Last Updated: 06/28/2011*

The expansion will provide forecasters with more critical weather data than ever before

Since last fall, the Raytheon Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) team has been working to triple the bandwidth on the Satellite Broadcast Network (SBN)/NOAAPort feed. This feed provides internal communications within the National Weather Service (NWS) as well as forecasts, warnings and other products to the mass media, emergency management agencies, and private weather services.

The SBN expansion, completed on June 17, could lead to enhanced analysis and weather forecasting in the future. It is also critical to the performance of AWIPS, giving forecasters access to data and imagery from an array of weather sensors and satellites through interactive workstations. AWIPS provides complex analysis and data integration for more than 130 weather forecast offices and river forecast centers across the nation.

“Communications provides data - the lifeblood of NWS operations. With the SBN expansion, forecasters using AWIPS will have access to more precise data than ever, which is critical for improving forecasts and warnings, and saving lives,” said Don Berchoff, director of NWS Office of Science and Technology.

Data Enhancements
The bandwidth expansion and hardware upgrade is to support additional data products such as dual polarization radar products, GOES and POES satellite products and analysis and forecast products.

By Sept. 30, 2011, the following data will become available through the SBN:

NESDIS Tropical Cyclone Position/Intensity Satellite Images
NCEP 12-18 hour RUC13 (13 KM grids)
NCEP HiRes Window for 6 Regions
NCEP NAM DNG at 2.5 km for the CONUS and 3 km for Alaska

In addition to the expansion, the team also transitioned the SBN to a Digital Video Broadcasting Satellite - Second Generation (DVBS-S2) service, and provided for the incorporation of NOAA Weather Wire Service broadcasts into the SBN.

rtn11_awips_teleport
The teleport in New York also provides maintenance support to SBN customers around the clock

About NOAAPORT
The NOAAPORT broadcast system became operational in 1998 and transmits various types of information including forecasts and warnings text data, satellite imagery, radar data, and computer model data. This weather data is collected by GOES satellite environmental sensors and NWS observing systems, and processed to create products. The products are fed to the AWIPS Network Control Facility which routes the products to the appropriate NOAAPORT channel for uplink and broadcast.

The AWIPS Evolution
Since 2005, Raytheon has been NWS’ partner for the operations, maintenance and evolution of AWIPS, providing the integrated mission services required to sustain and enhance system performance. As the architect of the AWIPS revolution, Raytheon designed, developed, and is currently testing the system’s next-generation software featuring a service-oriented architecture. AWIPS II will improve weather operations by bringing enhanced functionality to forecasters and help guide environmental decision-making at the national, regional and local levels. The new system will provide decision support for the NWS through improved data delivery, collaboration, information generation and visualization.