SPoRT - Transitioning NASA Satellite Data into Weather Forecast Operations

Established in 2002 to demonstrate the weather and forecasting application of real-time EOS measurements, the Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) program has grown to be an end-to-end research to operations activity focused on the use of advanced NASA modeling and data assimilation approaches, nowcasting techniques, and unique high-resolution multispectral observational data applications from EOS satellites to improve short-term weather forecasts on a regional and local scale. SPoRT currently partners with several universities and other government agencies for access to real-time satellite data and products, and works collaboratively with them and operational end users at 15 WFOs to develop and test the new products and capabilities in a “test-bed” mode. Key to the success of the SPoRT program is matching data and research capabilities to end user forecast problems, demonstrating the capabilities in a testbed mode, and transitioning the solution into the end users decision support system. The test-bed simulates key aspects of the operational environment without putting constraints on the forecaster workload. Products and capabilities which show utility in the test-bed environment are then transitioned experimentally into the operational environment for further evaluation and assessment. Providing the appropriate product training, and an assessment of the impact of the solution on the forecast problem is crucial the process. Most important is the involvement on the end user (the forecaster) in the entire process yielding a solution which matches the forecaster's need. SPoRT focuses on a suite of data and products from MODIS, AMSR-E, and AIRS on the NASA Terra and Aqua satellites which are experimental prototypes for the NOAA operational sensors of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), and total lightning measurements from ground-based networks which serve as proxy products for the Geostationary Lightning Mapper scheduled for launch on GOES-R.