Update: GOES-16 Field Campaign

Sometime on or about March 22, 2017, GOES-16 began a two month period of field testing to calibrate the GOES-16 instrumentation. During this period high altitude planes, unmanned space systems (drones), the international space station, and other satellites were used. The expertise of a variety of personnel were used including but not limited to satellite engineers, meteorologists, and pilots. I wrote an earlier article on this field campaign, including a video, on June 19th.

You might be interested in three articles from the NOAA Satellite and Information Service plus a Flicker page with some still photos:

• March 22nd -- Scientists begin Field Campaign for NOAA's GOES-16
• April 11th -- A high altitude plane takes to the sky for NOAA's GOES-16 field campaign
• June27th -- Hunting for lightning: a day at the GOES-16 post launch field campaign
• Flicker page with still photos from GOES-16 Field Campaign

The latest GOES-R (aka GOES-16) quarterly newsletter with links to archives may be found here, you may also find links to factsheets and a GOES-R overview on that page.

The field Campaign was completed on May 17, 2017 (see p 3 of the 2nd Quarter 2017GOES R (aka GOES-16) Newsletter). The folk at the GOES-16 Field Campaign released a six-minute on June 27th providing more details on what was involved in the field campaign including some images of the earth taken from NOAA's U2 plane used in the field campaign. I think that you will enjoy this video, I know that I did. I found the video on this page on GOES-R dot gov, with a grid showing other videos on the GOES-R/16 mission.


Direct link to video

Part 8 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Reflections on using GOES-16 for wildfire detection and the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App

Over the last several weeks as I was first learning about GOES-16 and then learning about the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification  (WFDN) App, I have gained an appreciation for what the improvements in GOES-16 will bring to weather forecasting when she becomes operational as GOES-East in the Fall of 2017. I have tried to touch on these improvements in earlier articles and as applies to wildfire detection in this series. Looking at wildfire detections, I am very excited at the improvements that the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) in GOES-16 will mean to fighting wildfires.

The work that the NWS WFO at Norman OK and their state partners shows that the WFDN App means that in most cases, WFDN App dispatches come before 911 notifications, the lead time depending on how the WFO pushes WFDN to their local/state partners.

I have also gained an appreciation for how complicated satellite meteorology is. What I have learned about GOES-16 barely scrapes the surface of what GOES-16 will bring to weather forecasting.

June 21: Part 1 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire
detection: Introduction

June 23: Part 2 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: A little about the
GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager

June 26: Part 3 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: examples of improved imagery with GOES-16

June 28: Part 4 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: wildfire detection
improved with GOES-16

June 30: Part 5 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: February 18, 2016 wildfire danger in western OK and development of the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App

July 3: Part 6 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App in use Spring 2017

July 5: Part 7 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App making a difference

July 7: Part 8 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Reflections on using GOES-16 for wildfire detection and the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App (this article)

Part 7 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App making a difference

I have exchanged several e-mails and have had a couple of telephone conversations with Todd Lindley (Science and Operations Officer, NWS Weather Forecast Office Norman OK about the Wildfire Detection Notification (WFDN) App. In a telephone conversation on May 1, 2017, I asked Todd if he could provide a couple of examples that I could share with you about how the Experimental WFDN App has made a difference. He discussed two examples that I will share with you.

February 8th 2017: The NWS Norman OK Forecaster analyzing GOES-16 wildfire detection images detected a hot spot in Logan County, OK. After the analysis and evaluation of these images was complete, the data released to Oklahoma for dispatch. Upon dispatch to Oklahoma, it turned out that the hot spot detected by GOES was a  structure fire in a very rural location. This WFDN dispatch was the only dispatch, there was no 911 dispatch. The house, which was not occupied at the time, was fully engulfed. 

February 23rd, 2017: In the period leading up to February 23rd, weather forecasters at WFO Norman OK used some historical wildfire outbreak data coupled with elevated wildfire danger conditions in the area to communicate extreme fire danger conditions to their State partners. The Oklahoma Forestry Services used this information to preposition ground and aviation resources (in this case Blackhawk helicopters) on February 22nd. 

On February 23rd Forecasters at NWS Norman OK analyzing GOES-16 images detected a hotspots, after analysis and evaluation, the data was released to their State partners for dispatch. One of the hot spots was near where OFS had prepositioned ground and aerial assets on February 22nd. Units responded quickly to the wildfire with good initial attack. The fire was contained at about 200 acres.. Similar outbreaks in nearby areas of Texas in the same time period grew to about 5 to 8,000 acres. The key to the containment of this particular fire at 200 acres was the prepositioning of ground and air resources coupled with the WFDN resulting in moving resources to the hotspot. The key was initial attack.

In part 8, I will conclude this series with some  of my own reflections on what I have learned in writing this series on the application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection and the development of the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App.

