1. 2010 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Guidance to the AWG June 10, 2010 Technical Advisory Committee Members David ByersKevin Schrab Mike JohnsonTom Vonder Haar John LeMarshallTom Schott Paul MenzelJames Yoe Russ SchneiderJim Gleason

2. General Findings Positive response to 2009 TAC comments and suggestions. –Thank you Activities are on track. TAC sees no show stoppers. Good progress has been made on day one (Baseline) and day two (Option 2) algorithms. –Thank you Their remain important items still needing attention. –Thank you for guidance/suggestions. Addressed in following slides 2

3. The length of the post-launch check-out needs to be at least one year. Current GOES post-launch check-out is six months (with one month dedicated to the science tests), but the new spacecraft, new instruments and new products dictate the necessity for a much longer check-out period. A longer period for checkout and phased operations, similar to the European commissioning, is recommended. Agreed. 3 2010 TAC Guidance

4. Due to the greatly improved capabilities of the GOES-R system (total lightning, volcanic ash, aircraft icing, fog, turbulence, etc) and large investment, the GOES-R should be put into operational service as soon as possible. This best would allow the Nation reap the benefits of GOES-R. Agreed. 4 2010 TAC Guidance

5. Field campaigns for validation of GOES-R sensor measurements and derived products must be planned as soon as possible. –The detailed Basis of Estimate should take into account other planned validation campaigns and assets as much as possible. Coordination with other programs requires early commitment. The GOES-R Program put out a call this spring for field campaign proposals that address and augment existing calibration/validation activities. Some of the AWG application team leads and members have participated in the development of proposals in response to this call. 5 2010 TAC Guidance

6. An advanced geostationary sounder should be pursed as soon as possible. –This will improve many ABI-only products, meet the NWS sounding requirements of 1983, and restore several products that were previously on the GOES-R products list (trace gases, moisture flux, etc). The advanced sounder is the most important single satellite instrument in terms of eliminating short-term forecast errors (Cardinali, QJRMS, 2009). All options (coordination with other countries, commercial data buys, etc.) should be aggressively pursued. –Agreed. 6 2010 TAC Guidance

7. GPO should take action so that ITAR restrictions on the characterization of GOES-R data (spectral bands, signal to noise, bit depth,,..) and products (e.g. winds, volcanic ash, fog, ice clouds,…) are alleviated as soon as possible, given that GOES-R will be an important contribution to the Global Observing System. Agreed. The process for updating/adjusting the operational algorithms should be tested well before launch –so that efficient responsive corrections can be made after launch. The AWG fully agrees will work closely with the GOES-R program to contribute to the development of a plan that details an Algorithm Change Process that can be implemented in the post-launch timeframe. As part of this plan, it may be useful to establish a scientific review board, in addition to a system engineering configuration change board, which addresses and determines priorities from a scientific and user perspective. The change process will be consistent with protocol and processes of the NESDIS Satellite Product Services Review Board 7 2010 TAC Guidance

8. Prior to the launch of GOES-R, AWG scientists will need to be trained to use and work within the GOES-R product generation system developed by Harris. At the same time, they will also need to become familiar with the product algorithm software developed by Harris/AER. This will be very important in order for the AWG to more effectively support post-launch L2 algorithm testing and verification activities as well as the formulation and implementation of L2 algorithm improvements and any newly developed products AWG teams should emphasize the study of the impact of rectification / saturation / truncation / striping error on products. –There should be special attention to truncation error in clouds in the 4 um band, rectification effects in the fire product, detector to detector striping on spectral band and derived product images. AWG agrees. The AWG, through its GRAFIIR Team, has developed capabilities to quantify the impact of ABI instrument effects on the quality of the downstream L2 products. These capabilities can be exercised (by the GRAFIIR team and AWG teams) to the degree necessary to quantify the impacts of such artifacts on the L2 product quality. 8 2010 TAC Guidance

9. Temporal continuity of products should be added by the AWG as a validation consideration. This is a good suggestion and one that some teams have already adopted in their product validation strategies. NDVI, GVF, clear-sky mask, Land Surface Emissivity, Fractional Snow Cover… NDVI: Spatial and temporal change in NDVI should be consistent with variation of the state of the vegetation cover GVF: Small spurious diurnal change of derived GVF; Diurnal change should be consistent with precision specification Clear-sky mask: Periodically image the individual test results to look for artifacts or non-physical behaviors. LSE: Indirect Validation: Apply the algorithm to GOES Sounder over ocean to see if the retrieved LSE and LST are temporally consistent Fractional Snow Cover: Validate FSCA scene-to-scene stability AWG teams can work to apply this suggestion to other products, as appropriate 9 2010 TAC Guidance

