Enhancing GOES DCS User Requirements: A Comprehensive Study

1. Project to Develop GOES DCS User Requirements TWG Presentation By Ernest Dreyer October 28, 2009

2. Motivation • Assess capability of GOES DCS to meet current and projected user requirements. • Prepare short-term and long-term scenarios for meeting those requirements.

3. Approach • Characterize the current system • Document user requirements • Web questionnaire • Interviews where possible • Develop short-term and long-term scenarios for satisfying user requirements

4. Characterize the Current System • Provide an up-to-date description of the entire system • STIWG Operational Plan will be used as a starting point. • Included will be • Update of system capabilities • Improvements at Wallops • Role of EDDN and other backups • Data Distribution • Inventory of DRGSs and LRGSs • Future Developments • Narrow-band Conversion • Binary Transmission • DCP Command

5. Growth of GOES DCS

6. Users of GOES DCS2000 2009

7. Document User Requirements • Most users are adapting the current capabilities of the system to their needs • Need to find out the “real” requirements for future planning – especially for determining needed capacity. This will possibly affect • additional satellite capabilities and • modes of operation

8. Examples • Capacity Requirements for next 10 years • How many sites? • Types of sites? • Mode of Operation • How many critical sites need data transmitted more frequently than 1 hour? • Can sites by categorized by transmission frequency? If so, perhaps the system should be organized around transmission frequency. • How would two-way communications affect the mode of operation

9. Develop scenarios for satisfying user requirements • Evaluate requirements and develop scenarios for meeting them, e. g. capacity can be increased in the • short term • Implementing binary format • intermediate term • Implementing narrow-band scheme • Changing mode of operation • long term • Adding additional transponder to satellite

10. Actual and Projected Growth( Projection is based on growth in last 10 years.)

11. Observations • To accommodate 50,000 300-baud sites that transmit every hour in 10-second windows would require 140 channels. • The current layout is • Self-timed channels • 100/300 Baud 172 • 1200 Baud 10

12. Observations (cont.) • Reducing the band width of each channel by ½ will double the capacity. • If the projected growth turns out to follow the past 10 years, there should be additional capacity to try other modes of operation. • Channels for 15 minute transmissions • Channels for daily transmissions • Channels for use by DCP Command

13. Next Steps • Gather information • Try to contact as many players as possible either directly, by phone, or my email. This will include • STIWG members for requirements • Manufacturers for inventory and other input • Others • Develop Web-based questionnaire for all other GOES DCS users

14. Next Steps(cont.) • Produce Reports • Will try to publish intermediate results on a Web site. • Expect to finish in late Spring. • Contact Me • Welcome input at any time. • sedreyer@verizon.net

15. Homework • Start thinking about • Expansion of data collection network over next 10 years. • Numbers per year • Types of sites and data collection requirements to include • Importance of sites/type • Estimate of number of sensors/type • Desired mode of operation/type • Requirements for continuity of operations (COO).