List of articles in this eight part series on the Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection 


June 21: Part 1 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Introduction

June 23: Part 2 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: A little about the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager

June 26: Part 3 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: examples of improved imagery with GOES-16

June 28: Part 4 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: wildfire detection improved with GOES-16

June 30: Part 5 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: February 18, 2016 wildfire danger in western OK and development of the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App

July 3: Part 6 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire
Detection Notification App in use Spring 2017

July 5: Part 7 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire
Detection Notification App making a difference (this article)

July 7: Part 8 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Reflections on using
GOES-16 for wildfire detection and the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App

Part 6 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification Ap in use Spring 2017

The launch of GOES-16 in November 2016, which continues in operational testing, means that images from the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) are available to NWS weather forecasters at WFO Norman OK in 2017 for use with the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification (WFDN) App. There are times when GOES-16 is unavailable because of operational testing, when that happens imagery is available from GOES-14 in Super Rapid Scan (SRSOR) mode (see the June 30th article in this series for more information about GOES-14 in SRSOR mode). The WFDN App continues to help first responders respond to wildfires quickly as this official from the Oklahoma Forestry Services shared with Todd Lindley of the NWS Weather Forecast Office Norman OK: “The timeliness and location accuracy of the detected wildfires prompted timely communication with local resources. Having this information encourages rapid size up and allocation of resources prioritization and efficient assignment of aerial and heavy equipment” (Todd Lindley January 27 2017 e-mail with author).

GOES-16 imagery (or GOES-14 in SRSOR mode) flows directly into AWIPS and NWS radar. The next step is important, that is, a NWS forecaster has to analyze and evaluate the GOES-16 imagery before the data is released via the WFDN App software for dispatch to state (or local) officials. NWS staffing in times of wildfire danger is similar to staffing in other severe weather events such as tornadoes. The WDFN App was modified and improved in the spring 2017 by the NWS Norman OK, one of the key improvements is that the WFDN App auto-populates. There are no added costs to the WFOs, at least there are no added costs to the WFO Norman OK.

The NWS Weather Forecast Office (WFO) Norman OK partners with the Oklahoma Forestry Service (OFS), the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (ODEM), the Texas A&M Forest Service. NWS Norman send WFDN SMS to e-mail notifications are sent to two OFS Chiefs, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management Watch Officers, and a Chief from the Texas A&M Forest Service, they in turn transmit the WFDN App to local first responders. Speaking of the partnership between NWS WFO staff and State/County wildfire agencies, Todd Lindley told me that the use of the WFDN App “requires a deep level of cooperation between State/County Agencies and the NWS WFO staff” (May 1, 2017 phone call with author). In most counties in the NWS Norman OK forecast area the use of the WFDN App has translated to 5 to 10 minutes lead time ahead of E-911 notifications.

The WFO Norman OK continued to use the WFDN App during their Late Winter/Early Spring 2017 wildfire season, and they will continue to use the WFDN beyond the Late Winter/Early Spring 2017 wildfire season. In addition, other NWS WFOs are using the WFDN App. The WFDN App can be modified by each WFO for their own use. The use of the WFDN has spread to other NWS WFOs, and there are still more WFOs that have expressed interest in the WFDN. Other WFOs that are currently using the WFDN App include: NWS Amarillo TX and NWS Tulsa OK. In Amarillo TX, after the imagery is analyzed and evaluated by their forecasters, the WFDN notifications are released directly to local agencies. This means that local first responders in the Amarillo TX region receive the notification 15 to 20 minutes in advance of E-911 notifications because unlike in the Norman OK area (5 to 10 minutes ahead of E-911), the WFDN goes directly to the local agencies.

The WFOs of the NWS have always been involved in forecasting fire weather through the issuance of fire weather forecasts and red flag warnings. The development of the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App (WFDN) changes this for Norman, Amarillo, and Tulsa WFOs, Todd Lindley of WFO Norman OK explains:

If I could make a final summarizing statement about the Experimental WFDNs, it is that there is not a change in overall NWS fire weather services. However, the development of the Experimental WFDN, a prototype, does mean that in in addition to providing fire weather services they are taking on an experimental and more active tactical role in routing firefighting resources directly to newly detected fires (May 1 June 5, 2017 e-mails with author).

In part 7,  I will share a couple of examples of how the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification made a difference in the Spring of 2017 in Oklahoma.

List of articles in this eight part series on the Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection


June 21: Part 1 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Introduction

June 23:  Part 2 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: A little about the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager

June 26: Part 3 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: examples of improved imagery with GOES-16

June 28: Part 4 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: wildfire detection improved with GOES-16

June 30: Part 5 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: February 18, 2016 wildfire danger in western OK and development of the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App

July 3: Part 6 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App in use Spring 2017 (this article)

July 5: Part 7 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App making a difference

July 7: Part 8 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Reflections on using GOES-16 for wildfire detection and the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App

Part 5 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Feb 18, 2016 wildfire danger in western OK and development of the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification Application

In this article I will introduce the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification (WFDN) application first developed and used in the NWS Norman OK WFO on February 18, 2016. The WFDN was first used in conjunction with GOES-14 in super rapid scan mode. After GOES-16 was launched, and while she was still in operational testing, the WFDN was and still is being used by National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Norman OK in conjunction with GOES-16.


