NWCSAF General Information

 

Introduction

Background

According to the Decision of the 29th Council of EUMETSAT, the Agreement of Co-operation of a Satellite Application Facility on support to Nowcasting/ and Very Short-Range Forecasting (VSRF) was signed by EUMETSAT and INM in December 1996. The project started in February 1997 aiming to produce the Software to deal with the Nowcasting and VSRF using the characteristics of the MSG SEVIRI data and the NOAA and EPS AVHRR data.

General Objectives

The general objective of the SAFNWC is to provide operational services to ensure the optimum use of meteorological satellite data in Nowcasting and Very Short Range  Forecasting by targeted users. This was applicable in the beginning to the MSG and the PPS satellite systems and afterwards it was extended to other geostationary satellites like GOES and HIMAWARI. In a near future, it will be applicable also to the MTG and EPS-SG satellite series. To achieve this goal, the SAFNWC is responsible for the development and maintenance of appropriate SW Packages, as well as of all related tasks for user's support. Moreover, the SAFNWC intends to be a Centre of Excellence for Nowcasting in EUMETSAT.

Phases

After the Development Phase, it was considered appropriate by the EUMETSAT SAF Strategy a transition period meanwhile satellites MSG-1 and METOP-A were being launched. Once the satellital data were operational, it started a new phase, the Continuous Development & Operations Phase (CDOP), which has been followed by other phases every five years, giving rise to CDOP-2, CDOP-3 and the current one, CDOP-4.

Nowcasting SAF involved organizations

The Nowcasting SAF belonging to the SAF Network is part of the EUMETSAT Ground Segment. The SAF network  has been developed under the overall co-ordination of EUMETSAT. Under the leadership of the Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMet), the SAF NWC is developed by a Project Team involving Météo-France, the Swedish, the Austrian Meteorological Institutes and Meteo Romania.

            

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CDOP-4 Objectives & Planning

The CDOP-4 phase starts in March 2022, aiming to get ready for the new generation EUMETSAT satellites EUMETSAT Polar System – Second Generation (EPS-SG) and Meteosat Third Generation (MTG). The main objectives of this phase are summarized below:

  • To consolidate the software to generate MTG-I day-1 products.
  • To collaborate with EUMETSAT Secretariat for EPS-SG day-1 METimage and ICI products, and to consolidate the development and generation of NWC SAF software for EPS-SG day-1.
  • To improve the NWC SAF CDOP 3 products exploiting the new channels available in the new generation instruments, according to Nowcasting state of the art and user requirements.
  • To explore the use of additional observational data to improve the NWC SAF products.
  • To explore the generation of blended products with nowcasting applications combining NWC SAF products with other sources of data and products. Prototype processors to generate blended products will be generated. In particular, using precipitation estimates from satellite and radar data a combined product will be generated.
  • To develop and implement lightning products from new instrument MTG-LI in MTG-I.
  • To explore the use of the EUMETSAT Cloud Infrastructurefor development and research purposes and as a means to provide new tools and products to the user community.
  • To develop software to generate MTG-IRS products and to investigate potential use of MTG-S/IRS to generate additional extended products and services for the Nowcasting community.
  • To develop software to generate products from direct readout from MWI/ICI on board EPS-SG B and MWS on board EPS-SG-A and AWS(TBD). This is done in close collaboration with H SAF.
  • To introduce, additionally to the major software releases as in previous phases, the provision to the users of incremental software releases allowing an early access to new developments/functionalities and promoting the feedback of the users to the developers in a more dynamical way.
  • To strengthen the support to the user community, including support to better visualize the NWC SAF products, to increase the benefit of them.
  • To evolve general software capabilities in line with evolving user requirements.
  • To increase the coordination and coherence of GEO/PPS packages implementing the NWC SAF/GEO-I Atmospheric Motion Vector algorithm (High Resolution Winds) in the PPS package, and to continue with the systematic comparison of the cloud data products generated with both packages.
  • To strengthen coordination with EUMETSAT Secretariat and the other SAFs through dedicated cooperation and federated activities.

