GOES-16 Sensor Data: NRL Ground Station Reception and GeoIPSTM Processing

Installation of a GOES-R/S ground station, including two antennas, receivers, and the necessary software, at the Naval Research Laboratory Marine Meteorology Division (NRL-MMD) in Monterey, CA was completed prior to launch of GOES-R (now GOES-16) in 2016. The next generation Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on GOES-16 features 16 frequency channels, improved surface resolutions over current GOES, and full disk coverage every 15 minutes. ABI data (Beta Maturity at this writing) are being received at the ground station via GOES Rebroadcast (GRB) data transmission and processed in the NRL-developed Geo-located Information Processing System (GeoIPS^TM). Channel and customized product imagery for environmental characterization are being demonstrated on the CAC-protected NRL web site for testing and review. As data reaches Provisional Maturity, appropriate product imagery will be demonstrated and made available on the NRL-MMD public websites, NexSat (www.nrlmry.navy.mil/NEXSAT.html) and the tropical cyclone page (www.nrlmry.navy.mil/TC.html). In addition to Vis/IR/WV images, current customized ABI products include nocturnal low cloud and contrail detection. Through collaboration with the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado State University, an ABI True Color product algorithm and DEBRA (Dynamic Enhancement Background Reduction Algorithm) for lofted dust are also being developed for GeoIPS^TM. GRB transmission of Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) data recently commenced (Beta Maturity), so additional product algorithms will be developed for GeoIPS^TM prior to the conference utilizing those data sets as well. GLM will measure total lightning (in-cloud, cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-ground) activity continuously over the Americas and adjacent ocean regions with near-uniform spatial resolution of approximately 10 km. ABI and GLM data will be shared with Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) and internally to other NRL divisions. Improvements over current GOES data consist of vastly improved imagery and data for use by Navy operational analysts (e.g, monitoring tropical cyclones). Also, the ability to view full disk imagery every 15 minutes will now provide high temporal analysis of various phenomena. GOES-16 will be the second of advanced geostationary sensor capabilities following the currently operational Himawari-8 Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) launched by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) in 2014. When the full constellation is on station there will be four high resolution ABI-like sensors monitoring the earth and NRL-MMD expects to be perfectly situated to exploit each data set.