GOES-R Ground Readiness at the Aviation Weather Center

The capabilities of the next generation satellite systems, including GOES-R, have been a significant focus in the GOES-R Proving Ground for many years. Forecasters have been introduced to a plethora of derived algorithms and have slowly advanced their knowledge of future satellite systems. However, equally as important is ground readiness. How are the aforementioned capabilities taken from the imager of a satellite and placed in front of a forecaster? How can we make sure that we can take full advantage of those capabilities? The answer is a solid foundation and robust satellite data processing system.

 As one of two World Area Forecast Centers around the globe, the Aviation Weather Center’s global and unique forecasting responsibilities have always bolstered a need for robust satellite processing capabilities and a variety of data sources. Thus, preparing for the ingestion of next generation satellite data takes some creative thinking. This presentation will outline the AWC’s ongoing effort achieve GOES-R ground readiness, including the benefits of first integrating Himawari, the complexity of having a variety of data sources, and the challenge of ingesting data into multiple endpoints (N-AWIPS, AWIPS-2, the web, etc).