Space weather product generation transition from SWPC to NESDIS

Abstract -- Space Weather has demonstrated the potential to disrupt virtually every major public infrastructure system, including transportation systems, power grids, telecommunications, and global positioning systems. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) provides the Nation's official space weather alerts, warnings, watches and forecasts. The goal of these critical warnings is the securing critical data to enable long-term predictions and short-term warnings, and integrating space weather and terrestrial weather products to support key industries such as commercial airline, electric power, and the GPS industry.

Review of the current systems used at SWPC to receive the data and generate the Space Weather Products (SWP) needed by the forecasters generating the warnings and predictions showed an advantage in transitioning this product generation into the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility, NESDIS OSDPD product processing systems. Such a move will provide alternate processing facilities, enhanced security, improved support for 24x7 networks and product generation, and improved resolution of deficiencies. The NESDIS Office of Systems Development (OSD) is providing program management for this transition.

This paper describes the changes that will occur in the processing and generation of SWP. Although it will provide an overview of the transition plan for all of the current products, it will address in detail the changes to the data path and product processing of data from the ACE spacecraft.

Index Terms – Space Weather, Product Processing, ACE Satellite