An Overview of NESDIS Polar-Orbiting Satellite Data Processing and NWS POES AWIPS Requirements

NOAA/NESDIS has provided operational, satellite-based, meteorological and environmental products since the launch of the first POES (Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite) in April of 1960. In 2000, the 40th Anniversary of polar-orbiters, NOAA will launch the second spacecraft, NOAA-L, of its fifth generation of operational polar-orbiting satellites. This spacecraft will carry the visible and infrared imager (AVHRR/3), an infrared sounder (HIRS/3), the second set of new microwave sounding instruments (AMSU-A and AMSU-B) and an ozone profiler (SBUV/2).

This paper will overview NOAA/NESDIS's current polar data processing systems, changes to these current systems required for NOAA-L processing and systems upgrades planned for the near-term. These systems include those necessary for processing operational products in the following disciplines: Sea Surface Temperature, Aerosols, Radiation Budget, Atmospheric Temperature and Moisture Profiles, Ozone, Cloud Cover, the Hydrological Cycle (Precipitation Rate, Cloud Liquid Water, Total Precipitable Water) and Surface Parameterization (Sea Ice, Snow Cover and Vegetation Index).

In addition, the NWS has recently developed new AWIPS requirements for quantitative satellite products derived from both 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. This paper will also focus on the latest AWIPS requirements for POES satellite products, their characteristics, and operational implementation schedule.