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  MADIS Satellite Variables

Notes - Satellite Wind Variables

  1. The user can select the different wind product types individually (e.g., DDIR will retrieve only data for the infrared cloud-drift winds), or can choose to get all wind product types with the same variable call (DD will get data for all available product types).

    The availability of each product type, and the exact algorithms being used to create them, are a function of the satellite data provider. Currently, MADIS supports two processing streams: GOES operational products (3 hour availability, all types), and GOES experimental products (1 hour availability, no sounder channel products). The GOES experimental products are only available in the FSL database.

    For more information on GOES wind products, see:

    Daniels, J.M., C. Velden, G.A. Dengel, D.R. Stettner, and W. Bresky, 2003: Status and Development of GOES Wind Products at NOAA/NESDIS. 12th Conference on Satellite Meteorology, Feb 9-13, 2003. This paper is online at: https://ams.confex.com/ams/annual2003/techprogram/paper_53647.htm.

  2. Wind speed and direction are reported and stored in the database. The user can optionally select u & v wind components and those will be calculated and returned. The QC results from speed and direction will be used In either case, and if one of the map projections has been selected via the MSETDOM call, the winds will be rotated to match the projection.

  3. Pressure is the vertical coordinate reported in the satellite wind products, and is returned along with the horizontal coordinates (lat/lon) in the MSATWNDSTA call. If a height coordinate is desired, the user can select the HT variable, and the MADIS API will use the U.S. Standard Atmosphere calculation to return a pressure altitude.

  4. The results of the automated quality control schemes used in the production of the satellite winds at NESDIS are available via the MADIS API. These include the CIMMS/NESDIS recursive filter flag (RFF) and the EUMETSAT quality indicator (QI). There are two forms of the QI, the first provides the QI results where no background model data has been used in its determination, and the second gives the results where background model data has been used. RFF values range from 0 (worst) to 100 (best). Winds having RFF values less than about 45 are filtered out of the dataset before being output by NESDIS. QI values range from 0 (worst) to 1 (best).

    For more information on the RFF processing see:

    Hayden, C.M. and R.J. Purser, 1995: Recursive filter objective analysis of meteorological fields, applications to NESDIS operational processing. J. Appl. Meteor., 34, 3-15.

    For more information on the QI processing see:

    Holmlund, K., 1998: The utilization of statistical properties of satellite-derived atmospheric motion vectors to derive quality indicators. Wea. Forecasting, 13, 1093-1104.

  5. Land/sea mask codes:

           Value      Meaning
           -----      -------
             0        Land
             1        Sea
             2        Coast
    

  6. Level type codes:

           Value      Meaning
           -----      -------
             1        Infrared cloud-drift
             2        Visible cloud-drift
             3        Water vapor motion
             5        Sounder channel 11 (7.0 um) water vapor motion
             7        Sounder channel 10 (7.4 um) water vapor motion
    

Notes - Satellite Sounding Variables

  1. The availability of each product type, and the exact algorithms being used to create them, are a function of the satellite data provider. Currently, MADIS provides temperature and moisture soundings produced by NESDIS from the Advanced TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (ATOVS) instrument package flown on the NOAA-KLM series of polar-orbiting satellites. It is composed of the Advanced Microwave Sounding Units A and B (AMSU-A, AMSU-B) and is complemented by the High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS/3). There are many references available on the web. For detailed information see the NOAA KLM User's Guide at:

  2. Air temperature is the temperature variable stored in the database. The user can optionally select virtual temperature, which will then be calculated by the MADIS API. The QC results from air temperature will apply. Also note that if virtual temperature cannot be calculated (missing or bad mixing ratio or pressure), and the air temperature passed all QC checks, the air temperature will be returned instead, and a QC data descriptor value of "T" will be assigned.

  3. Mixing ratio is the moisture variable stored in the FSL database. The user can optionally select dewpoint, specific humidity, dewpoint depression, or absolute humidity, and these values will be calculated by the MADIS API. In all cases, the QC results from the dewpoint temperature (calculated from mixing ratio) will be used (with the FSL database, there's currently no QC in the AWIPS database).

