Update on Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite Rebroadcast (GRB) Data Usage

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) is significantly enhancing the Nation’s Direct Broadcast (DB) capabilities with the GOES-R Series of satellites and the GOES Rebroadcast (GRB) service. GOES-R launched on November 19, 2016, and is now GOES-16, supporting GRB users from the GOES East position at 75.2⁰ West. GOES-S launched on March 1, 2018 and assumed operations as GOES West on February 12, 2019 at 137⁰ West. This talk will provide an update of GOES-16 and GOES-17 GRB status and plans, examples of how GRB sites are using the data, and an assessment of the impact of GRB on the Weather Enterprise.

The GRB provides Level 1b data from the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and each space weather instrument and Level 2 data from the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). The GRB service significantly improves the DB capability provided by the legacy GOES VARiable (GVAR) and includes data at a rate of 31 Mbps. The ABI provides a full disk image every 5 or 10 minutes, depending on the mode. GRB users receive can create Level 1 products and ABI Level 2 products using the Community Satellite Processing Package for Geostationary Data (CSPP Geo) software.

NESDIS Office of Satellite and Product Operations accounted for 60 GRB receive sites. Some sites have multiple antennas so there are nearly 90 antennas receiving GOES-R GRB. NOAA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States Air Force, and United State Navy operate GRB receive sites and use the data to create and distribute products to their users. A number of companies receive GRB and generate and distribute products to users, including media companies that serve millions of users. A number of International Government agencies rely on GRB. Researchers who need real-time data also have GRB receive sites.

Detailed information about the GOES-R series users systems is available on the GOES-R website at: https://www.goes-r.gov/users/user-systems.html. NOAA's Satellite Information System (NOAASIS) website is a central location for information about NOAA’s geostationary and polar-orbiting environmental satellites. Information is provided by various contributors within NESDIS and the external satellite community. The site provides information of particular interest to users who operate their own direct readout receiving stations. Manufacturers, vendors, and system integrators are listed on NOAASIS: https://www.noaasis.noaa.gov/.