The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) is a tri-agency effort between NOAA, NASA, and the Department of Defense to develop the next generation of weather and environmental satellites. NPOESS aims to reduce costs by consolidating previous separate satellite programs and will provide critical data for weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and other applications. NPOESS will produce a variety of environmental data records from multiple sensors on each satellite to measure things like sea surface temperature, winds, ozone, and more.

1. National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental
Satellite System (NPOESS)
(Excerpts from)
An Introduction to NPOESS
presented at
IGARSS 2003
Toulouse, France
Integrated Program Off
ice
July 22, 2003
July 22, 2003
1

2. A Tri-agency Effort to Leverage and Combine Environmental Satellite
Activities
METOP
Mission
Provide a national, operational, polarorbiting remote-sensing capability
NPOESS
NPOESS
Achieve National Performance Review
(NPR) savings by converging DoD and
NOAA satellite programs
0530
0930
Incorporate new technologies from
NASA
Encourage International Cooperation
Specialized
Satellites
1330
Local Equatorial Crossing
Time
NPOESS
Saves as much as $1.3B from the cost of previously planned separate
developments
July 22, 2003
2

3. IORD Content Example
Sea Surface Temperature (SST)
• Sea Surface Temperature
is defined as a highly
precise measurement of
the temperature of the
surface layer (upper 1
meter) of ocean water.
It has two major
applications: 1) sea
surface phenomenology,
and 2) use in infrared
cloud/no cloud decision
for processed cloud data.
The accompanying
requirements apply only
under clear conditions
(unless specified
otherwise).
July 22, 2003
3

4. NPOESS EDR-to-Sensor Mapping
55 Product Sets [RDR, SDR, EDR]
Atmospheric Vertical Moisture Profile
Atmospheric Vertical Temp Profile
Imagery
Sea Surface Temperature
Sea Surface Winds
Soil Moisture
Aerosol Optical Thickness
Aerosol Particle Size
Aerosol Refractive Index
Albedo (Surface)
Auroral Boundary
Auroral Energy Deposition
Auroral Imagery
Cloud Base Height
Cloud Cover/Layers
Cloud Effective Particle Size
Cloud Ice Water Path
Cloud Liquid Water
Cloud Optical Thickness
Cloud Particle Size/Distribution
Cloud Top Height
Cloud Top Pressure
Cloud Top Temperature
Downward Longwave Radiance (Sfc)
Downward Shortwave Radiance(Sfc)
Electric Field
Electron Density Profile
Energetic Ions
Geomagnetic Field
Ice Surface Temperature
In-situ Plasma Fluctuations
In-situ Plasma Temperature
Ionospheric Scintillation
Medium Energy Charged Particles
Land Surface Temperature
Net Heat Flux
Net Solar Radiation (TOA)
Neutral Density Profile
Color/Chlorophyll
Ocean Wave Characteristics
Outgoing Longwave Radiation (TOA)
Ozone - Total Column/Profile
Precipitable Water
Precipitation Type/Rate
Pressure (Surface/Profile)
Sea Ice Characterization
Sea Surface Height/Topography
Snow Cover/Depth
Solar Irradiance
Supra-Thermal-Auroral Particles
Surface Type
Wind Stress
Suspended Matter
Total Water Content
Vegetation Index
VIIRS (23)
CMIS (19)
CrIS/ATMS (3)
OMPS (1)
SES (13)
GPSOS (2)
ERBS (5)
TSIS (1)
ALTIMETER (3)
APS (4)
Environmental Data Records (EDRs) with Key Performance Parameters
July 22, 2003
4

5. NPOESS Overview
• Contract was awarded on August 23, 2002 to Northrop
Grumman Space Technology
• Contract consists of:
– 6 satellites
• Taking over all government instrument contracts
• Buying all “leveraged” instruments
• Integrating GFE instruments (ADCS and SARSAT)
– Building and deploying all ground systems
• C3 and data retrieval
• Data processing hardware and software
– Software for worldwide users
– Operating system through IOC (2011)
• with option to 2018
July 22, 2003
5

6. NPOESS Top Level Architecture
GPS
NPP
(1030)
NPOESS
1330
NPOESS
1730
Low Rate Data/
High Rate Data
(LRD/HRD)
Space
Segment
Command
& Control
Segment
Alternate MMC
Alternate MMC
at Schriever AFB
at Schriever AFB
NPOESS
2130
Svalbard
Svalbard
Field
Terminal Segment
15 Globally Distributed
15 Globally Distributed
Receptor Sites
Receptor Sites
FNMOC
Mission Management
Mission Management
Center (MMC)
Center (MMC)
at Suitland
at Suitland
NPP Data & Control Flow
Data Quality
SMD/HRD
LRD
Data Latency
SMD
HRD/LRD
Data Availability
NAVOCEANO
NPP Science Data Segment
CLASS
ADS
AFWA
NESDIS/NCEP
Interface Data Processing Segment
NPOESS Data & Control Flow
CLASS
NOAA Comprehensive Large
Array Data Stewardship System
ADS
NPP Archive & Distribution Seg
128 attributes above, 724 at, 7 below threshold
305 attributes above, 180 at, 0 below threshold
Threshold
Objective
Operational Availability
July 22, 2003
6