Todd Lindley, Science Operations Officer with the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Norman Oklahoma is the senior author of a 2016 paper in the Journal of Operational Meteorology: T. Todd Lindley, Aaron R. Anderson, Vivek N. Mahale, Thomas S. Curl, William E Line, Scott S. Lindstrom and A. Scott Bachmeier. 2016. Wildfire Detection Notifications for Impact-Based Decision Support Services in Oklahoma Using Geostationary Super Rapid Scan Satellite Imagery. Journal of Operational Meteorology, 4 (14), 182-191, http://nwafiles.nwas.org/jom/articles/2016/2016-JOM14/2016-JOM14.pdf. I have been privileged to have exchanged e-mails and had a telephone conversation with Mr. Lindley about an Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification Application (WFDN) that he and his colleagues have written about in this 2016 paper. Unless otherwise noted, this post is based on Lindley et al’s 2016 paper.


In February 2016, GOES-16 (GOES-R) was not yet launched. GOES-14, the in-orbit spare, was operating in what is known as super rapid scan mode (SRSOR), an experimental mode where GOES-14 can take special one-min imagery. GOES-14 was operating in this SRSOR mode in mid to late February 2016 when there were wildfires in OK. Lindley et al explain how this works in their 2016 paper:

Although not capable of the improved spatial or spectral attributes of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) of GOES-16, the GOES-14 imager was operated by NOAA in SRSOR mode during several multi-week periods spanning late 2012 through early 2016. These SRSOR windows have demonstrated the high-temporal resolution sampling capability of the GOES-R ABI when operating in mode 3, known as “flex mode,” by providing 1-min imagery. The SRSOR data have been utilized in algorithm development, in various NWS field offices and national centers, and in operational support of experiments including those in the NWS’s Operations Proving Ground and Hazardous Weather Testbed. Experimental use of SRSOR and the operational benefits of high- temporal resolution satellite imagery is well documented for numerous phenomena including fog and low stratus, convective storms, wildland fire and smoke, and tropical cyclones (Lindley et al (2016, p, 184).

February 18, 2016 was a busy day at the NWS Norman OK Weather Forecast Office. They were monitoring both wildfire danger and existing wildfires in their forecast area. GOES-14 in SRSOR mode (one-minute imagery) was available to them where data and images were being fed into their AWIPS computer system. I’ll let Todd Lindley, Science and Operations Officer at the National Weather Service in Norman, OK explain:

We had a request by Oklahoma Forestry Services (OFS) to provide a courtesy call as we detected new fire on the morning of 18 February 2016.  It just so happened that we were ingesting 1-min SRSOR data that day as part of an experimental window in preparation for GOES-R/16.  My Meteorologist-in-Charge had the vision that morning to suggest that this was an opportunity to ‘innovate’.  We quickly brainstormed on how best to do that, and the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification (WFDN) App was born (May 10, 2017 e-mail with author).

Specifically, the NWS Norman OK Weather Forecast Office Information Technology staff quickly wrote a Python application where after the satellite imagery was analyzed by NWS forecasters for wildfire hotspots. After the imagery was analyzed, the NWS forecasters could transmit wildfire detection notifications through AWIPS to a list of predetermined OFS officials by SMS e-mail to text. The SMS includes the latitude and longitude of the wildfire hotspot plus a link to the local weather forecast. Todd was nice enough to send me a sample of one of the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notifications for you to look at:



Courtesy of NWS Norman OK Weather Forecast Office


Among the wildfires in the February 18, 2016 wildfire outbreak was the Buffalo Fire that ultimately burned 17,280 acres in Northwest Oklahoma. GOES-14 in SRSOR mode detected wildfire hotspots that would not have been detected by GOES East (GOES-13) and GOES West (GOES-15). The high resolution capabilities of GOES-14 in SRSOS mode and the WFDN App meant an 18 to 23 minute advantage leading to improved response time by responding fire departments and wild land firefighters.

A total of eight wildfire notifications were transmitted by WFO Norman on 18 February 2016. Post-event feedback from OFS stated that these notifications were 'key contributors to a measure of effectiveness in response to very aggressive and fast-paced fire activity' and that the dissemination of this information ‘enhanced situation awareness’ and ‘permitted contact [with] a few departments in advance of 911 calls.’ It was additionally noted that 'fire location often plays a role in resource allocation priority' and that text messages enabled a timely dispatch of resources and aided in prioritization of fires ‘with structures and improvements at risk' (D. Daily 2016 personal communication cited in Lindley et al, 2016, 185).

After the February 18th wildfire outbreak, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management developed a GIS based display system that monitors wildfires and allocation of equipment and firefighters. During the remainder of the 2016 late-winter early-spring wildfire season the WFO Norman OK continued to use GOES-13 (GOES East) or GOES-14 in SRSOR mode. After analyses by NWS Forecasters at WFO Norman OK, the imagery was fed into AWIPS, and to the WFDN App and many notifications were received by first responders prior to 911 calls.


