The Satellite Imagery Display and Analysis System (SIDAS) software package developed at the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) is a powerful and flexible system designed to allow analysts to view and interact with the wide selection of meteorological satellite imagery available at the agency. The software was built using a fourth-generation language which permits rapid prototyping of new visualization techniques and incorporation of new datasets. Image processing and enhancement methods are used to bring out features of interest. Data fusion techniques allow the analyst to overlay observations, gridded numerical model fields, and other data types to enhance understanding of the meteorological situation. A complementary automated process prepares images for viewing and places them on the agency’s Web server for remote customers.

A significant upgrade to SIDAS is currently in work. This upgrade will allow even more flexibility for viewing satellite data from both meteorological and research satellites, giving the agency the ability to evaluate new data types in an operational setting. Object-oriented software design will permit re-use of common techniques and toolsets in other applications. It is expected that these efforts will allow the agency to move towards its goal of a common suite of satellite analysis tools for Air Force Weather.