New NOAA center will improve quality of satellite data

Signing the NCC Charter - Pictured from L-R: Changyong Cao, research physical scientist; Mary Kicza, assistant administrator, NOAA Satellite and Information Service, Al Powell, director, NOAA Center for Satellite Applications and Research [CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE]

A team of experts at NOAA have formed a new center to fine-tune data from NOAA environmental satellites and others from around the world, which will improve the forecast skill of NOAA's weather, climate and ocean models.

The top goal of the National Calibration Center (NCC), which falls under NOAA's Satellite and Information Service's Center for Satellite Applications and Research, is to set up stricter quality controls on the satellite data from NOAA's spacecraft and to make them consistent with the calibration standards used for NASA research and international satellites. The NCC will improve the accuracy of data coming from the various environmental measuring instruments by removing the differences -- called biases -- between the instruments. The better calibrated satellite observations of the Earth will improve predictions of changing atmospheric and ocean conditions.

"Never before has there been a dedicated effort to simplify the measurements from a broad range of satellite instruments," said Mary Kicza, assistant administrator for NOAA's Satellite and Information Service. "Having the ability to leverage our partners' satellites increases the number and quality of observations our scientists can use, and for a much lower cost than building more satellites."

Already in 2011, there have been 10 weather events in the United States with damage costs of at least $1billion each. NOAA's forecasters credit the imagery and data from NOAA satellites in the outlooks and warnings for the tornado outbreaks, floods, snowstorms, wildfires and heat waves.

Kicza added: "NOAA is committed to providing the best possible satellite data and putting standards in place to ensure the highest quality measurements are available from the satellites we use today and in the future."

The NCC staff will be located in the NOAA facility at College Park, Md. NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels.