NASAs SPoRT PROGRAM

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NASAs SPoRT PROGRAM
Mission Apply NASA measurement systems and
unique Earth science research to improve the
accuracy of short-term (0-24 hr) weather
prediction at the regional and local scale

• Test bed for transitioning products to operations
  (NWS and private sector)
• data dissemination
• product development and testing
• training
• product assessment
• impact analysis
• Focus Areas
• EOS satellite observations
• Modeling and data assimilation
• Nowcasting and lightning

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SPoRT PROGRAM RESOURCES

• sixth year
• stable funding
• in-house technical experts in the field
• broad base of collaborators
• fourth SAC meeting
• meeting needs of end user community

http//weather.msfc.nasa.gov/sport
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SPoRT PROGRAM STAFF
Dr. William M. Lapenta - Co-Principal
Investigator Dr. Gary J. Jedlovec - Co-Principal
Investigator Melody C. Herrmann - Project
Manager Additional NASA Scientists Dr. Richard J.
Blakeslee Dr. Shih-Hung Chou Paul Meyer UAH
Research Associates Dennis E. Buechler - Senior
Research Associate Stephanie L. Haines - Research
Associate Katherine M. LaCasse - Research
Associate Dr. John R. Mecikalski
Professor/research staff Bradley T. Zavodsky -
Research Associate Other Will McCarty - Graduate
Research Assistant Andrew L. Molthan - Graduate
Research Assistant Dr. Bob Atkinson Scott
Dembek - consultants Jason Burks NWS ITO Jonathan
L. Case - Senior Scientist / Meteorologist Chris
B. Darden - Science and Operations Officer John
M. Hall lightning and information
technology Frank J. LaFontaine - Research
Associate Eugene W. McCaul - Research
Scientist Erik R. Reimers - Student Research
Assistant

• sixth year
• stable funding
• in-house technical experts in the field
• broad base of collaborators
• fourth SAC meeting
• meeting needs of end user community

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SPoRT PROGRAM COLLABORATORS

• SPoRT University, Government, and Other Partners
• NOAA/NESDIS/STAR
• Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation
  (JCSDA)
• National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)
• NWS Southern Region Headquarters local WFOs
• University or Wisconsin
• University of Alabama - Huntsville
• University of South Florida
• Florida State University
•  New Mexico Tech
•  University of Oklahoma
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory
•  Vaisala, Inc
• WorldWinds, Inc.

• sixth year
• stable funding
• in-house technical experts in the field
• broad base of collaborators
• fourth SAC meeting
• meeting needs of end user community

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SCIENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SAC)

• Membership
• drawn from a community of research scientists and
  forecasters
• represent the spectrum of government, university,
  and commercial organizations involved in
  short-term weather forecasting and the transition
  of emerging satellite and modeling technologies
  into the operational environment
• SAC activities
• serve as a knowledge resource on short-term
  weather prediction, satellite data and derived
  products, mesoscale modeling, and data
  assimilation issues
• provide guidance and direction on SPoRT research
  and transitional activities
• SPoRT SAC last met in November 2005

• Role

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2005 SAC RECOMENDATIONS

• SPoRT has followed and implemented the majority
  of the recommendations from the 2005 SAC review!
• Key administrative items
• hold meetings every 1.5-2 years, rotate members
  and maintain diversity
• continue to emphasize unique areas and strengths
  expanded work with MODIS (products) and LMA (DC
  area), including AIRS products and data
  assimilation
• work to maintain clear path of products to
  operations expanded dissemination
  opportunities, work collaboratively with
  NESDIS/NWS and AWIPS team(s) on transition
  opportunities
• sponsor workshops which focus on SPoRT
  transitional activities SPoRT Science and
  Operations Office (SOO) workshop summer 2006
• coordinate with instrument science teams
  expanded involvement with AIRS team and
  collaborate with CloudSat team
• disseminate information on SPoRT to a broader
  community started SPoRT quarterly newsletter
  and produced a webcast describing SPoRT

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2005 SAC RECOMENDATIONS

• AIRS data
• evaluate value of AIRS data as well as impact -
  version 5 retrievals
• focus on AIRS assimilation cases studies over
  U.S. land regions new case studies and near
  real-time approach
• consider direct use of profiles by forecasters
  real-time profiles from UW direct broadcast to
  WFOs planned for version 5 retrievals
• work with JCSDA on assimilation of AIRS radiances
  in GSI extended stay by Will McCarty at JCSDA,
  assimilation work being done with GSI on JCSDA
  computers
• MODIS data and products
• use additional data to enhance utility of SST
  composite for tropical cyclone applications
  began studies adding AMSR-E, contributed product
  to MAP06 for NAMMA (summer 2006)
• continue dissemination of MODIS products to other
  WFOS establishing new dissemination paradigm
  for wider dissemination and training

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2005 SAC RECOMENDATIONS

• WRF
• work more closely with NOAA land-surface staff to
  include remotely sensed observations of the
  surface acquired expertise to focus on use of
  coupled WRF/LIS in collaboration with GSFC
• expand case studies for thunderstorm forecasts
  we have conducted more case study evaluations
• Convective initiation studies
• transition CI product to operations CI product
  now in AWIPS and ready for evaluation and
  assessment with forecasters

