Efficient access to raw measurements and processing coefficients for NPOESS preparatory project (NPP) and joint polar satellite system (JPSS) sensor data

The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) and Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) operational data products will provide global coverage of, and monitor environmental conditions associated with the Earth's weather, atmosphere, oceans, land, and near-space environment. The detailed and comprehensive observations that will be acquired during these missions over the coming decades will provide valuable input for monitoring changes in climate. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Data Record (CDR) Program at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) is mandated to produce data products from these and other satellites that are of sufficient quality and integrity to be used for climate research. CDR development requires the careful integration of current data with archived data from multiple sources, necessitating repeated reprocessing as discrepancies between measurements are resolved and changes in sensor performance are detected. For the production of CDRs, researchers need to process from raw measurements. The raw NPP measurements or Raw Data Records (RDR) are inherently difficult to use. To provide raw data that is easier to process NCDC will create Climate RDRs. These Climate RDRs will be formatted as standard netCDF-4 files and will contain raw measurements and the calibration and geolocation coefficients required for further processing. The Climate RDRs will make the raw measurements more easily and efficiently accessible to a wider range of users, and will make reprocessing of NPP CDRs faster and simpler. Climate RDRs will be produced for the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS), the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) Nadir sensor, and the Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The Climate RDR processing workflow and example data products will be discussed. The Climate RDRs and CDRs will be archived and available from the NOAA Data Centers.