Updated NWS AWIPS Requirements for GOES/POES Satellite Products

A key element of the National Weather Service modernization is the Advanced Weather Information Processing System (AWIPS), which provides critical information to forecast offices, including surface observations, numerical model forecast, and satellite data. Currently, the predominant satellite data distributed over AWIPS is limited to imagery. The NWS has recently developed new AWIPS requirements for quantitative satellite products derived from Geostationary (GOES) and Polar-Orbiting (POES) instrument data. These include vertical temperature and moisture soundings, wind estimates, cloud height and amount, precipitation, volcanic ash detection and tracking, and surface land/sea temperature. GOES and POES quantitative products provide temporal and spatial coverage of atmospheric and surface parameters that are not available from other traditional observing systems. For example, hourly GOES sounder coverage of the continental U.S. and adjacent ocean areas, with observation resolution of 30km is routine. High density wind estimates are now generated at 3 hourly intervals, and include cloud-track, water vapor, and visible wind estimates. This paper will focus on the latest AWIPS requirements for GOES/POES satellite products, their characteristics, and operational implementation schedule.