Launch set for GOES-R satellite capable of 30-second weather updates

Re: A VERY good idea..

The satellite footage is public domain because it's a product of the US Government. That's the default status of products of the US Government unless there's an exception attached.

LOL, you guys either don't know your history or have never been involved with projectes that relate to NCW (NEC for UK people - network centric warfare / network enabled capability).

The VERY FIRST THING that happens to a US resource is that its facilities are degraded before the data is offered to any non-US military recipient. If you knew your history you'd remember that this was the reason GPS didn't use to be terribly accurate, if you had worked on force integration you'd know that the first thing you'd need to know about sensor-to-shooter links is that your sensor may deliberately not tell you the truth because it would reveal capability, which meant that the really fun stuff like taking down missiles had to be handled in-force or you'd never get the resolution you'd need.

Based on past experience I would thus not put too much stock in US assurances that it's fully open accessible data. It would be a frankly weird change of approach, and if anything, Trump is more likely to confirm that approach than change it.

Re: "...most dramatic weather in near-real time"

Sadly,, many millions of quid on new kit don't have appeared to have improved the accuracy.

I've found the UK Met Office claims "our four day forecast is as accurate as our one day forecast was 30 years ago" and provides an aftermath analysis of how the weather turned out compared to its forecast. (I'd love to see US weather stations follow suit.)

But does anyone have independent verification of the Met's performance in a useful, statistical fashion? I've found rants from the Daily Mail and plenty of internet cynicism, but they all seem to regurgitate and re-parse the Met's own numbers.