Community Satellite Processing Package

  International ATOVS Processing Package (IAPP) Retrieval Software Version 1.0 Release

3 April 2015

The University of Wisconsin-Madison SSEC is pleased to announce the release of the International ATOVS Processing Package (IAPP) Retrieval Software Version 1.0 for retrieving atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles, total ozone and other parameters in both clear and cloudy atmospheres from direct broadcast (DB) ATOVS radiance measurements.

The IAPP algorithm, which operates on NOAA-15, NOAA-16, NOAA-18, NOAA-19, Metop-A and Metop-B data, retrieves the parameters in 4 steps: 1) cloud detection; 2) bias adjustment; 3) regression retrieval; and 4) nonlinear iterative physical retrieval.

This CSPP release provides IAPP version 4.0 (April 2014), adapted and tested for operation in a real-time direct broadcast environment. The software contains binary executable files and supporting static data files, as well as input and output files for verification of a successful installation. System requirements for the CSPP IAPP v1.0 software are as follows:
  • Intel or AMD CPU with 64-bit instruction support,
  • 1 GB RAM
  • CentOS-6 64-bit Linux (or other compatible 64-bit Linux distribution),
  • 3 GB of disk space (plus space for your own DB data and CSPP IAPP products).
CSPP IAPP produces single Field-of-Regard (FOR) retrievals from input level 1d calibrated/geolocated data. The level 1d files must contain radiances/brightness temperatures from the High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS), the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A), and the Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS). All three instruments must be included as part of the level-1d file in order for CSPP IAPP to execute correctly. Level 1d files can be generated using the ATOVS and AVHRR Pre-processing Package (AAPP), available from: CSPP IAPP execution produces one output product NetCDF file for each input data segment. Output parameters included in each product file include:
  • Temperature profile (42 levels)
  • Moisture profile (42 levels)
  • Total Column Ozone
  • Total Precipitable Water (TPW)
  • Microwave Emissivity
  • Cloud Fraction
  • Cloud Top Pressure
  • Cloud Top Temperature
  • Effective Cloud Amount
  • Skin Temperature
For more information about the retrieval algorithm, please see this publication:

  • Li, J., W. Wolf, W. P. Menzel, W. Zhang, H.-L. Huang, and T. H. Achtor, 2000: Global soundings of the atmosphere from ATOVS measurements: The algorithm and validation, Journal of Applied Meteorology, 39: 1248 - 1268.

DOWNLOAD NOW