NOAA/NESDIS satellite products and direct readout overview

The National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS) produces and distributes many satellite products in near real-time to meet the needs of operational users. Products are made using data from geostationary satellites which are situated above a fixed location on the equator and image the earth on a continuous basis, as well as from polar orbiting satellites which provide two views of the same location of the earth every day at fixed local times. These products provide information on land, ocean and atmospheric parameters. Product information and details as well as near-real time imagery can be found on the NESDIS Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution web site at http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/ml/index.html

This presentation will provide an overview of NESDIS satellite data, processing, and distribution, and emphasize the various direct readout capabilities available from NOAA satellites that serve the direct readout community. The monitoring of natural hazards from satellites, including volcanoes, tropical storms, heavy rain, and wild fires will be discussed. The delivery and use of geostationary satellite data for broadcast purposes will be highlighted, as well as valuable resources for satellite imagery, products and interpretation. A brief description will be provided on the future of the next generation of geostationary weather satellites, the GOES-R series, from expected products to implications of direct readout users to accommodate the tremendous improvements in satellite technology. Improvements in geostationary satellite data from the GOES-R series, scheduled to be launched in 2015, will include more rapid refresh of satellite data with a 4 times improvement in spatial coverage. These data will be made available to the broadcast community to improve the station meteorologist's interpretation of weather features and for viewing by the general public.