10. The process for introducing new operational products (proven in the GOES-R risk reduction program) must be streamlined and tested. –There will be many new and enhanced products introduced by GOES-R. New and enhanced applications are pursued under GOES-R Risk Reduction science program (e.g. Lightning/ABI blended precipitation). Agree that there will be many new and enhanced products developed for GOES-R. Successful R3 projects will move to AWG for operational transition for Day 2. Post GOES-R Day 2 products will go through the SPSRB process 10 2010 TAC Guidance

11. The AWG will work closely with the GOES-R program to help establish a plan that details an Algorithm Change Process that can be implemented in the post-launch timeframe. As part of this plan, it may be useful to establish a scientific review board, in addition to a system engineering configuration change board, which addresses and determines priorities from a scientific and user perspective. The change process will be consistent with protocol and processes of the NESDIS Satellite Product Services Review Board Between now and the launch of GOES-R, the AWG should continue validating and updating the baseline and option-2 product algorithms. Great care will need to be taken by the AWG to keep track of algorithm updates from the point of view of software version control, documenting the improved performance of these updates, and vetting the updates and product changes with the user community. Prior to the launch of GOES-R, AWG scientists will need to be trained to use and work within the GOES-R product generation system developed by Harris. At the same time, they will also need to become familiar with the product algorithm software developed by Harris/AER. This will be very important in order for the AWG to more effectively support post-launch L2 algorithm testing and verification activities as well as the formulation and implementation of L2 algorithm improvements. 11 2010 TAC Guidance

12. –Care should be taken to retain intermediate products. While operational products sometimes are displayed in simplified form for efficiency (e.g. in binary yes/no fashion), information content of the intermediate and final products should be retained for subsequent product enhancements (e.g. ice thickness, probability of fog, SO2 amounts, etc). A number of the AWG algorithms do generate and retain intermediate product information. To the extent possible, this information will be retained in product output files. 12 2010 TAC Guidance

13. The GPO should explore success criteria from a customer perspective for each GOES–R product to help assure success of Day-1 products and plan for needed improvements to Day-2 products and data services. This is a good recommendation. Feedback received from NWS forecasters on products demonstrated through the GOES-R PG seems to answer the mail, at least in part, to this recommendation. Establishing success criteria for various products from other users (EPA, NWP, etc) should be obtained as well. Maybe this could coordinated through the GORWG? 13 2010 TAC Guidance

14. NWP engagement, particularly through the JCSDA, in early testing of improved ABI/GLM products must be strengthened. –Suggested products include cloud free radiances for assimilation, hourly winds, surface emissivity, … Agree. While the GOES-R3 program has addressed this with funded data assimilation projects (one involves the GOES-R winds) in FY11, more interaction and planning of such activities with JCSDA, is needed. 14 2010 TAC Guidance

15. More emphasis must be placed on synergy of –GLM and ABI (rainfall, atmospheric chemistry) and –the supplementing/complementing of Geo by Leo observations (Leo has MW and hyper spectral IR and should benefit intercalibration, soundings, ERBE, rainfall). Agree. Research involving the use of multiple instruments (GLM and ABI) and/or the use of Geo and Leo observations for products is a prime candidate for the GOES-R3 program. In fact, this is an area emphasized by the GOES-R3 program for projects it intends to fund in the period: July 2011 to June 2014. 15 2010 TAC Guidance

16. Since the GOES-R Day-1 product requirements do not include new and enhanced GOES-NOP operational products implemented before GOES-R operations in 2017, the GPO should consider supporting the AWG to conduct a GOES-R Data Exploitation program to transition new and enhanced GOES-NOP products to GOES-R operations. –The NESDIS Satellite Products and Services Review Board (SPSRB) manages the GOES-NOP algorithm development /operational implementation activities and can provide information on new and enhanced products. –The inclusion of these additional GOES-NOP products in GOES-R operations is essential for ensuring mission continuity requirements are met. We agree with this recommendation. AWG will discuss with GPO the need for a GOES-R Data Exploitation (GDE) project that capture these additional products being generated by GOES-NOP. This is similar to NDE for NPOESS (JPSS). NDE generates new products that were not in the original product baseline for NPOESS (JPSS). 16 2010 TAC Guidance