Marta Systems' Windows2000-based NOAA-Port Ground Station acquires the full suite of NWS hydrometeorological data and information, directly from the C-band NOAA-Port satellite channels carried on the SES Americom AMC-4 spacecraft (previously GE-4).

ABOUT NOAA-PORT
The NOAA-Port satellite broadcast is operated by the U.S. Government to provide hydrometeorological data and information to over 150 NWS Weather Forecast Offices.

NOAA-Port Groundstation users enjoy timely reception of meteorological data, the reliability of a satellite broadcast, and the unrestricted royalty free use of the data, after the one-time investment in the groundstation.

Hydrometeorological data and information from multiple sources are routed to the NOAA-Port Network Control Facility and processed for transmission over the following four channels:

Channel #1
NCEP/NWSTG - Provides the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and National Weather Service Telecommunications Gateway (NWSTG) data and products. Includes NCEP model output of Gridded Binary Data (GRIB), Binary Universal Form for Data Representation (BUFR), "Redbook" graphics, NEXRAD Radar products, and ASCII Free Text Data containing watches and warnings, observations, etc. (NWS Public Products, NWS Domestic Data and NWS International Data).

NEXRAD Radar Products - Beginning January, 2001, the NWS began broadcasting NEXRAD radar products via NOAA-Port. As a developer and distributor of NEXRAD products since 1993, Marta's NOAA-Port systems can receive and process this latest NOAA-Port broadcast.

Besides making all the individual NOAA-Port radar site products available, our NOAA-Port systems can automatically generate NEXRAD National and custom Regional radar mosaics.

Channel #2
GOES-8 East weather satellite imagery data consisting of visible, infrared and water vapor.

Channel #3
GOES-10 West weather satellite imagery data consisting of visible, infrared and water vapor.

Channel #4
GMS & Meteosat satellite imagery data, and Data Collection Platform (DCP) products.

TURNKEY SYSTEM SOLUTION

Marta Systems' NOAA-Port Ground stations are turnkey systems, consisting of an RF downlink and a powerful data acquisition and display workstation.

RF DOWNLINK

RF Downlink - The groundstation consists of a 12' parabolic satellite antenna (optional 14' for fringe areas) and mount, CLNB/feed and EF Data SDR-54A satellite data receiver/demod with Reed Solomon Decoder. Optional antenna motor actuator and controller are available.

DATA ACQUISITION & DISPLAY WORKSTATION

Workstations are based on premium quality commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) personal computers, running Microsoft's 32-bit Windows NT Workstation or Windows-2000 Professional operating system. The COTS systems utilize Intel's advanced PCI-bus architecture and high-end Pentium class processors to achieve the highest level of performance and reliability.

The Windows multitasking operating system supports fully automated background reception and processing of data during alphanumeric and graphic image display/fusion, plotting, enhancement, analysis, looping, printing, and networking.

SMART MULTI-CHANNEL DATA ACQUISITION & DIAGNOSTICS

Marta Systems' MS-NOAAPort data ingest driver allows the operator to tune the channel to any of the four available NOAA-Port channels by simply clicking on the desired channel. Auto tuning of the EF Data satellite receiver/demod occurs immediately, along with reception of the desired channel data. Real-time receiver link performance readouts are provided for system data acquisition and processing modes. Real-time readouts include last station and product received, raw Bit Error Rate (BER), corrected BER, signal strength, and CLNB current draw.

Received data is stored on the workstation in the Marta directory structure for use with Marta Systems' display and analysis software. The raw received data may also be made available to third party software via a socket connection. Both local data storage and data export may be utilized simulataneously or either may be diabled by the user.

The basic workstation is configured with a PCI-bus multi-channel T-1 communications board. Either input channel may be utilized, and the unused channel is provided as a spare or to support 2 channel operations.

Optionally, the MS-NOAAPort data ingest driver supports up to four data acquisition channels fully tunable to any NOAA-Port channel with all of the diagnostic features of the first channel.

Additional channel options includes an upgrade to the multi-channel MS-NOAAPort data ingest driver, an RF splitter/amplifier, and additional EF Data satellite receiver/demod's.

BUILT-IN DISPLAY & ANALYSIS SOFTWARE FEATURES

Alphanumeric and graphic imagery display and enhancement are handled by Marta Systems’ powerful SAND Graphics and SAND Alphanumeric display applications (incorporated into the US Navy's Meteorology & Oceanography Integrated Data Display System (MIDDS) and the US Air Force Meteorological Information Standard Terminal - both deployed worldwide).

Data fusion supports the ability to overlay alphanumeric data, gridded data plots, and Nexrad radar onto any IR, water vapor, or visible image combination.

NEXRAD and weather satellite imagery loops are built automatically by sector type, and can be replayed through the use of user-definable on-screen "Hot Buttons". While looping, the newest imagery are automatically acquired and added to their respective loops. If the operator has zoomed and/or panned the loop, new imagery are automatically zoomed and/or panned before being added to the loop, and the oldest images are automatically deleted. Loops can display up to 99 images each depending on the file size and system memory configuration, and multiple loops can run on-screen simultaneously. Image sizing, pan, zoom, and palette functions may be used in real-time while the loops are running.

Image analysis tools include temperature, histogram, and real-time zoom and pan. User definable palettes, built-in country, rivers/streams, state, county, highway, and airspace map overlays, and a comprehensive drawing set which includes scalable symbols, front lines, and a text editor are included. Real-time navigation readouts follow mouse cursor movement providing latitude and longitude, and distance in nautical miles between any two points.

Marta's MS-Plot software allows surface plotting of alphanumeric data onto GOES and/or NEXRAD navigable graphic imagery. The plot option also generates various meteorological analyses using surface and upper air data.

NETWORK READY

Marta Systems' Windows2000-based software is network friendly. Network users running Marta Systems' SAND applications on either Windows-NT or Windows2000 workstations have access to all imagery and alphanumeric data, and possess the same graphical enhancement capabilities and looping features built into the MS-NOAAPort Groundstation. SAND applications are available separately for network workstations.

Optionally, users not connected on the LAN can access the systems' GOES, GMS, Meteosat, and alphanumeric products via an Internet connection.

WEB PUBLISHING BUILT-IN

Automatic File Conversion is built-in. The groundstations can simultaneously convert the native file format images to BMP, TIFF or JPEG file formats and export the products to a network server, providing digital imagery throughout a local campus environment (e.g., real-time imagery on an Internet home page).

MS-NOAAPort Groundstations also support simultaneous File Transfer Protocol (FTP) for product export to a designated host.

Please refer to Marta Systems' ROUTER Software for additional information.

WARRANTY

The longest NOAA-Port system warranty in the industry, Marta Systems provides a One Year Limited Warranty which includes technical phone support and software updates at no charge. Repair or replacement for one year covers the entire system including data acquisition/display workstation, the antenna CLNB and satellite receiver/demod.

NOAAPORT SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS