The Emergency Managers Weather Information Network (EMWIN) is a data dissemination system using the GOES-East and GOES-West satellites to provide a real-time datastream of warnings, watches, graphics and other hydrometeorological and environmental hazards products to emergency managers and other public and private organizations with a low cost receiving system. The received satellite broadcast may also be re-broadcast to local users by public and private organizations on a dedicated VHF or UHF radio frequency as an audio signal or over satellite as in the case of PeaceSat (GOES 7) by the University of Hawaii to the Pacific Rim area.

Beginning with the GOES-N series (first satellite scheduled for launch in 2003), EMWIN will have a dedicated digital channel in contrast with the current analog channel sharing arrangement with WEFAX, soon to transition to Low-Rate Information Transmission (LRIT)/WEFAX. This change, along with a required signal power reduction and need for Forward Error Correction (FEC), will necessitate a change to the current EMWIN receive system design by private sector manufacturers.

This paper gives a status report of EMWIN transition activities including GOES-N broadcast simulations using current satellites and a feasibility study conducted on a type of FEC called turbo coding.