NUMBER 207 DATE: 10/06/00

Sector Processing Center (SPC):

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

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

NOA shipped the first four months of NOAA-15 data to the GPC. Further B2 data shipments from CSU are awaiting arrangements for ftp delivery.

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 August 00 from NOAA-14 (AVHRR and HIRS), METEOSAT-5, METEOSAT-7, GMS-5, GOES-8 and GOES-10. BC data for June 00 for GOES-8, GOES-10, METEOSAT-5, METEOSAT-7 and GMS-5 were shipped to the GPC.

Reprocessing of the WV channel normalization for GOES-8 has been completed for April, July and October 96 and for January, February, March, April, May and June 97. All of these data have been shipped to the GPC.

Currently, AC data for NOAA and GMS are the only ones received on media (Exabyte and CD-rom, respectively); all other AC data are received and the BC data are sent via Internet.

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; all of these data, except for the BC data and one B2 dataset, are currently received on media.

Porting of the remaining processing software to workstations continues.

Production of NOAA-14 (preliminary) B3 data is complete through December 99; B2 data have been received through April 00. Final B3 data have been produced through April 98.

Production of NOAA-12 (preliminary) B3 data is complete through December 98 (the last). Final B3 data have been produced through April 98.

The first delivery of NOAA-15 B2 data (January, February, March and April 99) has been received. Because of the changes in spectral response (visible channel) and the switching of channels (for channel 3), both the calibration procedure and the B3 processing software will have to be revised for NOAA-15 processing. Also, the cloud detection algorithm will have to be revised before these data can be used.

Production of GOES-8 (preliminary) B3 data is complete through December 97. Final B3 data have been produced for May 95 through December 97; tapes are now being prepared for shipment to the ICA.

All (January 96 through July 98) GOES-9 B2 data has been received from CSU. Production of GOES-9 (preliminary) B3 data is complete from February 96 through October 97.

The GOES-10 B2 data for July 98 through June 00 have been received. The formatting software is ready.

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; but the formatting software has been ported to workstation.

Production of GMS-5 (preliminary) B3 data is complete through December 97. Final B3 data have been produced through April 98. The workstation version of the processing software for GMS still has some problems because of different floating point number standards.

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. The re-calibration software has now been ported to workstations.

TOVS correlative data processing is complete through April 98; the TOVS processing software has not been ported to workstation (delayed by mainframe problems).

Production of the ice/snow correlative dataset on workstation is complete through September 99.

A small discrepancy in the GOES-7 B2 format, when data from AES and CSU were being merged, caused excessive loss of data during the processing of D data for 94. All of the GOES-7 B3 data for 94 and 95 have now been reprocessed; however the DX reprocessing still has problems handling the changed format. Also an additional difficulty with the production of D2 data for METEOSAT-3 in the GOES-EAST position has been discovered but is not yet understood. The problem is limited to the workstation version of the software and does not affect older datasets. All data products are currently delivered on media.

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 ICA and GPC are working on a plan for converting as many of the ISCCP data exchanges as possible to ftp; the first steps are to work out a new dataset naming convention and to determine what "virtual" volume size will be assumed for the header file descriptions of the data.

Planning for a Data Management Working Group Meeting:

The next meeting of the ISCCP Data Management Working Group will be held at the GPC (NASA GISS) in New York on December 11-13. The two main agenda items will be to complete the last details for changing to ftp data exchanges and to discuss what actions should be taken to further the GEWEX objectives during the coming decade.

The health of GOES-8, GOES-10, GMS-5, METEOSAT-5, METEOSAT-7 and NOAA-14 remained good. METEOSAT-6 and GOES-11 are in stand-by mode. The AVHRR on NOAA-15 failed in July. NOAA-16 was successfully launced on 21 September 00 and will eventually replace NOAA-14. EUMETSAT has announced a further delay of the launch of MSG-1 until January 02 and that parallel operations with METEORSAT-7 will be conducted through the end of 03. Launch of MTSAT-1R (the replacement for GMS-5) is now scheduled for 03. China successfully launched FY-2B (the geostationary weather satellite) on 25 June 00; current status is unknown.

Stage B3: July 83 - December 95 (12.5 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)

Satellite Network 7/83-12/94	Satellite Network 1/95-12/05
B Level Data Products 7/83-12/94	B Level Data Products 1/95-12/05

* Delivery backlogs for B2 data (NOAA-14 = 4 months, NOAA-15 = 15 months).

* Delivery backlog for B3 data = 50 months (with respect to planned schedule). B3 data for 150 months have been archived.

* Delivery backlog for new DX/D1/D2 data = 66 months (with respect to planned schedule). D1/D2 data for 134 months have been archived.