Aqua and Terra Direct Broadcast Processing at CIMSS/SSEC Using a Merged Pass System

The Direct Broadcast (DB) group at CIMSS/SSEC has been processing MODIS, AIRS, and AMSU data from Aqua and Terra direct broadcast data for over 10 years. A new merged ingest system has been implemented, which uses an overpass prediction method to merge collocated Level 0 PDS files ingested from multiple DB sites across the United States. The resulting PDS files have more extensive coverage and higher quality of data, as the majority of dropouts and bad packets are removed. The merged passes are processed into Level 1 and Level 2 products and distributed for use by many operational sites including the National Weather Service (NWS) and NOAA CoastWatch. The True Color Imagery produced is often seen across social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter, and weather-related blogs. Future plans include applying this merged method to additional sensors from satellites including S-NPP, POES, and MetOP.