The Case for an Expanded Digital WEFAX

Abstract

Arguments are presented in support of an intermediate band-width rebroadcast service that would make geostationary satellite image data in digital form available frequently to a broader base of users. The appeal of locally available animated cloud motion display is stressed along with the expanding impact of quantitative observables being extracted from digital imagery. By appropriate investment in uplink and rebroadcast facilities, a variety of potential users could acquire data that would be adequate for many operational applications for a fraction of the cost involved in handling present digital image transmissions.