NOAAs Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO). User need translation, value chains and the NOAA Pathfinder Initiative

NOAA is planning the Geostationary and Extended Observations (GeoXO) Program to follow the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) R Series and Space Weather Follow-On (SWFO) missions in the 2030-2050 timeframe. The future GeoXO instruments have thematic user feedback woven into the user requirements decision framework. Starting with a series of user workshops held in 2020, the GeoXO program has documented value chains'' that trace the connection from instruments, through products, and ultimately to decision-making and social impact. This presentation will look at the anticipated benefits of GeoXOs recommended instruments in society through five use cases. We will discuss our approach on assessing value and how we translated user needs into user requirements that helped inform the selection of the future GeoXO instruments. This talk will introduce the audience to the NOAA Pathfinder Initiative. A NOAA Pathfinders is a downstream beneficiary of NOAA mission data. Pathfinders are data users and subject matter experts in society that can demonstrate the value of information through their specific application and operational decisions. Pathfinders supporting the GeoXO mission will tell the story of how GeoXO data will contribute to the evolving needs of society and quantify the return on GeoXO investment in the areas of wildfire management, weather and transportation, air quality warnings, ocean dynamics and agriculture. The recommended observations on GeoXO include a hyperspectral infrared sounder, an imager and lighting mapper, an ocean color instrument, and an atmospheric composition instrument. GeoXO will continue and significantly expand observations provided by the GOES-R Series, while bringing new operational capabilities to address emerging environmental issues and their societal consequences. GeoXO milestones and a timeline of opportunities for how to join the NOAA Pathfinders for all future NOAA missions will be provided.