The NOAA Satellite Air Quality Proving Ground: Enhancing the Air Quality Community's Ability to Forecast and Analyze Smoke, Dust, and Haze Events using Suomi-NPP/VIIRS and GOES-R/ABI Aerosol Products

The air quality community includes a wide range of NOAA and NASA satellite data users, such as air quality forecasters, modelers, and analysts, many of whom work for state, local, and tribal governments, as well as the members of the private sector and the general public. This diverse community utilizes aerosol satellite products for a variety of applications, including daily air quality forecasting, event analysis, and justification for Exceptional Events. Since 2009, the NOAA Satellite Air Quality Proving Ground (AQPG; http://alg.umbc.edu/aqpg/) has been providing training and outreach to the air quality user community to enhance their ability to forecast and analyze smoke, dust, and haze events using current Suomi-NPP/VIIRS and future GOES-R ABI aerosol products. A key component of the AQPG is the generation of simulated ABI aerosol imagery using air quality model output in conjunction with the ABI aerosol algorithm. Simulated ABI imagery allows users to anticipate how they will utilize actual ABI products and to provide feedback on product development before GOES-R launches in 2015. Results from the AQPG's July 2011 and September 2013 daily near real-time streaming testbeds of simulated ABI aerosol imagery will be presented, as well as case studies of provisional VIIRS aerosol optical depth data for recent wildfire events (e.g., GOES-R/JPSS Air Quality Proving Ground Demo imagery for July 4, 2012, http://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/smcd/spb/aq/aqpg_v3/; GOES-R ABI Proxy Data Images from the July 2011 near real-time streaming testbed, http://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/smcd/spb/aq/aqpg/). The AQPG works directly with a dedicated Advisory Group of approximately 40 representatives from the air quality user community who are providing feedback to NOAA on VIIRS and ABI aerosol product development. Improvements to VIIRS and ABI aerosol products based on user feedback will be discussed, and an overview of future AQPG activities will be presented, including upcoming training and outreach events designed to build the capacity of users.