The WFDN App continued to make a difference in wildfire response time in NW Oklahoma during the rest of the late-winter early-spring wildfire season in NW OK:

… continued use of text notifications on 5 April 2016 prompted the following feedback from Major County Emergency Manager, Tresa Lackey: ‘We were very grateful when NWS detected a fire south of Bouse Junction and was able to route forestry planes to the location...to assist in fire suppression. Our resources were spread thin already fighting fires across the county. The extra help in the fire detection and suppression really saved us. Fire- fighters were able to contain the fire before the wind [shift] later that evening’ (Lindley et al, 2016, 189).

I will write about the further developments of the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App by WFO Norman OK and other WFO offices in 2017 in part 6.


List of articles in this eight part series on the Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection


June 21: Part 1 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Introduction


June 23:  Part 2 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: A little about the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager


June 26: Part 3 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: examples of improved imagery with GOES-16


June 28: Part 4 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: wildfire detection improved with GOES-16


June 30: Part 5 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: February 18, 2016 wildfire danger in western OK and development of the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App (this article)


July 3: Part 6 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App in use Spring 2017


July 5: Part 7 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App making a difference


July 7: Part 8 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Reflections on using GOES-16 for wildfire detection and the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App

Part 4 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: wildfire detection improved with GOES-16

One of the 16 spectoral channels on GOES-16, channel 7, 3.9 µm, detects wildfire hot spots among other things.. Listen to Ivan Csiszar, a physical scientist with the NOAA Center for Satellite Applications, discuss wildfire detection using GOES-16 in the following video:


Direct link to video

For those of you who want to dig a little deeper, I will share three CIMSS Blog entries below with images from GOES-13 and GOES-16 of wildfires. Note the higher resolution from the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager. One of my Operational Meteorologist friends from the National Weather Service  told me that their posts explain things very well. When looking at the imagery, it is important to note that red/yellow colors in the imagery depict high intensity fires and the black colors depict smaller fires. See the March 6th imagery of the Grass Fires in KS, OK, and TX for some good imagery of high intensity fires, recall that the Northwest Complex (KS, OK, TX) burned over 782,000 acres.


I think that the April 11th imagery is the best of the three at representing  the higher resolution of GOES-16 as compared to GOES-13. The March 16 imagery depicts a smaller wildfire hotspot, you will see red/yellow colors, depicting a high intensity fire at about 5 seconds on the GOES-16 ABI image.

CIMSS Blog, April 11, 2017 Fires (prescribed burns) in Eastern KS and OK

CIMSS Blog, March 6, 2017 Grass Fires-KS, OK, TX

CIMSS Blog, March 19, 2017 GOES-16 Mesoscale Sectors: Improved monitoring of fire activity

Finally, I recently contacted NOAA Satellites and Information Services on their Facebook Page (which is very nice and I highly recommend it. I told them about the article this article, asking them if they had any videos comparing GOES-13 with GOES-16. NOAA Satellites provided this link to their animations (currently page 6 of 8 pages). You may need to scroll to find two videos, one is of GOES-16 and GOES-13 images of Grass Fires in Florida and the other is of GOES-16 and GOES-13 Comparison Punch Clouds. I did not know what a punch cloud is, so I asked one of my meteorologist friends from the National Weather Service who told me punch clouds are circular or elliptical holes in clouds that can form when supercooled water begins to freeze. Note, depending on when you are arriving at this article, it is possible that the provided link may have different images, but if you look around on different pages you should find the two referenced images.

Next up in part 5: wildfire danger in Norman in western OK (February 18, 2016) and the development of the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App


List of articles in this eight part series on the Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection


June 21: Part 1 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Introduction

June 23:  Part 2 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: A little about the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager

June 26: Part 3 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: examples of improved imagery with GOES-16

June 28: Part 4 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: wildfire detection improved with GOES-16 (this article)

June 30: Part 5 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: February 18, 2016 wildfire danger in western OK and development of the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App

July 3: Part 6 OF 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App in use Spring 2017

July 5: Part 7 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App making a difference

July 7: Part 8 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Reflections on using GOES-16 for wildfire detection and the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App

Part 3 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: examples of improved imagery with GOES-16.

There is a growing amount of images from GOES-16 available on the internet. GOES-16 is undergoing testing as I write this; all of these images that you see on the internet are non-operational, preliminary data. 

The three primary sources that I go to are (1) NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service , and (2) a GOES-R mission page with a data and imagery page. Third, a few months ago, a couple of my Operational Meteorologist friends from the National Weather Service suggested that I take a look at the CIMSS out of University of Wisconsin at Madison, saying that they have good information on GOES-16 and other satellites. The CIMSS has a blog with images from GOES-16 and other satellites. I have spent hours on all three sites. 

Before I move to how GOES-16 can be used for wildfire detections, I want to show you a couple of examples of the differences between GOES-13 and GOES-16. On the theory that one picture (or short video) is worth a thousand words, I am steering you to two entries from the CIMSS Blog.

