NOAA's Commercial Weather Data Pilot (CWDP) - Ocean Surface Winds (OSW) Project

The Commercial Data Program (CDP), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services (NESDIS), includes the Commercial Weather Data Pilot (CWDP) which pursues demonstration projects on behalf of NOAA and assesses the viability of assimilating commercially-provided satellite data and products to diversify NOAA’s portfolio of data collection capabilities. Through the CWDP, which was established in 2016, NOAA is conducting a commercial data Pilot intended to help NOAA meet its terrestrial weather mission objectives. For this Pilot, NOAA will assess the quality and impact of available commercial Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) observations for the determination of ocean surface wind characteristics. The use of GNSS-R for ocean surface wind speed retrievals has the potential to allow for regular monitoring of ocean surface winds at a relatively low cost. GNSS-R can complement existing observation systems and has the potential to improve forecast accuracy. By leveraging GNSS-R wind speed measurements, researchers and scientists can contribute to improving weather forecasting models and climate research.

In 2021, NOAA conducted an independent assessment of NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) GNSS-R applicability for NOAA operations. The NOAA wind product is now ready for testing in NOAA applications and a thorough experiment using the NOAA wind product within the NOAA Data Assimilation (DA) system on new GNSS-R system data represents the next step to fully assess the potential for NOAA operations. As such, a key recommendation of the study was for NOAA to assess the quality and impact of available commercial GNSS-R observations using in-house expertise to conduct further studies. Building on lessons learned from the NASA CYGNSS mission and recommendations coming from the independent assessment, in FY2024, NOAA will use the GNSS-R pilot data to conduct studies to improve upon derived wind speed products previously developed by NOAA and will investigate the utility of derived wind speed products developed by commercial vendors. As an ancillary part of the Pilot, NOAA may also assess the quality and impact of commercial GNSS-R observations for additional environmental measurements including but not limited to: land surface flooding inundation, freeze/thaw events, sea ice, and soil moisture.

In this talk, we will discuss expectations, progress, and lessons learned to-date from the initial delivery order in the Ocean Surface Winds Pilot. We will also provide updated information on the current status and future plans for Pilot purchases of space-based GNSS-R data under NOAA’s Commercial Data Program.