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CDOP-3 Objectives & Planning

  • The production and provision of software for near real time generation of a set of meteorological parameters/products to support Nowcasting.
  • The provision of support services to final users to allow the maximum exploitation and benefit of the software application and the transfer of knowledge from the NWC SAF consortium to its users.
  • To produce software to generate MTG-I day-1 products, to collaborate with EUMETSAT Secretariat for EPS-SG day-1 products and to prepare for the development and generation of software for the corresponding software release in CDOP-4 for the mentioned satellites.
  • To start the development and prototyping of new products and improve the CDOP-2 ones according to Nowcasting state of the art and user requirements.
  • To evolve general software capabilities in line with evolving user requirements.
  • To increase the coordination and coherence of GEO/PPS packages starting with a systematic comparison of the data products generated with both packages.
  • First steps to produce software to generate MTG-IRS day-2 products and to investigate potential use of MTG-IRS to generate additional extended products for the Nowcasting community.
  • To strengthen coordination with EUMETSAT Secretariat and the other SAFs through dedicated cooperation and federated activities.

 

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CDOP-2 Objectives & Planning

  • Extend the operability of its packages to other satellites and to prepare for MTG and EPS-SG;
  • Develop new products and improve the CDOP ones with relevant improvements, according to Nowcasting state of the art and user requirements;
  • Strengthen the coordination with EUMETSAT Central Applications Facilities and the other SAFs through dedicated cooperation and federated activities;
  • Reinforce the use of the NWC SAF Software packages among the meteorological community;
  • Maintain the SW packages by means of corrective, adaptive and perfective activities;
  • Provide support to users by means of a Help Desk and training activities;
  • Deliver updated SW packages according Steering Group endorsement;
  • Develop an iterative process to collect new User Requirements for further developments; and
  • Being a reference for Nowcasting aspects for EUMETSAT, as a Centre of Excellence.

 

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CDOP Objectives & Planning

  • Improve the quality of the products through validation activities;
  • Potentially develop new algorithms according to user requirements based on users needs and on the state of art in Nowcasting and VSRF;
  • Perform those activities aiming to ensure the applicability of the products to the MSGN area, trying to widen the applicability to other regions;
  • Cooperate with the SAF Network, EUMETSAT Central Facilities and users;
  • Improve the harmonisation of PPS and MSG to ensure that further development of similar PPS and MSG products is harmonized were scientifically possible;
  • Maintain the current NWCSAF/MSG and NWCSAF/PPS SW packages by means of corrective, adaptive and perfective activities;
  • Perform the Validation of the PPS Products with EPS/MHS data;
  • Adapt the NWCSAF/PPS SW to the NPP satellite and prepare for the NPOESS;
  • Add cloud microphysical parameters as optional output to the Cloud Type product for NPP satellite;
  • Start preparatory studies to process Meteosat Third Generation data for the next CDOP-2 phase;
  • Deliver updated SW packages according Steering Group endorsement;
  • Provide support to users by means of a Help Desk and training activities;
  • Develop an iterative process to collect new User Requirements for further developments; and
  • Being a reference for Nowcasting aspects for EUMETSAT, as a Centre of Excellence.

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IOP Objectives & Planning

  • Complete the development of the MSG products, up to their validation and tuning using real SEVIRI data, as available from the MSG mission;
  • Validate the SAFNWC/MSG products;
  • Improve the SAFNWC/MSG products and plans according to the results of the validation activities;
  • Complete the engineering of the SAFNWC/PPS package: common SW developments and integration into a single package;
  • Perform the Validation of the PPS Products using NOAA/AMSU-B and EPS/MHS data when Metop is available;
  • Deliver updated SW Packages for SAFNWC/MSG and SAFNWC/PPS during IOP as necessary to support maintenance and planned improvements;
  • Give support to users by means of a Help Desk (web site) and training activities;
  • Collect new User Requirements for further developments;
  • Implement new developments according to the upgraded User Requirement Document; and
  • Be a reference for Nowcasting aspects for EUMETSAT.

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