Direct Readout Conference Miami Florida, April 4-8, 2011

1. Direct Readout Conference Miami Florida, April 4-8, 2011 Eric Madsen, GEONETCast Point of Contact Paul Seymour Office of Satellite and Product Operations (OSPO) Satellite Products and Services Division Direct Services Branch

2. GEONETCast Americas (GNC) Overview of GNC Task • GEONETCast is a GEO Task • Establish GEONETCast as a distribution system for GEOSS related data, information and products using communications satellites and low cost, self contained, stand alone off-the-shelf reception stations. FZNT23 KNHC 121458 OFFNT3 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE SW AND TROPICAL N ATLANTIC AND CARIBBEAN SEA NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 1130 AM EDT SUN JUL 12 2009 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE SW AND TROPICAL N ATLC FROM 07N TO 22N BETWEEN 55W AND 65W U. S. NOAA National Weather Service High Seas Warning

3. GEONETCast - Major Components • Distribution system using communication satellites and low cost, self-contained, stand alone, off-the-shelf reception stations. • Provides near-global coverage with established data exchange between regional broadcasts. • CMA (FENGYUNCast, over Asia and parts of the Pacific) • EUMETSAT (EUMETCast, over Europe, Africa, and Americas) • NOAA (GEONETCast Americas, over the Americas and Caribbean) • Roshydromet (Mitra, Europe and Asia) • GEONETCast Product Navigator provides GEOSS-compatible collection discovery and product registration capability.

4. GEONETCast - Global Coverage

5. GEONETCast for Users? • Low-cost, off the shelf DVB-S broadcast technology – Costs ~ $2,000 - $3,000. • Information includes climate, weather, agriculture, air quality, disasters, and more, in support of GEOSS Societal Benefit Areas. • Access to products from all regional systems. • No internet connection required by users • No format restriction.

6. GEONETCast Architecture

7. GEONETCast - Highlights • GEONETCast is operational and broadcasting GEOSS data to users across the globe 24/7; • Low-cost receive stations; simple to operate – no internet connection is required. • Mechanism established for Users to request the inclusion of additional data or products on broadcasts.

8. Direct Readout Conference Miami Florida, April 4-8, 2011 GEONETCast AMERICAS REGIONAL BROADCAST Paul Seymour, NOAA, NESDIS, OSPO, SPSD, DSB Eric Madsen, GEONETCast Point of Contact

9. GEONETCast Americas is the regional component of GEONETCast, provided by the U.S./NOAA, covering most of North America and the Caribbean Region, Central, and South America

10. GEONETCast Americas - Status • 2 megabits per second bandwidth with options to expand to 10 megabits Coverage Area: Red Outline • Intelsat-9 (IS-9) geostationary satellite -using a multiplexed C-band DVB-S trans-ponder at 58 deg W • >99.5% availability

11. GEONETCast Americas System Other GEONETCast Systems Data Management System Server & Datacast Software Data Providers Internet OSPO EPA IP Encapsulator MPEG-2 Encoder NCDC Teleport NWS/GTS DVB-S/DVB-S2 Modulator User Receive Terminal RANET User Receive Terminal INT’L Web-enabled NOAA Access GEONETCast - System Architecture Ellenwood, Georgia, USA GEONETCast Americas Data Providers System Users

12. GEONETCast Americas - Receive Station - Personal computer with client software - Satellite antenna ~2.4 m - DVB-S receiver card or box CATHALAC/SERVIR Antenna Installation

13. GEONETCast Americas – Receive Station • GNC-A Americas Receive Station Users responsible for station purchase and operation • Components will be standard commercial off-the-shelf components to keep user costs lower • Estimated user costs ~$2000-$3000 • Personal computer - ~$500 • Client datacasting software - $400 one-time license • 2.4m antenna including LNB - $1000-2000 * • DVB-S (S2) receiver - ~$100 • No recurring subscription costs for Kencast • Installation costs vary by location FOZNT23 KNHC 121458 FFNT3 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE SW AND TROPICAL N ATLANTIC AND CARIBBEAN SEA NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 1130 AM EDT SUN JUL 12 2009

14. GEONETCast Americas - Content • Product broadcast channels • Separate broadcast channels by data provider • Users can choose channels they wish to receive • Product formats • There is no restriction on the format of products

15. GEONETCast Americas – Content Discovery • GEONETCast Product Catalog w/ associated metadata • distributed via GEONETCast broadcast • Distributed on GEONETCast Americas web site • http://www.geonetcastamericas.noaa.gov/products/navigator/indexer.html • “Product Navigator” maintained by EUMETSAT • Same “look and feel” across regional systems • http://www.eumetsat.int/Home/Main/DataProducts/ProductNavigator/index.htm

16. GEONETCast Americas GNC-A Example Offerings • Brazil National Institute for Space Research (INPE) • Derived regional products including fire monitoring, lightning, rainfall nowcasting, UV Index, vegetation, GOES-12 imagery based products in GEOTIFF format • NASA/USAID SERVIR Project • MODIS fire images over Guatemala and short-term rainfall model forecasts • National Space Activities Commission (CONAE) • SAC-C Imagery products in .gif format • National Meteorological Institute of Costa Rica • Flash Flood Alert Products • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Hourly animated air quality maps of ozone and particulates over U.S. • USAID/NOAA RANET Project • Developmental set of products supporting several societal benefit area • Int’l Center for the Investigation of the El Niño Phenomenon (CIIFEN) • Monthly Eastern Pacific Ocean Analyses, Seasonal Western South American Forecast • NOAA/NCDC • North American Drought Monitor • NOAA-NESDIS/NWS • Environmental products • Alerts, Watches and Warnings NCEP Forecast from RANET Broadcast CATHALAC/SERVIR Precipitation

