GOES-R ABI true-color capability

A process for generating synthetic true-color (RGB) imagery representative of capabilities anticipated from the GOES-R Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) is presented. GOES-R will be the first U.S. geostationary satellites with more than one visible/reflective band. But ABI will not have a “Green” band, which will need to be synthesized from the Red, Near-IR, and Blue images. That can be accomplished through the use of a look-up-table (LUT) technique trained on MODIS imagery. Alternatively, ABI data have also been simulated both as test and verification data sets. Simulations of ABI are available from both WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) and RAMS (Regional Atmospheric Modeling System). These models allow the proper spatial (1 km) and temporal (5 minute) resolutions to be obtained for ABI. The direct simulation of the ABI Green band can be a form of ground truth for the synthetic-Green band created by the LUT process. Examples of these simulations will be presented.

A color analysis tool, the Hue, Saturation, and Value (HSV) transformation of RGB color space, is being used to assess the synthetic-Green and synthetic-RGB images that were created. The Hue component of HSV space easily shows slight variations in color that are otherwise subtle in RGB space. This tool allows for a better analysis of the synthetic-Green production, and examples of how this tool is used will be demonstrated.