Space Science and Engineering Center University of Wisconsin-Madison

This week, the 22^nd International TOVS Study Conference (ITSC) convenes in Saint-Sauveur, Québec, Canada.  The meeting provides an opportunity for hundreds of researchers from around the world to share ideas and new techniques for improving weather forecasting and satellite products, all based on innovative uses of satellite data.

Credit: NOAA

More than a dozen scientists from the UW-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) and the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) are attending and presenting on topics including advances in direct broadcast capabilities, refinements in Numerical Weather Prediction and evaluation of new satellite data.

First started in 1983 at the behest of the International Radiation Commission and chaired by former CIMSS director William Smith, the initial conference aimed to assist the international community in accessing data from US polar orbiting satellites, improving sounding data and procedures for using those data and providing a forum for collaborative research.  That successful first meeting set the stage for those that would follow and has since expanded to include many disciplines within satellite meteorology and the atmospheric sciences.

This year’s conference co-chairs are Liam Gumley from SSEC and Vincent Guidard from the National Centre for Meteorology in France. The conference is held every 18-24 months and has been on nearly every continent including Europe, Asia, South America and North America.