17. GEONETCast Americas International Cooperation • GNC-A Coordination Group • Members provide advice, coordinated strategic and technical input, technical assistance • Monthly teleconferences since April, 2008 • Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile • Panama (CATHALAC/SERVIR), Costa Rica • United States, Canada

18. GEONETCast Americas International Cooperation • International GEONETCast Implementation Group • Bi-weekly meetings • Coordinate cooperative efforts, outreach and share information • NOAA/NESDIS • CMA • EUMETSAT • Roshydromet • WMO and the EU

19. GEONETCast Americas - Accomplishments • GNC “Product Navigator” – 2009/2010 • GEONETCast Americas WWW Site • Broadcast on GNC-A service • At least 11 outreach trips to North, Central and South America and the Dominican Republic • Data exchange functional between GNC-A and EUMETSAT, CMA and Roshydromet

20. GEONETCast Americas Planned Accomplishments • Continue to work with partners to expand product suite • Meet requirements identified by regional met services using regional providers • Continue outreach to prospective users during conferences and by participating in outreach activities

21. GEONETCast Americas Planned Accomplishments • Ongoing product exchange with EUMETSAT • Discussions underway to expand the EUMETSAT offering to meet Met Service requirements from Central and South America • Beginning product exchange with CMA and Roshyromet • Proof of concept and testing completed • Technical issues overcome • Regular dissemination from GNC-A to CMACast and Mitra

22. GEONETCast Americas Planned Accomplishments • 3 stations deployed in Costa Rica • Part of the Costa Rica Flash Flood Alert • 1 each at Airport, Limon and Liberia • Approximately 15 additional stations going into North and Central America this year • Mexico 8 • El Salvador 4 • Costa Rica 2 • STAR/CREST Partnerships Stations • 1 at Bowie State University and 1 at University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez

23. GNC-A – GEO Proposal • We responded to a GEO request for proposals in 2009 • We submitted an initial proposal to install 50 GEONETCast Americas ground stations in the Americas that was accepted in 2010 • We developed a final proposal identifying 50 appropriate sites that is now being prepared for distribution to possible funding sources in 2011 • For further info contact Eric.Madsen@NOAA.gov

24. GNC-A - Contacts and Links • Paul Seymour - Paul.Seymour@NOAA.Gov • Rich Coley - Rich.Coley@NOAA.Gov • Eric Madsen - Eric.Madsen@NOAA.Gov • www.geonetcastamericas.noaa.gov

25. Eric Madsen, GEONETCast Point of Contact

26. Issues and Gaps • System is operational - usage of newer capabilities (Training and Alert Channels) is developing • Request additional feedback from Users on required data and products, in particular for the Training and Alert Channels • Pacific Island states have noted the low availability of environmental and EO information to users in the region • Mainly due to poor internet access and communications infrastructure • There have been calls expand the GEONETCast broadcast footprint over the Pacific region to address this issue. • GEO could assist in determining requirements and securing funding for the expansion of the system into this region. • U.S. and Australia working jointly on a project (RAPIDCast)

27. GEONETCast Americas (GNC)Accomplishments • GEONETCastAmericas.NOAA.Gov online since January, 2008 • Service operational since April of 2008 • Featured in 4 GEO Ministerial and Plenary Meetings • Capetown, South Africa – 2007 • Bucharest, Romania – 2008 • Washington, D.C. – 2009 • Beijing, China – Will be in November, 2010

28. User Engagement • Each region working directly with its Users; • In Europe there are over 3000 EUMETCast stations; • In Africa, there are about 250 EUMETCast stations; • In the Asia/Pacific region, there are approx 200 FENGYUNCast stations; • In the Americas there are about 50 stations deployed.

29. User Engagement (continued) • Enhance utility of the GEONETCast service by adding training and alert capabilities. • Included on GEONETCast over Europe, Africa, and the Americas in 2009. • Initial product sets for the Alert Channel are currently being broadcast, with plans to augment the offering. • Initial talks are underway with the International Charter for Space and Major Disasters on including Charter activation data on regional broadcasts. • The Training Channel is operational and being used on demonstration basis in Africa and the Americas. Products will be augmented in line with Users’ requirements. • Working with partners, Users and potential Users to determine alert and training channel needs.

30. User Engagement (continued) • Training and Capacity Building: • EU-funded research projects (DevCoCast, EAMNET, AIDA); • EU development funded projects (AMESD and GMES-Africa); • Cooperation with existing training networks (ITC in Africa, Chloro-GIN-Africa, Univ of Maryland/Puerto Rico); • EUM & WMO initiative to build capacity in Balkan and East European states (DAWBEE); • Cooperation with NASA-SERVIR and WMO. • Coordinated User Requirement gathering: • WMO Conference on RA III & IV in Brazil in Feb • WMO Pacific and RA I groups ongoing.

31. System Evolution • CMA is implementing a technical evolution of FENGYUNCast to be introduced in 2010/2011. The new system will have a much larger data capacity and will incorporate new training and live broadcast capabilities; CMACast. • Inclusion of Russia’s MITRA system occurred in 2010 • EUMETCast: Inclusion of Meteo-France RETIM data flow to Europe and Africa and improving availability of ocean and sounding products outside Europe. • Currently exploring options for expanding GNC coverage into the Pacific region, including gauging potential user interest and potential avenues for operations of an expansion (RAPIDCast).

32. Highlights GEONETCast’s offerings are increasing • Alert and Training channels are in operation. These channels require additional feedback from Users to evolve content. • GEONETCast has the potential to support larger numbers of users in various SBAs, including water, climate, health, agriculture and disasters.

33. Break

34. GEONETCast AmericasStatus NOAA NCDC North American Drought Monitor U. S. EPA Air Quality Product

35. GNC-A Internal Architecture