ISCCP was established as part of the World Climate Research Programme to collect and analyze satellite radiance measurements to infer the global distribution of clouds, their properties, and their diurnal, seasonal, and interannual variations. The resulting datasets and analysis products are used to improve understanding and modeling of the role of clouds in climate, with the primary focus being the elucidation of the effects of clouds on the radiation balance. The Global Processing Center for ISCCP is located at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies.