There are lots of RGB Composites and Channel Difference products being introduced with the GOES-R series. They are very useful. However, with more and more of these products being created, it's getting very difficult for operational meteorologists to memorize what each one means (including the color scales).
The quick guides that are being created are very helpful. But it's not easy to view these quick guides in AWIPS. It's also not always easy to view these guides online, especially if convection has already initiated. As a result, some forecasters are limiting how many satellite products they view because they can't keep track of what each one stands for.
It would be very helpful to have the guides built into the products. How? The image below shows cloud phase distinction. When the sampling option is turned on it gives more information about the image. However, it displays Red/Green/Blue information. This information is useful for developers, but useless for operational forecasters.
The quick guides created for each product display RGB interpretation. If you view the quick guide for cloud phase distinction, the color orange (in the image above) is labeled in the guide as "Thin high-level clouds with ice particles (red-orange)." This information should be built into the product. In fact, it's already being done for radar. Below is a Hydrometeor Classification image for radar.
Notice how all of the colors are labeled. In the example above, the light blue is dry snow. This same methodology can be used for the RGB composites and Channel Difference labeling. It would make it much, much easier for operational forecasters to understand and remember each product.
-Kevin
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