Spire Global’s Spire Global Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder (HyMS) being integrated with a Spire satellite. Credit: Spire Global
SAN FRANCISCO – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will continue to evaluate data from Spire Global’s Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder (HyMS) under a $3 million contract extension announced Aug. 4.
Under the six-month extension, NOAA will “further evaluate how hyperspectral microwave sounding data can improve numerical weather prediction,” according to the news release. “The work will assess sensor performance across a broader range of atmospheric conditions and seasonal weather patterns, while evaluating the impact of the data on forecast accuracy and atmospheric profiling.”
Traditionally, passive microwave sensors have provided critical data for numerical weather prediction (NWP). “However, the legacy broadband instruments lack the vertical resolution needed to capture fine atmospheric structures,” according to a NOAA news release. “Hyperspectral microwave sensor technology uses high-spectral resolution in sounding microwave bands, allowing data users improved observations in all-weather conditions, and potentially improving NWP.”
HyMS captures atmospheric observations across more than 2,000 sensing channels, enabling “high-vertical-resolution atmospheric profiling while offering resilience to radio frequency interference,” the Spire news release said. “These capabilities have the potential to provide weather agencies with more detailed, reliable atmospheric observations to improve forecasting, particularly in regions where traditional observations are limited.”
