IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine - March 2013 - 66

About the National Space
Science and Technology
Center (NSSTC)
The SPoRT project is managed by
NASA scientists located at the National
Space Science and Technology Center
(NSSTC) in Huntsville, Alabama. The
NSSTC is a unique collaborative
research and education facility that
brings together creative people, new
ideas, and world class facilities to

enable advances in Earth, space, and
material sciences, advanced optics,
and information technology. It houses
scientific staff from NASA's Marshall
Space Flight Center, the University of
Alabama Huntsville (UAH) Earth and
Space Science research communities,
the UAH Atmospheric Science academic program (which awards graduate degrees in Atmospheric Science),
and the National Weather Service's

simulate the spatial and spectral capabilities of the future
GOES-R Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) by replacing the
coarser resolution GOES data with polar orbit data with
comparable spatial resolution to that of ABI. This "hybrid"
image is then combined in an animated sequence with the
current GOES data stream, replacing GOES data at observation times when the hybrid is available. The GOES-POES
hybrid products are produced as proxies for ABI basic channel imagery and RGB products used by the weather forecast community. The total lightning data collected by the
ground-based networks is also used to generate proxy data
for the GOES-R Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM)
by creating a suite of flash density products at the GLM
8 km spatial resolution. These pseudo GLM products are
disseminated to the SPoRT collaborating National Centers
for evaluation. Additionally, SPoRT works with the GOESR Algorithm Working Group (AWG) teams to transition
additional proxy products such as the ABI proxy Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) and Convective Initiation (CI) products to users who can best test and benefit
from these additional tools.
5. Future
Established in 2002 to demonstrate the weather forecasting application of real-time EOS measurements, the SPoRT
project has grown to be an end-to-end research to operations activity focused on the use of advanced modeling
and data assimilation techniques, nowcasting tools, and
unique high-resolution multispectral observational data
from NASA, NOAA, DoD, and international partner satellites to improve short-term weather forecasts on a regional
and local scale. Through these efforts, SPoRT strives to be
a focal point and facilitator for the transfer of unique Earth
science technologies to the operational weather community
with an emphasis on short-term forecasting. To achieve this
vision, the SPoRT project will continue to address new data
and technologies and develop and test solutions to critical
forecast problems, and integrate solutions into end user
decision support tools. SPoRT will draw on new instrumentation from satellites such as the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), which will provide high spatial resolution soil
moisture data for diagnostic studies and data assimilation
66

Weather Forecast Office (WFO) serving northern Alabama and Southern
Tennessee. The research environment
encourages excellence and innovation
and promotes interdisciplinar y
research by capitalizing on synergy
among disciplines fostered by this
collocation. Activities conducted
by NSSTC scientists and engineers
range from fundamental science
investigations to early technology

development to mission operations
and data analysis. The NSSTC helps to
educate the next generation of scientists and engineers through various
educational and public outreach
efforts at all levels from K-12 to graduate studies. The NSSTC hosts many
summer intern programs, and offers
many opportunities for undergraduate and graduate, and post doctorial
research studies.

and weather forecasting, and the Global Precipitation Mapping (GPM) mission for more accurate measurements of
precipitation at fine space and time scales.
References
[1] J. L. Case, F. J. LaFontaine, S. V. Kumar, and C. D. Peters-Lidard.
Use of the NASA-unified WRF to assess the impacts of real-time
vegetation on simulations of severe weather. presented at 13th
WRF Workshop [Online]. Available: http://www.mmm.ucar.
edu/wrf/users/workshops/WS2012/WorkshopPapers.php
[2] J. L. Case, W. L. Crosson, S. V. Kumar, W. M. Lapenta, and
C. D. Peters-Lidard, "Impacts of high-resolution land surface initialization on regional sensible weather forecasts from the WRF
model," J. Hydrometeorol., vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 1249-1266, 2008.
[3] J. L. Case, S. V. Kumar, J. Srikishen, and G. J. Jedlovec, "Improving numerical weather predictions of summertime precipitation
over the southeastern United States through a high-resolution
initialization of the surface state," Weather Forecasting, vol. 26,
pp. 785-807, 2011.
[4] C. B. Darden, D. J. Nadler, B. C. Carcione, R. J. Blakeslee, G. T.
Stano, and D. E. Buechler, "Utilizing total lightning information
to diagnose convective trends," Bull. Amer. Meteorol. Soc., vol. 91,
pp, 167-175, 2010.
[5] S. J. Goodman, et al., "The GOES-R proving ground: Accelerating user readiness for the next-generation geostationary environmental satellite system," Bull. Amer. Meteorol. Soc., vol. 93,
pp. 1029-1040, 2012.
[6] S. L. Haines, G. J. Jedlovec, and S. M. Lazarus, "A MODIS sea
surface temperature composite for regional applications," IEEE
Trans. Geosci. Remote Sensing, vol. 45, no. 9, pp. 2919-2927, 2007.
[7] K. M. LaCasse, M. E. Splitt, S. M. Lazarus, and W. M. Lapenta,
"The impact of high resolution sea surface temperatures on shortterm model simulations of the nocturnal Florida marine boundary layer," Mon. Wea. Rev., vol. 136, no. 4, pp. 1349-1372, 2008.
[8] A. Molthan and G. Jedlovec, "Satellite observations monitor outages from Superstorm Sandy," Eos Trans. Amer. Geophys.
Union, vol. 94, no. 5, Jan. 2013.
[9] A. Molthan, G. Jedlovec, and B. Carcione, "NASA satellite data
assist in tornado damage assessments," Eos Trans. Amer. Geophys.
Union, vol. 92, no. 40, Oct. 2011.
[10] National Research Council, From Research to Operations: Weather
Satellites and Numerical Weather Prediction - Crossing the Valley of
Death. Washington, DC: National Academy Press , 2000.
[11] National Research Council, Satellite Observations of the Earth's
Environment: Accelerating the Transition of Research to Operations.
Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2003.
[12] F. M. Ralph, et al., "The emergence of weather-related test
beds linking research and forecasting operations," Bull. Amer.
Meteorol. Soc., to be published.
GRS
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine - March 2013