(Abstract) Recommendations on the GOES-R Series from the GOES Users' Conferences

James J. Gurka, NOAA/ NESDIS/ OSD

The first GOES Users's conference focusing on the GOES-R Series was held from May 22 through 24, 2001 in Boulder Colorado, with approximately 200 participants from government, the private sector, academia and the international community. A second GOES Users' Conference was held in Boulder, Colorado from October 1 to 3, 2002. They were organized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with cooperation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the National Weather Association, the World Meteorological Organization, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The goals of the conferences were: (1) to inform GOES users of plans for the next generation capabilities; (2) to provide information on the potential applications; (3) to determine user needs for new products, data distribution, and data archiving; (4) to assess potential user and societal benefits of GOES capabilities; and (5) to develop methods to improve communication between the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) and the GOES user community. Sessions included: Planned and Potential Sensors for U.S. Geostationary Satellites; User Requirements, Applications, and Potential Benefits from Future GOES; Future International Geostationary Satellites; and Communications, Ancillary Services and Training Issues. The third day of each conference consisted of facilitated breakout sessions in which the user community provided input to questions on their future needs for products, services, data distribution, archiving, training and potential benefits of the next generation GOES to their operations and to society.

This paper will provide a summary of the recommendations provided by the participants of both GOES Users' Conferences, focusing on recommendations for the Advanced Baseline Imager and the Hyperspectral Environmental Suite.

James Gurka

Jim Gurka presently is the Team Leader for GOES-R requirements in the NESDIS/OSD/Advanced Systems Planning Division.

Jim has previously worked in the NWS/ Office of Meteorology as Satellite Program Manager and Scientific Studies Program Manager. Previous positions in NOAA include that of Lead Forecaster and Satellite Program Leader at the National Weather Service Forecast Office Boston, NESDIS Applications Lab developing applications of meteorological satellite data and educating users in use of the data and products.

Mr. Gurka received his MS degree in Meteorology from Penn State and BS degree in Meteorology from Lowell Technological Institute (now known as University of Massachusetts at Lowell)