CIMSS Blog, April 4, 2017, lake effect clouds, GOES-13 and GOES-15 images (left and right) will look similar. The resolution in the GOES-16 image in the center will be clearer. Note the cloud you are looking at is not very big. 

CIMSS Blog, April 4, 2017, fog/stratus dissipation Again, the fog and stratus in the GOES-16 image will be clearer.

List of articles in this eight part series on the Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection



June 21: Part 1 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Introduction

June 23:  Part 2 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: A little about the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager

June 26: Part 3 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: examples of improved imagery with GOES-16 (this article)

June 28: Part 4 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: wildfire detection improved with GOES-16

June 30: Part 5 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: February 18, 2016 wildfire danger in western OK and development of the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App

July 3: Part 6 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App in use Spring 2017

July 5: Part 7 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App making a difference

July 7: Part 8 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Reflections on using GOES-16 for wildfire detection and the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App

Part 2 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: A little about the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager

I want to begin with a little background on our geostationary weather satellites. Most of you know that we have a new geostationary weather satellite was launched last fall. GOES-16 -then known as GOES-R), was launched on November 19, 2016. GOES-16 is the first in the GOES-R series of satellites, GOES R-T. GOES-S is undergoing pre-launch testing and will launch in 2018. As I write this, GOES-16 is still under going in-orbit operational testing. GOES-16 represents the sixth generation of NOAA’s Geostationary satellites. The fifth generation is GOES 13-15 (GOES N - P). GOES-13 is also known as GOES East, GOES-15 is also known as GOES West, and GOES-14 is an in-orbit spare. I wrote about GOES 13-15 on November 30, 2016. I wrote a little more about GOES-16 here.


One of the instruments on GOES-16 is the Advanced Baseline Imager (aka ABI), go here to read a brief description about improvements in the GOES-R series ABI. NOAA and NASA have a nice short fact sheet that introduces GOES-R (GOES-16) ABI, it may be found here. This is one of many fact sheets on the GOES-R series. Some of you may be interested in a listing of GOES-R ABI products on the GOES-R products page, a sub-page accessible from the GOES-R mission page.


Finally, please take three minutes to watch this video, made in 2013, describing the ABI on the GOES-R series:



Direct link to video on Youtube


List of articles in this eight part series on the Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection

June 21: Part 1 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Introduction

June 23: Part 2 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: A little about the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager (this article)

June 26: Part 3 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: examples of improved imagery with GOES-16

June 28: Part 4 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: wildfire detection improved with GOES-16

June 30: Part 5 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: February 18, 2016 wildfire danger in western OK and development of the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App

July 3: Part 6 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App in use Spring 2017

July 5: Part 7 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App making a difference

July 7: Part 8 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Reflections on using GOES-16 for wildfire detection and the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App

Part 1 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Introduction

Regular readers of my blog will know that I have been following GOES-16 since it was launched, then known as GOES-R, on November 19, 2016. As I learned more about GOES-16 I wondered what improvements GOES-16 and her sister satellites (GOES R-T) would bring to the detection of wildfires.   One exciting use of GOES-16 for wildfire detection is the development of an Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification Application that was first developed and used by the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Norman Oklahoma. Learning about the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification Application lead to this eight-part series on an application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection. This introduction is part 1 of 8, the rest of the articles in the series are listed below.

I start off in part 2 with a short article on the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager, followed by two articles on improvements in wildfire detection with GOES-16. I then turn to the development and use of the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification Applications in parts 5 through 7, followed by my own brief reflections in part 8.


As I post each article in the series, I will update this article with links to each article in the series.

June 23: Part 2 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: A little about the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager

June 26: Part 3 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: examples of improved imagery with GOES-16

June 28: Part 4 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: wildfire detection improved with GOES-16

June 30: Part 5 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: February 18, 2016 wildfire danger in western OK and development of the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App

July 3: Part 6 of 8: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App in use Spring 2017

July 5: Part 7 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification App making a difference

July 7: Part 8 of 8 Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection: Reflections on using GOES-16 for wildfire detection and the Experimental Wildfire Detection Notification AppWildfire Detection Notification App

Field Campaign to calibrate and test GOES-16 ABI and GLM

GOES-16 began an eleven week period of field testing to calibrate the GOES-16 instruments on March 22nd, see this March 22nd press release from NASA/NOAA for more information The March 22nd press release says in part:

During this three-month campaign, a team of instrument scientists, meteorologists, GOES-16 engineers, and specialized pilots will use a variety of high-altitude planes, ground-based sensors, unmanned aircraft systems (or drones), the International Space Station, and the NOAA/NASA Suomi NPP polar-orbiting satellite to collect measurements across the United States . . . 

Although these data are collected on Earth, GOES-16’s operators will obtain similar measurements of the same locations using two of the satellite’s most revolutionary instruments—the Advanced Baseline Imager and the Geostationary Lightning Mapper. The data sets will be analyzed and compared to the data collected by the planes, drones, and sensors to validate and calibrate the instruments on the satellite.  (http://www.goes-r.gov/mission/fieldCampaignBegins.html)

 NOAA Satellites shared a very cool video on Youtube of a NASA ER-2 over the Sonoran Desert on a March 23rd flight to validate and calibrate the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI):


Direct link to video

The first phase of the GOES-16 field campaign was over on April 11th. In phase two, from April 12 to May 18, 2017, the ER-2 was based out of  Robins Air Force Base in Georgia for calibration and validation of the GOES-16 Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). See this press release for more information on the first and second phases.

