports, numerical forecasts, and other geophysical data. A GOE file stores GOES satellite image data in a format intended for use by McIDAS.
The format is associated with the traditional McIDAS data-processing environment and is not a general-purpose image format. It is therefore most useful together with McIDAS software and its related data-handling tools. Legacy McIDAS files may require a compatible installation.
Open the file with McIDAS software that supports GOES data. McIDAS is primarily used in a command-line or specialist data-processing environment rather than as a standard desktop image viewer.
If the file does not open in a current installation, it may require the legacy McIDAS environment that created it.
A GOE file is not normally converted directly with a general-purpose image converter because it contains McIDAS-specific satellite data. Use McIDAS to read the file and export or save the displayed data in a format supported by that installation.
The available export formats depend on the McIDAS tools and on the data in the file.
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