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CIRA is now producing optical flow motion speeds and
directions from 0.64 and 10.3 μm imagery sequences for AWIPS using the 1–min GOES–16 and
GOES–18 ABI mesosectors. The motions are rendered for every image pixel using advanced dense
optical flow retrieval algorithms. The motions over cloud–drifts are tuned to match ancillary wind
observations from airborne wind–profiling lidars. The product can be used to highlight important
wind profile characteristics just like operational Atmospheric Motion Vectors and can even
highlight thunderstorms growing in strong wind shear and cloud–top divergence signals
associated with strong updrafts. The AWIPS production is part of an upcoming demonstration at
the 2023 Hazardous Weather Testbed in Norman Oklahoma. (POC: J. Apke, CIRA and B. Line,
NOAA/NESDIS/STAR, jason.apke@colostate.edu, bill.line@noaa.gov, Funding: GOES–R).
Figure: Example four panel view from AWIPS showing (Top Left) Optical flow Speed, (Top Right)
optical flow direction, each blended with 0.64 μm visible imagery, and (Bottom Left) ACHA
Cloud–Top Height, and (Bottom Right) the Day Cloud Phase Distinction RGB over mature deep
convection on 16 Mar 2023 at 2059 UTC.