IUOS and Adaptive Radiosonde Launch Strategy

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Integrated Upper-Air Observing System (IUOS) and
the Adaptive Radiosonde Launch Strategy
David Helms NWS Office of Science and Technology
NOAA/NWS Partners Meeting June 6, 2006
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Outline

• What is IUOS?
• Mission
• Objectives
• Requirements Definition
• Roadmap
• IUOS Phase 1 Regional In Situ Soundings
• Notional Plan
• Assessment Timeline
• Weather Enterprise Input
• Future Directions In Situ Observations
• Radiosonde
• Commercial Aircraft

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What is IUOS?Mission and Requirements Space

• IUOS Mission Cost-effectively meet existing
  NOAA upper-air observation requirements and
  future validated requirements for
• Improved spatial, temporal, and spectral
  resolution
• New observations of environmental parameters
• Data Management and Communications (DMAC)
• Upper-air observation requirements space
• Geographical Extent Global
• Vertical Extent 10 m above surface to Sun
• Temporal Range Warnings to
  
  Global Climate Change Prediction
• Parameters Winds, temperature, pressure,
  
  moisture, air chemistry, reflectivity, aerosols,
  biology, .

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What is IUOS?Objectives

• IUOS solution characteristics Future IUOS will
  be
• Adaptable, extensible, stable, continuous, and
  quality assured
• Cost-effective avoid unnecessary duplication
• Serving multi-purposes - including driving
  Earth-system models
• Consistent with/component of USGEO and GEOSS

• Final Operating Capability
• Optimal mix of NOAA
  and
  non-NOAA observation
  platforms including
  both in situ
  and remote
  sensors based on NOSA Architecture Principles

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What are the IUOS Requirements? Methodology

• Collect and Validate requirements
• Surveyed Users
• Scientific Literature
• Heritage Requirements (e.g. FMH-3)
• NOAA CORL (Program Input)
• Phenomenological Analysis
• Establish Requirements Domain
• Threshold Minimum performance operationally
  useful
• Objective Maximum operationally useful
  performance

70 of all requirements satisfied with
atmospheric soundings collected every 2 hours
70 of all requirements satisfied with
atmospheric soundings every 75 km
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IUOS RoadmapPhased Approach
Incorporate Data Management Principles
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IUOS Phase 1 Regional In Situ
SoundingsRadiosonde/WV Aircraft Obs

• In FY06-07
• Evaluate model response to water-vapor sensor
  derived data
• Evaluate implications of
• forecasters using different data source and,
• reaction of broader US weather enterprise.
• Use evaluation to develop plan for implementation
  
• In FY08 Begin eliminating redundant capability
  for weather observations

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Phase 1 Adaptive Sounding Strategy Notional
Plan

• Use alternative sounding from commercial aircraft
  if WV instrumented aircraft has a scheduled
  ascent or descent at an airport which is within
• XX miles of radiosonde site
• YY minutes of radiosonde valid time
• CONOPS
• Lead Meteorologist at closest WFO coordinates
  sounding strategy
• Short (lt3 hrs) and long term (6 month) public
  notices disseminated indicating product
  availability and associated WMO Heading and
  circuits
• Soundings from aircraft publicly available in
  near real-time
• Alternative sounding strategy limited to
• 1 of 2 sounding launches per radiosonde station
  (initially)
• CONUS Non-GUAN stations
• Outcomes
• 4M/yr in cost avoidance from radiosonde
  expendables
• Redundant observations eliminated
• Greater of Data Requirements Achieved

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Adaptive Sounding Strategy Assessment Timeline

• FY06-Q3 Statement of Need and Draft Project
  Plan generated (completed)
• FY06-Q4 Draft CONOPS Outline, Operational
  Requirements Document, demonstration design, and
  evaluation plans for model, operational
  forecasters, comment from US Weather Enterprise
  community.
• FY07-Q2-Q4 Site Demonstration, Test, and
  Evaluation (DT/E)
• FY07-Q2 Nowcasting and Model Impact
  Assessment, Community Feedback
• FY07-Q4 to FY08-Q1 Operational Test and
  Assessment (OT/E)
• FY08-Q2 Initial Operating Capacity (IOC) for
  redundant radiosonde reduction (aka adaptive
  radiosonde launch strategy)
• FY12 Full Operating Capacity (FOC)

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Adaptive Sounding Strategy Weather Enterprise
Input

• A few questions
• How do you currently use radiosonde
  observations?
• What do you know about atmospheric observations
  from commercial aircraft?
• What transition issues might you have with use
  of aircraft observations as an alternative to
  radiosonde observations?
• How can NOAA best communication data quality
  issues associated with aircraft observations?
• How does the proposed adaptive sounding strategy
  timeline impact you?
• How can we recruit Weather Enterprise contacts
  to answer these and other issues associated with
  the Adaptive Sounding Strategy???

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Future Directions Radiosonde Program

• Now Radiosondes launched by the clock, 00 UTC
  and 12 UTC
• Future Launched as needed to best support NOAA
  mission, including
• Co-incident launches to calibrate satellite
  observations
• More special launches in support of high impact
  weather prediction
• Launches timed to best describe diurnal solar
  impact for climate monitoring
• Now Observation quality useful for operational
  weather prediction
• Future Observation quality enhanced to better
  support climate monitoring
• Now Limited geo-physical parameters collected
  (wind/temperature/RH)
• Future Enhanced data collection (cloud
  properties, ozone, etc).
• Bottom Line
• Capability to launch radiosondes will be
  maintained
• Combination of observations from radiosonde,
  commercial aircraft, wind profilers, and other
  systems will result in a far greater amount of
  publicly available data than currently available
• NOAA is committed to maintaining the Radiosonde
  Program as a key component of IUOS

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Future Directions Commercial Aircraft
Observations

• Now
• 25 WVSSII sensors on United Parcel Service B-757
  aircraft since March 2005 (NOAA)
• 60 TAMDAR sensors on Mesaba Saab 340 Aircraft
  since January 2005 (NASA)
• 1-2 Months NOAA RFP for Water Vapor Data from
  Commercial Aircraft
• FY07-08 NOAA Phase I contract for sensor
  installation and data collection
• FY08-12 NOAA Phase II contract for expanded
  sensor installation and data collection
• Bottom Line
• Potential for significant increase in atmospheric
  soundings from regional and larger airports ex.
  Each Southwest Airlines has 450 B-737s, each
  aircraft has about 8 destinations per day or 16
  soundings opportunities
• Expansion of parameters from aircraft include
  water vapor, turbulence (EDR), and icing. Some
  proto-typing effort for air quality measurements
  (European MOZAIC Program)
• Enhanced data monitoring/QA providing RMSE and
  bias by tail

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Questions and Comments David Helms Office of
Science and Technology NOAAs National Weather
Service Bldg SSMC2, Rm 15334 Mail Code
W/OST12 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring,
Maryland 20910 Email david.helms_at_noaa.gov Phone
301-713-3557 x193
AMDAR Observations
34K Reports in 12 Hours
Radiosonde (purple) and WVSSII (black)
Comparison April 26, 2005