Satellite Data Product Maturity Levels

NOAA GOES-R and JPSS satellite products undergo a formal validation process to assess their maturity level. There are three maturity levels: Beta, Provisional, and Full (GOES-R/ABI) or Validated (JPSS/VIIRS). The criteria for the maturity levels are similar for GOES-R and JPSS products, and are generalized below.

Users of Beta and Provisional maturity products bear all responsibility for inspecting the data prior to use and for the manner in which the data are utilized.

Beta Maturity

  • Early release product; data are preliminary and non-operational
  • Undergoing testing and initial calibration
  • Minimally validated and may still contain significant errors; rapid algorithm/product changes can be expected
  • Made available to users to gain familiarity with data formats and parameters
  • Not appropriate for quantitative scientific publications, studies, or applications

Provisional Maturity

  • Product is ready for operational use
  • Incremental product improvements may still be occurring
  • Validation is still ongoing; product performance has been demonstrated through a large, but still (seasonally or otherwise) limited number of independent measurements
  • All known anomalies are documented and available to the user community

Full/Validated Maturity

  • Product is operational
  • Performance has been tested and documented over a wide range of conditions
  • All known anomalies are documented and shared with the user community
  • Key user input has been assessed

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