1. QuikScat Commercial Distribution and Use

2. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Commercial Use & Distribution Markets Barriers to Entry Usage Statistics Case Studies

3. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Market Targets Sail and Power Cruising Ocean Racing Commercial and Sport Fishing Tug and Barge Shipping

4. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Markets Obstacles to QuikScat Commercial Distribution Cost-effective data access and transfer Intuitive data display and interpretation

5. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Data Transfer All Markets Share Common Data Transfer Traits Slow speed of data transfers (1200 to 9600 baud) High cost of minutes for data transfers ($1 to $3 per minute)

6. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Data Transfer OCENS included QuikScat into its WeatherNet data distribution system: World’s largest collection of weather, ocean and aviation content Organized into a cohesive library of graphical, text and GRIB products allowing for site- specific selection Built around an efficient and cost-effective engine for the retrieval of these data over satcomm and other networks.

7. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS WeatherNet

8. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Data Transfer Included in WeatherNet after converting to an interactive GRIB format GRIB data format reduced size of data transfer; Interactive data selection allows user to customize product request to their specific area of geographic interest.

9. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Data Transfer Net effect of WeatherNet integration and conversion to GRIB on satcomm download times: QuikScat GRIB covering NE Pacific Globalstar: 20 seconds Iridium: Just under 1 minute Inmarsat, MSAT: Just over 1 minute As opposed to minimum 5 to 10 minute satcomm connect to retrieve QuikScat bmps from http://manati.orbit.nesdis.noaa.gov/quikscat/

10. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Markets Obstacles to QuikScat Commercial Distribution Cost-effective data access and transfer Intuitive data display and interpretation

11. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Data Display Must address need for auto-display Must offer user insight into coverage and age of most recent data available for their geographic area BEFORE data is downloaded Must deal with issue of rain flagging and differences in age of data retrieved and displayed.

12. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Data Display OCENS GRIB Explorer Auto-launched by WeatherNet at end of data retrieval Orbital model in GRIB Explorer displays date and time of QuikScat scatterometer passes; Age differences are coded to unique colors; Square box is added to base of rain contaminated QuikScat wind flags

13. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Data Display

14. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Data Display

15. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Data Display

16. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Usage Dramatic Growth in QuikScat Usage

17. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Usage QuikScat represents sizable fraction of all WeatherNet wind downloads (graphical and GRIB)

18. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Usage Atlantic Ocean is region of highest demand Better than 80% of all QuikScat downloads are for downloads covering the Atlantic Ocean basin Higher resolution data, if available, is popular Better than 60% of all Atlantic Ocean QuikScat downloads are selected from 12.5 km categories Average size of QuikScat download increasing through time Users are benefiting from customizable categories

19. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Case Studies Global Challenge circumnavigation MWXC route forecasting

20. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Case Studies Global Challenge circumnavigation 30,000 nm ocean yacht race sailing against the prevailing winds Outfitted with OCENS WeatherNet and GRIB Explorer QuikScat data proved indispensable

21. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Case Studies QuikScat usage in Global Challenge Used to calibrate model forecast wind GRIBS Compare observed location of a weather feature in QuikScat with predicted location from the pertinent weather model Determine ‘on-the-fly’ if model was running ahead of or behind reality

22. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Case Studies QuikScat usage in Global Challenge Dissect weather features Estimate wind speed and direction over anticipated course Using repeated images, estimated speed and dynamics of approaching frontal activity Permits advance prep of sail and yacht maneuvers AHEAD of the wind shifts and maintain optimum course DURING the frontal passage!

23. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Case Studies QuikScat usage in Global Challenge Dissect Weather Features

24. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Case Studies QuikScat usage in Global Challenge Used Rain Contamination flags as ‘canaries’ Forewarned of squally conditions that may not appear on other met products Aids in vessel position, sail deployment and crew safety

25. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Case Studies QuikScat usage in Global Challenge Use of Rain Contamination Flags

26. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Case Studies QuikScat usage in MWXC Routing Vessel routing service that supports much of the Caribbean yachting community Uses QuikScat to validate suite of model and text forecast products Communicates routing recommendations to client vessels using sideband… Obtains immediate feedback from clients about prevailing conditions

27. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Case Studies QuikScat usage in MWXC Routing QuikScat data ‘amazingly precise’ when validated against in situ observations by client vessels Squall activity which is very important to the at-sea sail cruiser is readily identified in QuikScat Not well depicted in model data or other analysis/forecast products

28. The Best Weather Comes from OCENS Looking Ahead Suggested Improvements from User Community Higher resolution data for wider geographic area Ability to depict time series of historical along with current data for a target area Make data available for inshore areas Rain contamination info is valuable product in and of itself