JPSS Operational and Research Applications: The Pathway from Observations to Applications to Information

Applications of satellite data are paramount to transform science and technology to product and services which are used in critical decision making. For the satellite community, good representations of technology are the satellite sensors, while science provides the instrument calibration and derived geophysical parameters. Weather forecasting is an application of the science and technology provided by remote sensing satellites. The Joint Polar Satellite System, which includes the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP, provides formidable science and technology to support many applications and includes support to 1) weather forecasting – data from the JPSS Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) and the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) are used to forecast weather events out to 7 days - nearly 85% of all data used in weather forecasting are from polar orbiting satellites; 2) environmental monitoring -data from the JPSS Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) are used to monitor the environment including the health of coastal ecosystems, drought conditions, fire, smoke, dust, snow and ice, and the state of oceans, including sea surface temperature and ocean color; and 3) climate monitoring – data from JPSS instruments, including OMPS and CERES will provide continuity to climate data records established using NOAA POES and NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite observations. To bridge the gap between products and applications, the JPSS Program established a Proving Ground and Risk Reduction (PGRR) program in 2012 to optimize the use of JPSS data with other data sources to improve key products and services within NOAA. After 5 years, the PGRR program has been successful in improving services and will be focusing on additional applications areas working through our Initiative approach. For each application area, a PGRR Initiative team is formed consisting of developers and users, with clear objectives, monthly – bimonthly meetings and close interactions between the developers and the users (service providers). The initiative process has led to a rapid utilization of JPSS by the community for key applications impacting life and property and economic resiliency. A very good example is our River Ice and Flood mapping initiative which now provides critical flood information not only to National Weather Service, but also the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). More recently, the PGRR has been reaching out to the international community and is now supporting elements of the International Charter for Disasters in the area of floods, fires and volcanos. At the meeting we will give an overview of how the JPSS Program is supporting local, national, and international decision makers.