Quantitative satellite products have been routinely generated from GOES-8/9 sounder and imager data since 1995. 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 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. The use of these products is expanding rapidly, and now include assimilation in numerical weather forecast models (moisture soundings, sounder radiances and wind estimates), distribution of cloud height and amount products to supplement ASOS cloud measurements, and widespread distribution over the internet to NWS forecast offices and the public and private sectors.
This paper will focus on the latest advancements in GOES quantitative products, including derived product images of sounding parameters (lifted index, total precipitable water, skin temperature, cloud height and amount), sounder water vapor winds, automated quantitative precipitation estimates, and regional very high density visible winds for tropical storm forecasting. The applications of these products to numerical modeling and weather analysis and forecasting will be presented, including assessment of product quality and information content. Product availability and distribution via GTS, FTP and the Internet will also be covered