In the following Facebook posts from the NOAA Satellites and Information Services you will hear from some scientists about the field campaign. The videos are short. The text explanations from the folk at NOAA Satellites and Information Service that accompany each video are, I feel important. I am not sure if I was able to successfully embed the video and the text, so I have included a direct link to each post. Added on September 25 2018, I was having trouble with the audio on the videos, even tried two browsers. If this happens to you, hover your mouse at the bottom of the video and click on the microphone icon at the bottom of the video and that should toggle the sound on and off. Or click on the direct link to each facebook post.

Frank Padula, GOES-16 Project Manager explains why they are using NASA’s ER2 Direct link to facebook post.



Meterologist talking about how they will use ER2 to calibrate GOES-16 Direct link to facebook post.



Field Campaign testing of the GOES-16 geostationary lightning mapper (GLM) Direct link to facebook post.

Introduction to NASA's ER-2 "high altitude" aircraft

GOES-16 began an eleven week period of field testing to calibrate the GOES-16 instruments on March 22nd. I will be posting an article about the GOES-16 field testing campaign on June 19th. Portions of the field campaign will involve one of two NASA ER2 high altitude aircraft. So, today I will introduce NASA’s ER2 aircraft.

These aircraft are flying laboratories, each having four pressurized laboratory modules. Examples of experiments include research on ozone depletion, development of tropical cyclones, and assisting in the development and testing of satellite instruments. For more information on the ER-2, see this factsheet from NASA on the ER-2.

The ER-2 is a versatile aircraft well suited to perform multiple mission tasks. The ER-2 operates at altitudes from 20,000 feet to 70,000 feet, which is above 99 percent of the Earth's atmosphere. Depending on aircraft weight, the ER-2 reaches an initial cruise altitude of 65,000 feet within 20 minutes. Typical cruise speed is 410 knots. The range for a normal eight-hour mission is 3,000 nautical miles yielding seven hours of data collection at altitude. The aircraft is capable of longer missions in excess of 10 hours and ranges in excess of 6,000 nautical miles. The ER-2 can carry a maximum payload of 2,600 lb (1,179 kilograms) distributed in the equipment bay, nose area, and wing pods. (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/news/FactSheets/FS-046-DFRC.html)

Here are some videos about the ER-2.

Airshow video

Direct link to video

Cockpit

Direct link to video


Take-off (no sound)

Direct link to video

Pre-operational images from GOES-16 Geostationary Lightning Mapper

On June 12th, 2017 I posted an article where I shared some videos and other information from NOAA about the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) on GOES-16. If you are arriving here first, I hope that you go back and read the article.

Before I share some pre-operational images from the GOES-16 Geostationary Lightning Mapper, I want to share a little more information about the Geostationary Lightning Mapper.  After I posted the article on June 12th, I had a chance to have an e-mail exchange with Al Cope, Science and Operations Officer of the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office at Mt. Holly, NJ. I asked Al to share one thing that he would like you to know about the Geostationary Lightning Mapper on GOES-16. This is his response:

I would say that the Geostationary Lightning Mapper, together with ground-based lightning detection systems, will enable us to more closely monitor rapid changes in lightning activity within a thunderstorm. Rapid increases in lightning are often precursors of damaging thunderstorm winds and large hail.

NOAA Satellites released the first imagery from the GOES-16 GLM on March 6th. There is a nice press release with some information and a video that you may find here.

The information that I am sharing below are from NOAA Satellites and Information Service's Facebook Page. I believe that both of these videos of pre-operational imagery from the GOES-16 GLM may be found on NOAA Satellite's You Tube Pre-Operational GOES-16 Channel. However, I found their Facebook posts to be very illuminating, so I am embedding two of their posts below.

Intro to GOES-16 Geostationary Lightning Mapper

Those of you who are following news relating to GOES-16 may know that she is carrying a Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). I'd like to introduce you to the GLM. I am embedding below two very short videos that will introduce you to the GLM, both are from NASA Goddard Media.

Direct link to video

Direct link to video

Some of you may be familiar with COMET/MetEd which offers various online courses in meteorology and related issues. Registration is free, but you need to registered to take their courses. I have taken some of the MetEd Courses over the last couple of years and have learned a lot. COMET/MetEd did a nice video on the GOES-R/16 Geostationary Lightning Mapper that I am sharing below. It takes a little under five minutest to watch the video.

Direct link to video

More information on the GOES-16 Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) from NOAA's GOES-R Mission Page:

• About the GOES-R/16 GLM
• GLM Fact Sheet

Stay tuned, on June 14th, I'll share some images from the GOES-16 GLM.  Note that NOAA's GOES-16 satellite has not been declared operational and its data are preliminary and undergoing testing.

