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Ocean Topography and Cryosphere Branch / Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry

Near Real-time Altimetry

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Near Real-time Altimetry

Near Real-Time Altimeter Validation System (NRTAVS)

The Near Real-Time Altimeter Validation System (NRTAVS) is a highly automated procedure is triggered by the release of near real time products and produces comprehensive, running web-based summaries of individual correction terms, as well as wind, wave and sea-surface height for satellite radar altimeter missions. The summaries produced by the systeminclude geographic images, statistical profiles of pass parameters and data flags, as well as estimates of the radial orbit error.

NRTAVS was developed jointly by NOAA and the Jet Propulsion Laboraotry for the monitoring of the near real time processing of the Jason-1 mission. NOAA has since extended NRTAVS to its successor missions Jason-2 and Jason-3 and have adapted it for AltiKa/SARAL and Sentinel-3A. EUMETSAT and NOAA use the system to quickly respond to any warning generated by NRTAVS. NRTAVS provides an early warning to operators and users of any observed degradation of the product quality, confirm continued quality after software or operational changes, and take rapid action where needed.