Nowcasting is a weather forecast for the next few hours, based on current information.
SAF Official Service Name
Satellite Application Facility on Support to Nowcasting & Very Short Range Forecasting (NWC SAF)
SAF on support to Nowcasting and Very Short Term Forecasting
SAF Objectives
The main goal of the NWC SAF is to produce software packages that support Nowcasting and Very Short Range Forecasting. The software, which is for local installation at the user's site, processes data from operational meteorological satellites flying in geostationary orbits (e.g. Meteosat Second Generation (MSG)) or polar orbits (e.g. Metop or NOAA).
The logic for the second Continuous Development and Operations Phase (CDOP-2) is to consolidate the use of the software packages in the related, interested organisations by means of promotion and user support — mainly through the help desk and improvement of the software, according to user-oriented development and validation activities. The activities in the CDOP-2 also encompass the extention of the applicability to new satellite systems, including the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) and Soumi NPP.
SAF Leader and Consortium
| Leading Entity | |
|---|---|
| Spanish National Meteorological Service, Spain | |
| Consortium Members | |
|---|---|
| Météo-France, France | |
| Sveriges meteorologiska och hydrologiska institut, Sweden | |
| Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik, Austria | |
SAF Phases
Development Phase: February 1997–February 2002
Initial Operations Phase: March 2002–February 2007
Continuous Development and Operations Phase: March 2007–February 2012
Second Continuous Development and Operations Phase: March 2012–February 2017
Third Continuous Development and Operations Phase: March 2017–February 2022
SAF input satellite data
The following satellite data sources can be processed with the NWC SAF software:
- MSG (SEVIRI)
- Metop and NOAA (AVHRR/AMSU/MHS)
- Soumi NPP (VIIRS)
- More satellite sensors (Soumi NPP, JPSS, MTG) to be added in CDOP-2
SAF products
See the Product Navigator for detailed information on the NWC SAF products.
SAF topology and architecture
Although the NWC SAF provides software packages to users for local installation, each NWC SAF software package is running in reference platforms for test and demonstration purposes. The output is available to users through the Nowcasting SAF Helpdesk.
SAF user community
Primary users of the NWC SAF are institutions in EUMETSAT Member States and Cooperating States with official duties, agencies, universities and research centres. It is planned to provide support to an extended community during the CDOP-2.