NUMBER 194

DATE: 09/09/99

Sector Processing Center (SPC):

During July, EUM, JMA, CSU and AES processed more than 94% of A data into B1/B2 data.

Normal operations for July were reported by EUM, JMA, CSU and AES.

NOA shipped B2 data for September and October 98 to the GPC this month. No further shipments were received from CSU this past month.

CSU is still supplying the AC data for GOES-8 until AES revises their format. AES has reported completion of this revision, but the new format has not be confirmed by the SCC.

Satellite Calibration Center (SCC):

AC data were received for July 99 from GOES-8, GOES-10, METEOSAT-5, METEOSAT-7 and GMS-5, but not from NOAA-14 (AVHRR and HIRS). BC data for May 99 for GOES-8, GOES-10, METEOSAT-5, METEOSAT-7 and GMS-5 were shipped to the GPC.

All BC reports now include normalization for the visible, standard infrared and "split-window" infrared channels (except METEOSAT which does not have a split-window channel), and the "water vapor" channels.

Global Processing Center (GPC):

The GPC continued to receive B2 data, BC data and correlative data in a routine manner.

The hardware upgrade of the tape silo remains incomplete; the only remaining hardware difficulty prevents access to the type of drive needed to deliver data. Tape writing software has been tested, but there appears to be a serious system-level bug because after executing several ''write'' jobs, your machine crashes. Some progress in investigating the cause of this has been made....stay tuned. Much more work remains. Large-volume data processing is still on hold.

Production of NOAA-14 (preliminary) B3 data is current as of April 98; B2 data have been received through October 98. Final B3 data have been produced through April 98.

Production of NOAA-12 (preliminary) B3 data is current as of April 98; B2 data have been received through October 98. Final B3 data have been produced through April 98.

GOES-8 B2 data deliveries are current. Limited processing with the new formatter software is underway. Unfortunately these tests turned up a major problem: when changing the system to add the required calibration information, something else changed that caused all radiance counts to be set to 255. So far, it looks as though all AES B2 data for July 1996 - December 1997 are unusable. AES has been asked to investigate and indicate whether and how fast re-processing can be accomplished. Although usable data is available for January 98, inspections beyond that time have not been completed to discover whether more data has been lost.

Processing of GOES-9 B2 data (and the GOES-8 B2 data for 95) depends on delivery by CSU of all the B2 data in its new final format. So far, only June and July 95 GOES-8 data have been delivered. No further replacement B2 data for GOES-8 or GOES-9 was received this past month, although CSU reports resumption of processing. The formatting software is in final testing.

Deliveries of B2 data from METEOSAT-5 (at 63E) are current, but processing has not resumed.

Production of METEOSAT-6 (preliminary) B3 data is complete through June 98. Final B3 data have been produced through April 98.

Production of METEOSAT-7 (preliminary) B3 data has not commenced; however, the formatting software has been completed. EUM reported that, due to a late decision to switch the detector used, the documented spectral response functions for METEOSAT-7, published in the latest B3 documentation and posted on the ISCCP Web page, are incorrect. The correct spectral response functions will be posted to the Web page as soon as processing resumes.

Deliveries of B2 data from GMS-5 are current. Final B3 data have been produced through August 97, but preparation of B3 data for delivery is slow without the silo.

All B3 processing software and the B3 data formats have been revised to include, as of January 96, the normalization coefficients for all the additional spectral channels.

TOVS correlative data processing is complete through April 98.

Production of the ice/snow correlative dataset is complete through December 97.

The VIS calibration for NOAA-11 has been changed for the period January through September 94 to eliminate a spurious darkening trend, detected in the cloud product results and confirmed by comparison with NOAA-12. The D-data for January - August 94 will be re-processed and replaced.

Calibration anomalies in 94 and early 95 have been resolved and processing of these data has resumed; DX/D1/D2 for October - December 94 have been re-processed, but no data will be delivered until we can inspect the whole time record from January 94 through December 95 as a last check that the calibration anomalies have been reduced.

The first CDrom of D2 data (for 89-93) has been released and is now available from the GPC or NASA Langley. Another CDrom of D2 data (for 83-88) is being prepared.

All of the calibration information posted on the ISCCP Web site has now been updated to cover the period from July 83 through April 98. Because of the final small adjustments made during the processing of the D data, these results are final only through December 93, but are fairly accurate beyond that. You will notice that attached to this monthly report are newly designed project status charts, now extended through 2005. These new charts are also posted on the Web. Data now available on the Web site are monthly mean data for July 83 through December 93 and climatology results based on the period July 83 through June 94. The ISCCP World Wide Web Home Page can be accessed at URL

ISCCP Central Archive (ICA):

The ICA continued to receive B1 data from NOA, AES, EUM, CSU and JMA and B3 and D data from the GPC in a routine manner.

The health of GOES-8, GOES-10, GMS-5, METEOSAT-5, METEOSAT-7, NOAA-14 and NOAA-15 remained good. The launch of the Japanese MTSAT is now scheduled for 10 September 99. The launch of GOES-L, next in the series, has been delayed until at least November of this year, but the launch vehicle has now been cleared for flight. Launch of NOAA-L is now set for no earlier than May 00.

Stage B3: July 83 - April 95 (11.8 years)

Stage CD: July 83 - December 97 (14.5 years)

Stage D1: July 83 - August 94 (11.2 years)

Stage D2: July 83 - August 94 (11.2 years)

* Delivery backlogs for B2 data (NOA = 9 months, CSU = 52 months).

* Delivery backlog for B3 data = 45 months (with respect to planned schedule). B3 data for 142 months have been archived.

* Delivery backlog for new DX/D1/D2 data = 53 months (with respect to planned schedule). D1/D2 data for 134 months have been archived.