Results from GOES-R and JPSS Proving Ground Demonstrations at the HWT 2016 Spring Experiment

The Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT) provides the GOES-R and JPSS Proving Ground with an opportunity to conduct pre-launch demonstrations of baseline, future capabilities and experimental products associated with the next generation GOES-R geostationary and JPSS polar satellite systems. Many of these products have the potential to improve short-range hazardous weather nowcasting and forecasting. During the 2016 Spring Experiment, various GOES-R and JPSS proxy products and capabilities were demonstrated within the real-time, simulated warning operations environment of the Experimental Warning Program (EWP) using AWIPS-II. This experiment was conducted Monday-Friday during the weeks of April 18, April 25, May 2, and May 9, and participants included 12 visiting NWS forecasters and 4 broadcast meteorologists. GOES-R products were also demonstrated for the HWT Experimental Forecasting Program (EFP) Spring Forecasting Experiment.

GOES-R products demonstrated in the EWP 2016 Spring Experiment included: GOES-Sounder derived all-sky TPW, LPW, and Derived Atmospheric Stability Indices using the GOES-R Legacy Atmospheric Profile algorithm from UW/CIMSS, UAH GOES-R Convective Initiation algorithm, UW/CIMSS Probability of Severe nowcast model, PGLM Total Lightning products from NASA/SPoRT and the Lightning Jump algorithm from NASA/SPoRT and CIMMS/NSSL. Additionally, GOES-14 1-min Super Rapid Scan Operations for GOES-R (SRSOR) imagery was available in the HWT for the full duration of the experiment, illustrating the very high frequency scanning capability of GOES-R. Parallax-corrected 1-min imagery and 10-min-updating atmospheric motion vectors were derived from the SRSOR data and also made available in AWIPS-II. GOES-14 1-min imagery was also utilized in the EFP and in Storm Prediction Center (SPC) operations. From the JPSS program, the NOAA Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS) temperature and moisture profiles from Suomi-NPP were demonstrated in AWIPS-II NSHARP.

Results from the GOES-R and JPSS Proving Ground demonstrations at the HWT 2016 Spring Experiment are presented, including examples of product use and feedback from participants. Comments and examples from the EWP, EFP and SPC regarding the operational utility of 1-min imagery are also presented.