  4. Land/sea mask codes:

          Value      Meaning
          -----      -------
            0        Land
            1        Sea
            2        Coast
    

  5. Satellite that provided the data codes:

          Value      Meaning
          -----      -------
           206        NOAA-15
           207        NOAA-16
           209        NOAA-18
    

  6. Day/Night Qualifier codes:

          Value      Meaning
          -----      -------
            0        Day
            1        Night
    

  7. Superadiabatic Indicator codes:

          Value      Meaning
          -----      -------
            0        Not superadiabatic
            1        Superadiabatic
    

  8. Satellite Processing Technique Used codes:

          Value      Meaning
          -----      -------
            8        Cloudy path
           16        Partly cloudy path
           32        Clear path
           64        Automated statistical regression
          128        Processing technique not defined
    

  9. Terrain Type codes:

          Value      Meaning
          -----      -------
            0        Sea ice
            1        Snow on land
    

  10. Cloud Amount codes:

          Value      Meaning
          -----      -------
            0        okta -- 0 (Clear)
            1        okta or less, but not zero -- 1/10 or less, but not zero
            2        oktas -- 2/10 - 3/10
            3        oktas -- 4/10
            4        oktas -- 5/10
            5        oktas -- 6/10
            6        oktas -- 7/10 - 8/10
            7        oktas or more, but not 8 oktas -- 9/10 or more, but not 10/10
            8        oktas -- 10/10 (Overcast)
            9        Sky obscured by fog and/or other meteorological phenomena
           10        Sky partially obscured by fog and/or other meteorological phenomena
           11        Scattered
           12        Broken
           13        Few
           14        Reserved
           15        Cloud cover is Indiscernible for reasons other than fog or other
                     meteorological phenomena, or observation is not made
    

Notes - Satellite Radiance Variables

  1. The availability and meaning of each product type are a function of the satellite data provider. Currently, MADIS provides radiances (also called brightness temperatures) from the NOAA Polar Orbital Environmental Satellites (POES). The brightness temperatures are from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit A (AMSU-A) and the High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounders (HIRS/3 and HIRS/4). There are many references available on the web. For detailed information see the NOAA KLM User's Guide at:

  2. The variable names for the brightness temperatures include the desired channel number (TB01 through TB35), specified with a leading zero, if necessary (e.g., TB01). The different channels represent different frequency bands in which data are aqcuired. Channels 1-20 are the HIRS channels. See the following URL for the characteristics and specifications of the HIRS channels: Channels 21-35 are the AMSU-A channels 1-15. See this URL for the AMSU-A characteristics and specifications:

  3. Land/sea mask codes:

          Value      Meaning
          -----      -------
            0        Land
            1        Sea
            2        Coast
    

  4. Satellite that provided the data codes:

          Value      Meaning
          -----      -------
           206        NOAA-15
           207        NOAA-16
           209        NOAA-18
    

  5. Day/Night Qualifier codes:

          Value      Meaning
          -----      -------
            0        Day
            1        Night
    

  6. Terrain Type codes:

          Value      Meaning
          -----      -------
            0        Sea ice
            1        Snow on land
    

  7. Cloud Amount codes:

          Value      Meaning
          -----      -------
            0        okta -- 0 (Clear)
            1        okta or less, but not zero -- 1/10 or less, but not zero
            2        oktas -- 2/10 - 3/10
            3        oktas -- 4/10
            4        oktas -- 5/10
            5        oktas -- 6/10
            6        oktas -- 7/10 - 8/10
            7        oktas or more, but not 8 oktas -- 9/10 or more, but not 10/10
            8        oktas -- 10/10 (Overcast)
            9        Sky obscured by fog and/or other meteorological phenomena
           10        Sky partially obscured by fog and/or other meteorological phenomena
           11        Scattered
           12        Broken
           13        Few
           14        Reserved
           15        Cloud cover is Indiscernible for reasons other than fog or other
                     meteorological phenomena, or observation is not made
    

Last updated 20 March 2017