CSPP CLAVRx Software Version 3.0 Released

[kathys]

CSPP Software Release: Clouds from AVHRR Extended System (CLAVR-x) for AVHRR, VIIRS and MODIS v3.0

The Community Satellite Processing Package (CSPP) project is pleased to announce a new release of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) software for transforming direct broadcast NOAA-20 and Suomi-NPP VIIRS Sensor Data Records (SDRs), NOAA-18, NOAA-19, Metop-A, Metop-B and Metop-C AVHRR, and Aqua and Terra MODIS Level-1B (L1B) files into Level 2 cloud products. CLAVR-x (or CLAVRx) is a processing system developed at NOAA/NESDIS and the University of Wisconsin-Madison CIMSS for generating quantitative cloud products in real-time. CLAVRx is NOAA's operational cloud processing system for the AVHRR, and in 2015 was updated to run the NOAA Enterprise Algorithm. The CLAVRx group is led by NOAA NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) scientist, Dr. Andrew Heidinger.


Supported satellites, sensors, and data are:

• • NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP VIIRS SDRs (from CSPP or CLASS),
  • NOAA-18, NOAA-19, Metop-A, Metop-B and Metop-C AVHRR Level 1B (from AAPP or CLASS),
  • Aqua and Terra MODIS Level 1B (from SeaDAS or the NASA archive; IMAPP naming conventions are required).

What is New in CSPP CLAVRx Version 3.0?

• Added support for NOAA-20 VIIRS and Metop-C AVHRR instruments.
  Output product list can now be easily customized.
  VIIRS input SDR de-aggregation option (-x) added.
  VIIRS CLAVRx output is now always unaggregated.
  New dynamic snow basemap ancillary data requirement.
  Dynamic ancillary site now supports https protocol: https://jpssdb.ssec.wisc.edu/cspp_v_2_0/ancillary/

CLAVRx software produces single Field-of-View (FOV) retrievals in HDF4 format from input AVHRR, VIIRS and MODIS Imager calibrated/geolocated data files.

A few key CLAVRx output parameters are listed below:

• cloud mask,
  cloud type (13 categories),
  cloud height,
  cloud top pressure,
  cloud top temperature,
  cloud emissivity,
  cloud optical depth,
  cloud effective radius,
  cloud phase,
  rain rate (experimental),
  VIIRS lunar reflectances,
  VIIRS nighttime cloud optical depth,
  VIIRS nighttime cloud effective radius,
  product quality flags.

Please see the documentation provided with the package for a complete list of products. CLAVRx source code is included with this release.

CLAVRx Version 3.0 System Requirements

• Intel or AMD CPU with 64-bit instruction support,
  2 GB RAM
  CentOS 6 64-bit Linux (or other compatible 64-bit Linux distribution),
  50 GB of disk space,
  Internet connection (for downloading ancillary data).