GOES-16 to become GOES-East in Fall 2017!

It's official! #GOES16 will be moved to the GOES East position when declared operational this fall! Learn more @ https://t.co/th65fcc5MI pic.twitter.com/6kSJtFFAxd

— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) May 25, 2017

GOES-East sits at 22,300 miles above the equator at 75° West. As I write this on May 26, 2017, GOES-13 is GOES-East. When GOES-16 becomes fully operational in November 2017, she will be moved to 75° West where she will become GOES-East. At that time, GOES-13 will be shifted to on-orbit storage with her sister satellite, GOES-14 from the GOES-N through P series, I wrote about GOES-13 to 15 on November 30, 2016. GOES-15 will remain at 137° West as GOES-West.

NOAA announced that GOES-16 will be positioned as GOES-East in November in a May 25th press release , here is an excerpt from this press release summarizing how GOES-16 will improve weather forecasting.

GOES-16 scans the Earth and skies five times faster than NOAA’s current geostationary weather satellites, sending back sharper, more defined images at four times greater resolution as often as every 30 seconds, using three times the spectral channels as the previous model. The higher resolution will allow forecasters to see more details in storm systems, especially during periods of rapid strengthening or weakening. Also, GOES-16 carries the first lightning detector flown in geostationary orbit. Total lightning data (in-cloud and cloud-to-ground) from the lightning mapper will provide critical information to forecasters, allowing them to focus on developing severe storms much earlier. (NOAA Press Release, May 25, 2017, NOAA”S newest geostationary satellite will be positioned as GOES-East this fall, http://www.noaa.gov/media-release/noaa-s-newest-geostationary-satellite-will-be-positioned-as-goes-east-fall)

I will be writing more about GOES-16 in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

GOES-16 video imagery (February 13th)

Thanks to the folk at the NOAA Satellites Office for sharing some great videos from GOES-16. I thought that some of you might be interested in see these wonderful images from GOES-16. All the videos were shared on the NOAA - Satellite Information Service GOES-16 webpage on February 13th.




Direct link to video from NOAA Satellites on Youtube (GOES-16 Feb 13th strengthening winter storm)


Direct link to video from NOAA Satellites on Youtube (GOES-16 water vapor imagery)

How NOAA and Researchers have been Preparing for GOES-R/16

I've spent some time over the last few days trying to learn more about GOES-R/16. I've already mentioned some of the websites that I visit in posts on November 21,2016, and November 22,2016. For the very latest on new developments by GOES-R/16 you will want NOAA's Satellite Information Service's GOES-R/16 blog.

One of the things on my mind as I go about doing reading on GOES-R/16 is to keep an eye out for good, understandable information on GOES-R/16 that I may share with you (link to in my blog). To that end, I was checking out a couple of NOAA satellite's social media accounts a couple of days ago. I already knew that NOAA Satellites has a twitter account (@NOAASatellites) where they share great images and videos from their satellites as well as images and videos from the satellites of other countries, e.g. Japan's Himawari-8 satellite (shared by NOAA Satellites on January 5th). Often they provide a link where you may go for more information about the image you are seeing. Among the images that @NOAA Satellites shares are images from GOES East and GOES West.

I went to NOAA Satellite's Facebook Page late last Friday and found some information on for how researchers and scientists have been using GOES-14 (the back-up in orbit spare) in rapid scan mode to prepare for GOES-R/16. You may also want to learn more about the Super Rapid Scan (SRS) capability of GOES-14 and how researchers have been using GOES-14 in SRS mode for the last few years in an article from the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconison-Madison with an interview with the Director of NOAA's Advanced Satellite's Product Branch (ASPB), Tim Schmidt, the article may be found here.

As I find more interesting links on GOES-R/16 I will, from time to time, share them here.

A little about GOES-R/16 & LA County Air Operations (2016)

I continue doing some background reading on research on GOES satellites including GOES-R/16 which is in geostationary orbit and is undergoing operational testing. NOAA's satellite and information service has a GOES-R blog is updated as warranted to keep us apprised of what GOES-R/16 is doing. For example, according to their January 5th post, scientists received the first data from the magnetometer on GOES-R/16. Here is an excerpt from the GOES-R Blog's January 5th post describing the magnetometer on GOES-R/16 and the Earth's geomagnetic field

The GOES-16 MAG samples five times faster than previous GOES magnetometers, which increases the range of space weather phenomena that can be measured. . . . Earth’s geomagnetic field acts as a shield, protecting us from hazardous incoming solar radiation.  Geomagnetic storms, caused by eruptions on the surface of the sun, can interfere with communications and navigation systems, cause damage to satellites, cause health risks to astronauts, and threaten power utilities. When a solar flare occurs, GOES-16 will tell space weather forecasters where it happened on the sun and how strong it was. Using that information, forecasters can determine if the explosion of energy is coming toward Earth or not.

