The CE318 is the reference point for automatic multispectral atmospheric photometry. Developed for NASA in 1992, it was continuously improved to meet the growing requirements of AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork), the worldwide federation of networks dedicated to the measurement of atmospheric aerosols and federated by the NASA. Other independent networks like SKYNET, CARSNET, and SONET also operate CE318 photometers.
The latest version, the CE318-T, takes advantage of cutting-edge technologies to improve metrological performance and facilitate operations. AERONET decided in 2015, after full activation, to only accept the CE318-T for new photometers entering the network.
The CE318-T performs sun, sky and lunar light measurements, for the retrieval of essential physico-optical parameters: Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), Volume Size Distribution (VSD), complex refractive index (n), shape factor, water vapor content. The high sensitivity tracking, detection chain and internal data processing result in enhanced measurements. Flexible communication and solar autonomy allow easy operation both on fixed sites and temporary locations.