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International Satellite Communications System
   

Products For International Satellite
Communications System (ISCS)



ISCS/WAFS disseminates products prepared by two centers of the National Weather Service (NWS) National Centers For Environmental Prediction (NCEP),  (1) the Aviation Weather Center (AWC), and (2) the Environmental Modeling Center (EMC).   ISCS/ WAFS products are also produced at over 115 NWS Offices nationwide.  There are three types of products:

(1) Gridded Binary (GRIB) Coded Data (produced at EMC in both GRIB1 and GRIB2 formats), containing forecasts for up to 9 standard flight levels of upper wind and temperature data, tropopause height and temperature, and maximum wind (height, speed, direction), using WMO Code FM-92-IX Ext - GRIB, and a 1.25 x 1.25 degree global grid for flight planning. 

(2) Charts (in BUFR, PNG, and T4 coded facsimile formats) providing upper-air wind and temperature forecasts at selected flight levels (produced at EMC),  and significant weather (SIGWX) forecasts (produced at AWC).  Volcanic ash dispersion advisories are included when available.

(3) Operational Meteorology (OPMET) alphanumeric messages, consisting of (a) routine aviation weather reports (METARs), produced by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contract observers at airports, (b) special reports (SPECIs) which are METARs issued on a non-routine basis, also produced by FAA observers at airports, (c) terminal aerodrome forecasts (TAFs), produced at NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) by NWS forecasters, (d) en-route hazardous weather warnings of significant meteorological information (SIGMETs), produced by Meteorological Watch Offices at the AWC, Alaska Aviation Weather Unit, and WFO's Honolulu and Guam, (e) volcanic ash advisory messages (from Volcanic Ash advisory Centers Anchorage and Washington), and (f) tropical cyclone advisory messages (from Tropical Cyclone Advisory Centers Miami and Honolulu).  Administrative messages are also broadcast as OPMET. 

For more info about WAFS products click here. (World Meteorological Organization (WMO) User Guide)

ISCS/RMTN, as part of the Global Telecommunications System (GTS), disseminates a wide variety of hydro-meteorological data products, the vast majority originating at the National Weather Service Telecommunications Gateway (NWSTG) in Silver Spring, MD.  It also receives meteorological data from individual RMTN network sites for re-broadcast to all network sites through the NWSTG.

Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO) Doppler Weather RADAR Project is a Caribbean weather RADAR network project funded by the European Union.

The weather radar will provide complete coverage of CMO RADAR out to a distance of 400 km from each of the project member islands, enabling meteorologists to provide more accurate and timely information on all kinds of severe weather, such as approaching tropical storm and hurricanes, heavy rainfall events, etc. Information from the radar will be made available by the Meteorological Services to the public, national disaster preparedness and emergency agencies and other users in throughout the Caribbean via the Internet at (http://www.meteo.fr/temps/domtom/antilles/pack-public/animation/animMOSAIC_car.html) and through the use of specialized video display terminals (VDT) that can be obtained from the CMO RADAR project. Points of contact for the CMO RADAR project are:

Glendell De Souza
Science and Technology Officer
Caribbean Meteorological Organization Headquarters
Tel: (+1 868) 622 4711
Fax: (+1 868) 622 0277
E-mail: GDe_Souza@cmo.org.tt

Stephane Jamoneau
Meteo France
DIRAG/TTI/D
Meteo France Antilles/Guyane
Tel: (596) 596 63 99 47
E-mail: stephane.jamoneau@meteo.fr

 


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