7. NPOESS Satellite
CMIS
ATMS
CrIS
VIIRS
OMPS
ERBS
NPOESS 1330 Configuration
Single satellite design with common sensor locations
July 22, 2003
VIIRS - vis/IR imager
CMIS - µwave imager
CrIS - IR sounder
ATMS - µwave sounder
SESS - space environment
GPSOS - GPS occultation
OMPS - ozone
ADCS - data collection
SARSAT - search & rescue
APS - aerosol polarimeter
ERBS - Earth radiation budget
SS
- laser sensor
ALT - altimeter
TSIS - solar irradiance
VIIRS
CMIS
CrIS
ATMS
SESS
GPSOS
OMPS
ADCS
SARSAT
ERBS
SS
ALT
TSIS
1330
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
1730
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
2130
X
X
X
X
X
X
7

8. Interface Data
Processing Segment
(IDPS)
July 22, 2003
8

9. Segment Approach
•
•
•
July 22, 2003
High performance computing hardware
– Each Central has a complete system (IDP) that will generate all products
within required latencies
– Each IDPS or Central contains an Operations string, an Integration and Test
(I&T) string, and shared disk arrays (RAID)
– Operations string carries 100% reserve capacity and additional availability
processors
– I&T string can be used for integration and test of new software, support for
technology insertion, parallel operations, failover, and algorithm
development
Modular, workflow managed software
– Receives multiple data streams from C3S, processes data into RDRs, SDRs,
TDRs, and EDRs, packages products into form useful for Centrals, and
delivers requested products to end users
– Centrals have control over what products are created, which ancillary data
sets are used, and how products are delivered
Same software is used in field terminals
– Will be made available worldwide via download from the internet
9

10. IDPS Functional Diagram
SDR/TDR
Generation
Ingest
Subsystem
DRR
SMD
Auxiliary
Data
Ancillary
Data
Ancilla
ry
Data
Ingest
Sensor Data
Ingest
Auxiliary
Data
Ingest
Ancillary
Distribute
Data
Ancillary Data
Other
IDPs
C3S
RDR
RDR
SDR
EDR
All Internal
Data Types
Ancil
Data
Requests
Data Delivery
Subsystem
xDR Data
Data formatted to
Centrals External Format
All Internal
Data Types
On-Line
Data Storage
Ancil
External
Formatted
Data
Data Management
Subsystem
Process
Initiation
Processing
Directives
Cal/Val
Subsystem
Processing
Status & Control
Production and infrastructure management
Communication services and utilities
Infrastructure Subsystem
Enterprise Management
IDP Operator
July 22, 2003
Ancil
Auxil
Tool Kits
Cache Data Mgmt Service
Auxil
Work Flow
Scheduling
Coordination
Schedule
Processing
History
SDR
Processing
Subsystem
EDR
Generation
Centrals
ADS
SDS
CLASS
C3S
NPOESS
Enterprise Management
Status and Control
LUTs
CCB/Ingest
Cal/Val
Operator
10

11. NPOESS Algorithms as Key Inputs
to User Models
Payload IPT
Science Algorithm
Development/
Procurement
SE IPT
Correction requests
• Incomplete delivery
• Non-compliant products
• Failure Analysis
Sensor and Operating
Environment
Characterization
Delivered Science Algorithms
• ATBD
• Science-grade code
• Test Sets
Science Algorithm
Verification
Verified Science Algorithms
• ATBD
• Science-grade code
• Test Sets
• OADs
IDPS IPT
Science to
Operational Algorithms
Operational
Science Discrepancy Reports
• Operational Algorithm Document
• Timeliness failure
Algorithm Migration
• Operational-grade code
• Quality failure
ST&E IPT
• EDR Test output
Operational Verification
Operational
Test Reports
Verified Operational Algorithms
• Pass
Algorithm
• Operational-grade code
• Fail
Performance
- Timeliness failure
Verification
- Quality failure
Calibrated/Validated
ST&E IPT
Operational Algorithms
Specific IPTs have
responsibility and
budget for assigned
algorithm activities
within program phases
July 22, 2003
• Discrepancy reports
• New calibration coefficients
Operational
Algorithm Cal/Val
Discrepancy Reports
• Operation
• Performance
• Calibration
Coefficients
• Operational-grade
code
O&S IPT
User Operational
Algorithm
Assessment
11

12. Data and Metadata
• Metadata being defined consistent with
– National Spatial Data Infrastructure standards
– operational and archival users needs
• Data files being defined consistent with an NPOESS
profile
– lessons learned
– operational and archival users needs
– basic HDF feature set
– consistency across products
September 23,
July 22, 2003 2003
12

13. Integrated Program Office
Web sites
NPOESS Websites
–http://www.npoess.noaa.gov
–http://npoesslib.ipo.noaa.gov/
(electronic bulletin board)
July 22, 2003
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