NUMBER 199

DATE: 02/11/00

Sector Processing Center (SPC):

During December, EUM, JMA, CSU and AES processed more than 99% of A data into B1/B2 data.

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

NOA funding for processing B2 data has now been exhausted, so deliveries have ceased. CSU has completed processing GOES-9 B2 data and delivered all of it to the GPC; GOES-10 deliveries have also started.

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 December 99 from NOAA-14 (AVHRR and HIRS), GOES-8, GOES-10, METEOSAT-5, METEOSAT-7 and GMS-5. BC data for October 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.

In-house software has now been written to read all ISCCP datasets on the tape silo from workstations; software to write these datasets is still being written. The GISS LAN remains unreliable with unpredictable crashes; however, there have been some periods of stability that allowed some processing to progress.

Production of NOAA-14 (preliminary) B3 data is current as of April 98; B2 data have been received through September 99. 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 December 98 (the last). Final B3 data have been produced through April 98.

No NOAA-15 B2 data have been received as yet.

Production of GOES-8 (preliminary) B3 data is complete for January 96 through January 97 with the exception of September 96 for which replacement B2 data are required.

All (January 96 through June 98) GOES-9 B2 data has been received from CSU except for the last month of partial operations (July 98), which has been shipped. The formatting software is in final testing.

The first GOES-10 B2 data for July 98 have been shipped.

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. 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.

Production of GMS-5 (preliminary) B3 data is complete through April 98; final B3 data have been produced through April 98.

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 ice/snow processing software has been migrated to workstation and is now being tested.

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 - June 94 have been re-processed. Data for September through December 94 have also been processed. Once the data for July and August 94 and January - April 95 have been processed, calibration stability will be re-evaluated.

Two CDs of D2 data are now available from NASA Langley, covering 83-88 and 89-93.

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-1 failed; actions are being taken to extend the life of GMS-5 and accelerate the launch of the next MTSAT-2 to 02 from 04. GOES-L is now scheduled for launch in May 00. Launch of NOAA-L is now set for August 00. EUMETSAT has announced plans to continue operations of METEOSAT-5 at 63E (Asian sector) through 01, one year longer than originally planned for INDOEX. Moreover, if the launch of METEOSAT Second Generation (MSG), scheduled for late 00, is successful and both METEOSAT-6 and METEOSAT-7 are still healthy, one of these latter satellites will be moved to continue coverage of the Asian sector beyond 01. The launch of Terra (formerly EOS-AM) was successful on 18 December 99.

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 (NOAA-14 = 3 months, NOAA-15 = 12 months, CSU = 18 months).

* Delivery backlog for B3 data = 50 months (with respect to planned schedule). B3 data for 142 months have been archived.

* Delivery backlog for new DX/D1/D2 data = 58 months (with respect to planned schedule). D1/D2 data for 134 months have been archived.