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2005 SAC RECOMENDATIONS

• Misc
• continue development of SPoRT strategic plan
  mission statement and advice from SAC and NASA
  HQs provides guidance on our strategic direction
  --- looking to formulate plan in late 2007
• work with GSFC DA office and JCSDA on
  assimilation activities to maximize benefit to
  operational community collaborate with GSFC on
  coupled WRF/LIS and GSI/WRF AIRS data
  assimilation
• develop advocacy at NWS HQs this has been a
  challenge!
• we keep Kevin Schrab updated on SPoRT activities
• Steve Goodman now with NESDIS/STAR to work R2O
  activities (briefed G. Mandt)
• working with developers of next generation AWIPS
  to transition unique NPP products
• document and transition process to get unique
  data into AWIPS have done this with NESDIS /
  STAR, UW who now provides products to selective
  Western and Central Region WFOs, work with NRL
  and NESDIS / OSDPD on transition (N-AWIPS), and
  established new paradigm for data dissemination

• Develop advocacy at NOAA/NWS

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• SPoRT believes the Science Advisory Committee
  (SAC) is a very valuable asset to the program
• it values their input
• is responsive to their recommendations
• SPoRT has achieved more than this!

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS (since Nov. 2005)

• General
• hosted a NASA/NWS SPoRT / Science Operations
  Officer (SOO) workshop
• began new collaborations with (WorldWinds, Inc.
  NRL- Monterey Sterling. Melbourne, Billings
  WFOs and NESDIS (NDE, STAR OSDPD)
• established new paradigm for data dissemination
  to WFOs
• published / submitted 8 journal articles
• submitted 7 new proposals (1 funded, 5 pending)
  that leverage off of SPoRT activities
• is balancing manpower and needed skills to
  maintain an effective work force
• revamped SPoRT web page
• jointly developed a "white paper" with NESDIS on
  how SPoRT will collaborate with the NPOESS Data
  Exploitation (NDE) office

Yellow in direct response to SAC 2005
recommendation White -- additional accomplishment
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS (since Nov. 2005)

• AIRS
• completed AIRS profile assimilation impact for
  new east coast case study improvement in mid to
  upper-level temperature and moisture patterns in
  36-48h forecasts
• developed and demonstrated methodology to
  conduct near real-time profile assimilation with
  WRF
• enhanced working relationship with AIRS science
  team to demonstrate utility of AIRS products in
  operational environment
• obtaining AIRS L1B/L2 data from University of
  Wisconsin direct broadcast
• developed a technique to identify uncontaminated
  AIRS spectral channels in cloudy scenes
• applied GOES / MODIS cloud product approaches to
  AIRS data (CO2 height / cloud fraction)

Yellow in direct response to SAC 2005
recommendation White -- additional accomplishment
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS (since Nov. 2005)

• MODIS
• published article (IEEE TGRS) on MODIS (SST)
  compositing technique
• began real-time dissemination of MODIS SST
  composites in GRIB (gridded binary) format to
  community - SERVIR, WorldWind Inc., MAP06, NAMMA,
  WFO/WRF studies, etc.
• adapted SST compositing technique to MODIS ocean
  color products
• Other remote sensing
• made NESDIS GOES Aviation Products available to
  WFOs in advance of AWIPS build request from
  NESDIS
• disseminated CIRA polar orbiting TWP products to
  WFOs (request from SOO workshop)
• used CloudSat data to help validate
  GOES/MODIS/AIRS cloud detection and height
  assignment schemes
• evaluated use of AMSR-E surface products for
  weather applications

Yellow in direct response to SAC 2005
recommendation White -- additional accomplishment
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS (since Nov. 2005)

• WRF
• implemented a coupled WRF/LIS at NASA/MSFC/SPoRT
  early results show improved 2m temperatures and
  low level circulation patterns
• used CloudSat simulator (QuickBeam) to provide
  first comparisons between CloudSat observations
  of real clouds and the cloud systems simulated by
  WRF
• collaborated with Mobile WFO on WRF (with MODIS
  SST data) case study demonstrating improved wind
  / temperature forecast in coastal regions
• developed collaborative project with Miami WFO
  to conduct robust demonstration of use of high
  resolution MODIS SST fields on WRF forecasts
• developed capability to run GSI/WRF at JCSDA for
  AIRS data assimilation studies
• NSSL WRF forecasts to WFOs

Yellow in direct response to SAC 2005
recommendation White -- additional accomplishment
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS (since Nov. 2005)

• Nowcasting
• transitioned convective initiation product
  output to AWIPS for evaluation and operational
  usage training and survey
• refined algorithms for dissemination and display
  of LMA data in AWIPS
• assessment of LMA impact based on surveys /
  reports from forecasters
• Data dissemination
• began dissemination of products via Local Data
  Manager for reduction in latency and broader
  dissemination
• Training modules and surveys
• developed a SPoRT webcast on SPoRT activities
• developed several new product training modules
  for use by WFO (GOES aviation products, ADAS
  fields in AWIPS, Convective Initiation (CI)
  products in AWIPS)
• participated in NPOESS Training Development
  Workshop funded by IPO

Yellow in direct response to SAC 2005
recommendation White -- additional accomplishment
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SUMMARY

• SPoRT has
• made significant contributions to the transition
  of NASA data to operations over the last 18
  months
• remains focused on its mission
• been responsive to SAC and NASA Headquarters
  direction
• received consistent funding and support from NASA
  HQs
• established new partners who bring their own
  resources
• SPoRT actively
• seeks external funding and new collaborators
• disseminates the results of its work
• SPoRT is planning for the future by directing
  applications and efforts towards NPP/NPOESS data
  and its transition into the next generation AWIPS
  systems to be used by NWS forecasters