Series Overview
The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
(NESDIS) is funding a series of online training modules designed to instruct
the operational weather forecaster on the use of Polar-Orbiting Operational
Environmental Satellite (POES) observations and products. This Module Series
Overview answers the following questions:
- How does this module help the forecaster?
- How does this module fit within the Integrated Sensor Training Professional Development Series?
POES Applications for Operational Forecasters
In comparison with GOES, POES observations and products provide some unique opportunities for operational forecasters:
- Global coverage, which is especially important to forecasters at higher latitudes (Alaska Region, Canadian, and military forecasters) and for numerical model input and verification.
- Microwave imaging and sounding. Microwaves penetrate clouds providing observations in areas obscured from detection using conventional infrared observations. Some of the precipitation and surface products generated from microwave radiances are total precipitable water, cloud liquid water, rain rate, sea ice, snow cover, ocean surface wind speed, land surface temperature, and surface wetness.
- Infrared and visible imaging at 1-km resolution provides important information and products such as:
- Detailed cloud-top thermal structure
- Cloud detection
- Surface (skin) temperature
- Sea surface temperature
- Fog/stratus product
- Fire monitoring
- Volcano monitoring
- A new spectral channel at 1.6 µm on the POES imager (AVHRR) will provide improved snow, ice, and cloud discrimination products.
From this list of products it is clear that POES provides additional critical
information for operational forecasters. The greatest potential for enhanced use
of POES observations is by the NWS forecasters in the lower 48 states. Alaska
and military forecasters already make extensive use of the POES and DMSP datasets.
The initial NESDIS sponsored online training modules focus on the following POES
topics:
- POES Introduction and Background (this module)
- Microwave Applications: Imagery and Products
- Visible and Infrared Applications: Imagery and Products
- Case Studies: Data Integration
POES Training in the Integrated Sensor Training Professional Development Series
The POES training activities are included in the Integrated Sensor Training (IST) Professional Development Series (PDS)
program. The IST PDS program provides training support to the operational weather services on the integrated use of remote
and in situ sensor datasets. The POES training modules fit within Professional Competency Unit (PCU)
number 6 on Using Satellite Data and Products. The main goal of this PCU is to teach forecasters to
effectively utilize all satellite (GOES and POES) data in real-time operational weather forecasting.