Status of the Multi-Functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT) Program

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Status of the Multi-Functional Transport
Satellite (MTSAT) Program

• Prepared for APSDEU-6, 1-3 June 2005, Seoul/Korea
• Akihiko Nakazono
• Office of International Communications,
• Forecast Dept., Japan Meteorological Agency
• Nozomu Ohkawara
• Meteorological Satellite Centre,
• Japan Meteorological Agency

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First images from MTSAT-1R ( 24 March 2005)
IR3(WV6.7mm)
IR1 (11mm)
IR2 (12mm)
IR4 (3.7mm)
VIS
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Back-up of GMS-5 with GOES-9
Sub-satellite point of GOES-9
The left end of a picture is missing
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• MTSAT-1 was failed to launch in November 1999
• GMS-5 had been deteriorating its function
• The imaging function has been backed up by
  GOES-9, in cooperation with NOAA/NESDIS, since
  22 May 2003

Sub-satellite point of the GMS-5
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MTSAT (-1R / -2) Program

• The successor to the GMS-5
• 3 axis stabilized satellite
• 2 missions
• Aeronautical Mission (JCAB)
• Meteorological Mission (JMA)

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MTSAT-1R

• MTSAT-1R was successfully launched on 26th Feb
  2005.
• The in-orbit test of MTSAT-1R has been performed.
• After checking-out of the whole system, including
  ground facilities, dissemination of imagery from
  MTSAT-1R will be started.
• Test dissemination started on 31th May
• The commencement of operational dissemination
  is to be announced as soon as defined.

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MTSAT-2

• The functions are same as MTSAT-1R
• MTSAT-2 is planned to be launched within the
  fiscal year (by the end of March 2006).

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Improved Functions(Common to MTSAT-1R/-2)
Note At the sub-satellite point New
Function Improved Function

• An additional 3.7mm channel (IR4)
• Improved data quantization 10 bits (1024
  levels) /pixel

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Improvement of Services

• Half hourly observation for northern hemisphere
• No cancellation of observations caused from
  eclipse phenomena
• New HRIT and LRIT dissemination services
• Continuance of HiRID (S-VISSR compatible) and
  WEFAX dissemination services to support users
  migrations
• Separate and Independent dissemination service
  for MDUSs and SDUSs
• Continuance of the Internet dissemination service
  for MDUS users (IR1 only)

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Observation Schedule of MTSAT-1R
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Low Rate Information Transmission (LRIT, 2005)

• Digital data transmission (64Kbps)
• Conventional data compression (JPEG, lossless or
  lossy)
• Contents
• MTSAT Imagery
• MANAM

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High Resolution Imager Data (HiRID, 20052007)

• Compatible with S-VISSR format of GMS-5
• IR data with 10 bits level resolution are
  available
• An additional 3.7mm data are also available

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High Rate Information Transmission (HRIT, 2005)

• Digital Data Transmission (3.5Mbps)
• Conventional data compression (JPEG, lossless)
• Contents
• Full resolution imagery of all channels
• Spatial resolution of all channels are improved
• VIS data are also available with 10 bits
  resolution
• NAMAM

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Timetable of observation and imagery dissemination
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Summary of Satellite Operation and Data
Dissemination




X
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Expected improvements of Products

• Sea Surface Temperature (SST)
• Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT)
• Cloud Water Vapor Motion Winds
• (CMWs WVMWs)
• Cloud Grid Information Data (CGID)

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Sea Surface Temperature (SST)

• IR4 (3.7mm) data was useful to discriminate low
  level clouds from cloud-free sea in nighttime
• - Decrease the error due to misjudged low level
  clouds in nighttime

bias (mean)
RMSE (mean)
With 3.7mm -0.21 (K)
1.55 (K) Without 3.7mm
-0.29 (K)
1.78 (K)
Comparisons between satellite SST with/without
3.7mm data and buoy measurements ( Left bias,
Right RMSE )
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• IR channels data with 10 bits level resolution is
  expected to improve the accuracy of calculated SST

with 8 bits data
with 10 bits data CORR
0.994
0.998 RMSE
0.873
0.441
Comparisons between satellite SST and surface
temperatures of numerical weather prediction
(NWP) model ( Left SST
calculated with 8 bits IR simulation data
Right SST calculated with 10bits IR
simulation data )
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Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT)

• VIS data with 10 bits level resolution will
  enable the calculated AOT resolution to be 0.01
  from 0.1

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Cloud Water Vapor Motion Winds (CMWs and WVMWs)

• 15 minutes interval observations increased the
  number of CMWs and WVMWs about 20
• (Tokuno, 1997)

Cloud Grid Information Data (CGID)

• CH4 (3.7mm) data will improve the classification
  of low level clouds in nighttime
• (Tokuno, 1999)

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For Your Reference

• General Informations, Announcements and
  Imageries http//www.jma.go.jp/JMA_HP/jma/jma-e
  ng/satellite/index.html
• Time Table http//www.jma.go.jp/JMA_HP/jma/jma-
  eng/satellite/NEWS/timetable_test.pdf
  http//www.jma.go.jp/JMA_HP/jma/jma-eng/satellite/
  NEWS/dissemination_plan.pdf
• Technical Informations Samples
  http//mscweb.kishou.go.jp/
• MANAM Examples http//mscweb.kishou.go.jp/user_
  support/manam_sample/mtsat_manam.htm

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• Thank you for your attention!

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