Commercial (Comm) Radio Occultation (RO) Raw Data Record (RDR) from PlanetiQ

This dataset contains Commercial (Comm) Radio Occultation (RO) Raw Data Records (RDR) from PlanetiQ. It is from Radio Occultation Data Buy II (RODB-2) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ), dated March 27, 2023 to March 26, 2028. For RODB-2 IDIQ, NOAA solicited commercial near-real-time satellite-based Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Radio Occultation (RO) and ionospheric measurements that will be processed into neutral atmosphere and space weather products. These derived products will be fed into NOAA's operational data systems, including weather and space weather analysis and prediction systems, and used for weather, climate, and atmospheric research purposes.

CommRO is an is an established method for remote sounding of the atmosphere. The technique uses an instrument in low-Earth orbit to track radio signals from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) transmitters as they rise or set through the atmosphere. The occulting atmosphere refracts or bends the radio signals, and given the precise positions of both satellites, the bending angle can be deduced from the time delay of the signal. Collecting these measurements for a full occultation through the atmosphere provides a vertical profile of bending angles, from which profiles of physical quantities such as temperature, humidity, and ionospheric electron density can be retrieved. These data primarily feed numerical weather prediction (NWP) models that support weather forecasts, and also support space weather analysis/prediction at NOAA.