Ultra-spectral high vertical resolution sounding has become an operational reality with the implementation of the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on the MetOp-A polar orbiting satellite. The full benefit of the ultra-spectral radiance measurement technology will be realized when this sounding capability is implemented aboard geostationary satellites, where the high temporal resolution will enable the predictions of location and time of severe weather development as well as the track and intensity changes of storm systems. Although the GOES-R will not yet have an ultra-spectral sounding capability, it is shown here that the mesoscale forecast benefits of this new technology can be partially realized through the synergism of the high temporal and horizontal resolution Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) multi-spectral resolution sounding measurements with the four hour interval ultra-spectral sounding measurements to be provided by the Joint Polar System (JPS) of future European and US satellites. At the same time, the successful development and ground demonstration of the Geostationary Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS), is paving the way toward the implementation of the ultra-spectral sounding capability on the future international system of geostationary environmental satellites. In this presentation, the use of the polar satellite ultra-spectral IR sounding capability together with geostationary satellite multi-spectral sounding capability is shown to be an interim approach for enhancing mesoscale weather prediction capability during the GOES-R time frame. The progress made in the development of the desired ultra-spectral IR imaging spectrometer sounding capability for future geostationary satellites is illustrated through the presentation of ground based atmospheric sounding results obtained with the GIFTS Engineering Demonstration Unit (GIFTS-EDU).