Meteorologists have used satellite imagery to understand weather events and patterns for many years. These images typically have a "base map" merged into them, providing basic geo-referencing. GIS technologies and data have matured in the last decade as well, and highly-interactive programs allow users to display, manipulate and analyze many types of data. The authors have developed a new Java-based application called DirectMet®GIS which integrates the display and manipulation of GEO meteorological satellite data within the capabilities of a GIS environment. This system provides visualization of all standard GIS formatted data, including meteorological information such as numerical model fields and observations, and presents users with an intuitive GUI which facilitates the use and understanding of the information.

DirectMet®GIS is already in use in K-12 education, university-level instruction, and several government and private organizations. The presentation provides information about these applications, lessons-learned from application development, and challenges for future work.