In the meantime, while I am doing my research and reading on GOES this week, I have been dealing with a lingering sinus infection so don't have quite as much energy as I usually do. I do hope to write something telling you a little more about the research and reading on GOES that I have been doing. However, I am not quite ready to that yet.

In the meantime, here is a video for you to enjoy from the LA County Fire Department highlighting LA County Air Operations in 2016. Thanks to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page who shared this video last week on their videos of the week page. Absolutely incredible photography from some great photographers. Enjoy!

Matt this video is for you, may you continue to fly in favorable tail winds with the helos.


Direct link to video from LA County Fire Department

GOES-R is now GOES-16 and a little about GOES 13 to 15

GOES-R, the first of the latest next generation of NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) achieved geostationary orbit on November 29th at approximately 22,000 miles above the earth. More information may be found in the November 30th article on a GOES-R launch blog from NOAA's Satellite and Information Service. You may find my earlier articles on GOES R here (with links).

I don't know about you, but I have been wondering about the history of GOES and thanks to a reminder from one of my friends at a National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, I found a NOAA webpage with a brief history of GOES.

Each GOES is assigned a letter at launch and once it achieved geostationary orbit it is assigned a number. GOES-16 (aka GOES-R) is the first of what I believe is the sixth generation of GOES. GOES 1 through 12 (representing the first four generations of GOES) have been decommissioned. 

The fifth generation of GOES is GOES N to P, or GOES 13 to 15. For more on the history of GOES, including a brief description of each generation of GOES and a list of their launch dates and decommission dates, see this NOAA webpage on a brief history of GOES. NOAA has a nice FAQ page on GOES, discussing GOES satellites in general as well as GOES-R (GOES-16) that may be found here. If you go to the brief history of GOES and click on "Earth NOW from GOES" you will see images from GOES East and GOES West.

Back to GOES 13 to 15 (N-P).

• GOES 13 (GOES N) was launched on May 24, 2006 and became operational on April 14, 2010. It is currently operating as GOES East at 75 degrees west longitude. 
• GOES 14 (GOES O) was launched on June 27, 2009 and is currently located at 105 degrees west longitude in on-orbit storage. It serves as a back-up for either GOES East or GOES West. For example, when GOES 13 was out of service while some technical issues in early 2013 were being corrected, GOES 14 operated as GOES East. 
• GOES 15 (GOES P) was launched on March 4, 2010, becoming operational on December 6, 2011. GOES 14 is currently operating as GOES West at 135 degrees west longitude. 

You might want to check out the GOES status page, where I found information on GOES 13 to 15.

A little more about GOES-R

I am writing a quick follow-up to the article that I posted on November 21st about the launch of the next generation weather satellite currently known as GOES-R. I am sharing two videos about GOES-R (which will be renamed GOES 16)

The first video is a little over a minute long. This video highlights some of the new technology and instrumentation in GOES-R. Video credit: NASA Goddard Media Studio


direct link to video uploaded by NOAA Satellites on Youtube

The second video, also from NOAA Satellites, is almost three minutes long, going into a little more detail about the new technology and instrumentation found in GOES-R and how GOES-R will improve weather forecasting. Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center / Michael Starobin.


direct link to video by NOAA Satellites on Youtube

New Weather Satellite - GOES-R - Launched

I don't know about you, but I was real excited to see (and watch live via NASA TV on my computer) the launch of NOAA's newest weather satellite on November 19th. Here is an eight minute video
of the launch. The launch vehicle was an United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Video credit: NASA


direct link to video from NASA

GOES-R (which will be renamed GOES-16) is the first of four "next generation" of weather satellites. GOES stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite). As I understand it, GOES-R will transition to her geostationary orbit about 22,000 miles over the Earth in the next two weeks. Over the next several months engineers will be checking out her systems after which time she will go live. According to NOAA's November 19th article, GOES-R heads to orbit, will improve weather forecasting:

GOES-R is flying six new instruments, including the first operational lightning mapper in geostationary orbit. This new technology will enable scientists to observe lightning, an important indicator of where and when a storm is likely to intensify. Forecasters will use the mapper to hone in on storms that represent the biggest threat. Improved space weather sensors on GOES-R will monitor the sun and relay crucial information to forecasters so they can issue space weather alerts and warnings. Data from GOES-R will result in 34 new, or improved, meteorological, solar and space weather products.

Information about the launch, with photos and videos as well as links you may go to read about GOES-R science and mission may be found on a special GOES-R page. One of the many links on the GOES-R page is a listing (with links) of most of the new products on GOES-R. Post launch articles on GOES-R (soon to be GOES 16) may be found on this page from NOAA's Satellite and Information Service.

I close with two short and well done videos from NOAA Satellites describing how GOES-R will be used for weather forecasting. In the first video you will learn about some of the new instruments on GOES-R. Video credit: SciJinks


direct link to video

In the second video you will learn about how GOES-R will help NWS weather forecasters. Video credit: SciJinks.


direct link to video

Added on November 22, 2016: I share two more videos on November 22nd from NOAA Satellites where they discuss the new instrumentation and technology found in GOES-R. Video of launch edited to embed launch video from NASA.