Remedy 1: Development of tools to propagate geophysical profile data and attendant uncertainties to TOA radiances and uncertainties

Primary gap remedy type: 
Technical
Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6
Proposed remedy description: 

Develop a ‘GRUAN processor’ as a software deliverable from GAIA-CLIM. The GRUAN processor consists of a platform that enables the visualisation and exploitation of co-locations between GRUAN observed profiles and NWP fields. The processor enables visualisation both in geophysical space and as TOA radiance equivalents for a range of temperature and humidity sensitive satellite sensors. GAIA-CLIM has produced the processor in a demonstration capability. Further efforts would be required to operationalise its availability and generalise the processor to include other reference-quality measurements from further non-satellite measurement techniques. 

Relevance: 

The software is open-source and enables users (by which we mean reasonably knowledgeable users) to compare NWP fields from both ECMWF and Met Office (in the first instance) with GRUAN data. This includes a comparison of temperature and humidity, as well as TOA brightness temperatures for all sensors supported by the (publicly available) RTTOV radiative transfer model. 

Measurable outcome of success: 
  • Statistics available on the comparison, for all GRUAN sites, with respect to ECMWF and Met Office NWP fields. 
  • A web page displaying these statistics.
  • An open-source GRUAN processor available to the wider community.
  • Integration of the GRUAN processor into the GAIA-CLIM Virtual Observatory.
Expected viability for the outcome of success: 
  • High
Scale of work: 
  • Single institution
  • Consortium
Time bound to remedy: 
  • Less than 3 years
Indicative cost estimate (investment): 
  • Low cost (< 1 million)
Indicative cost estimate (exploitation): 
  • Yes
Minor costs associated with hosting, upkeep and periodic reviews for updates
Potential actors: 
  • EU H2020 funding
  • National Meteorological Services