Exelis will base the design of the sounders on that of its Advanced Baseline Imager shown here. Photo: Exelis

[Via Satellite 03-26-2014] GeoMetWatch (GMW) and Exelis have agreed to design a geostationary hyperspectral sounder. Under the agreement, Exelis will manufacture sensors based on the design of the Exelis advanced baseline imager that will be hosted by GMW partner organizations through a GMW license granted by the United States Department of Commerce to deploy a constellation of six geostationary hyperspectral sounders. This technology can provide atmospheric data needed to produce next-generation weather forecast models. While existing hyperspectral sounders can provide global information, they do not offer coverage over one specific geographical area, such as the continental United States.

“Geostationary orbit capability is important because it is the only point from which we can continuously observe evolving weather with high-temporal resolution,” said Edward Keible, Jr., GMW CEO. “It also provides superior high-spatial resolution and high-vertical resolution observations to substantially improve our current forecast capability.”