
STAR Co-hosts 20th CEOS Atmospheric Composition Virtual Constellation Meeting
Featured News![]()
•••
![]() hover over animation to pause
STAR is Shining!![]() STAR Scientist Honored with GOES-R Special Science AwardJuly 25, 2024 - The NESDIS Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) program presented a special science award to recognize STAR scientist Tim Schmit “for his tireless enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment to geostationary imagery, science, and applications.” Schmit has supported the GOES program for over 37 years spanning from the instruments, simulations, downlink, calibration, re-broadcast, distribution, archive/access, visualization, training/education and product generation, to validations and applications! Schmit responded to receiving the award by stating, “It's been my great honor to help prepare for and check-out the GOES over the decades. This included GOES-8 through GOES-18, and I can't wait for the data from GOES-19.” A few days later, on June 25, 2024, NOAA’s GOES-U, the fourth and final satellite in the GOES–R Series, successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Schmit and colleagues from STAR and the Cooperative Institutes will generate the first light ABI imagery of which Schmit stated was one of his favorite parts of his job. Schmit’s contributions to the GOES series of satellites have truly been end-to-end. He first started in 1987 simulating the GOES-I (8) data and then in 1999, began working on the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument on GOES-R. His work on this instrument has been pivotal to the ongoing improvement and success of ABI observations. Along the way, he’s held leadership positions in the Algorithm Working Group (AWG) imagery and soundings teams, has provided amazing ABI images and loops of satellite imagery, and of special note was his expertise in highlighting phenomena including the hugely popular 2024 total solar eclipse. To read more about Tim Schmit’s work with STAR and the GOES program visit his bio. STAR in the News![]() Tracking Francine’s Latest PathSeptember 12, 2024 - Bloomberg News reports: Francine is the third named storm to hit the mainland US this year. The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season got off to a quick start, but had stalled in recent weeks before Francine. It has now produced six storms, four of which became hurricanes. STAR's GOES-East geocolor image of the storm is featured. Read more in the Bloomberg News story ![]() AI and satellite imaging doing early wildfire detection in ColoradoJuly 30, 2024 - This week the Denver Post reports on a new artificial intelligence program — the Next Generation Fire System — which will help identify wildfires as small as an acre by scanning images taken by weather satellites orbiting about 22,000 miles above the Earth’s surface. NOAA officials say it can process the deluge of data from the satellites — which capture images as frequently as every 30 seconds — and detect heat from fires smaller than a football field. The program then flags potential new fires to a dashboard so humans can check the images and verify the existence of a fire. While humans are great at detecting a new fire from satellite images, they can’t process the firehose of data as quickly and easily as the AI program, said STAR's Mike Pavolonis, NOAA Satellites’ Wildland Fire Program manager. Read more in the Denver Post story Announcements![]() New paper - Satellite Oceanography in NOAA by STAR authors highlighting STAR efforts and published 8/1/2024. |