NOAA Satellite Ground Architecture Study

he National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducted a study, titled the NOAA Satellite Observing System Architecture (NSOSA) study, to plan for the next generation of weather satellites. This study provided an opportunity to evaluate various concepts of providing the critical environmental measurements in support of the NOAA mission. The study formally concluded in the fall of 2017 and major results were presented at the AMS Annual Meeting in 2018. Concurrently, NOAA is working to transform the current, multiple stove-piped satellite ground systems into a common services-based ground enterprise. The new satellite ground architecture needs to be agile and scalable to allow for the new missions and capabilities anticipated for NOAA’s next generation of satellites by adopting new technologies, extending collaboration with international/national partners, and integrating commercial sector services. In addition, the ground architecture should be more affordably sustainable, secure, and resilient for satellite and data operations.

The NOAA Satellite Ground Architecture study is being conducted to analyze the changes needed for NOAA satellite ground systems, define the trade space for a new ground architecture, and perform trade studies to identify the most cost-effective ground architecture(s) for next-generation ground enterprise. We will discuss 1) the gaps and limits of current ground systems for the satellite reference architectures identified by the NSOSA study; 2) new technologies, collaborations, and services that can be considered to help solve the gaps and limitations; and 3) the approach on how to define assessment criteria, identify trade space, conduct trade studies, and evaluate candidate ground architecture(s).