What data does the GFS use?

As promised - a more comprehensive look at what data goes into the GFS. All of these types of data from around the entire globe are input into the model on each run. There are obviously different availabilities of some types of data (like for instance flight data will be more available during daylight hours as flights occur more often at that time).

But bear in mind that as the data is worldwide - there will be more data available from different parts of the globe at different times. The net result is probably that each model run has a similar amount of raw data fed into it.

As you can see there is a fair bit of raw data used...

Surface data - Land

Synoptic - restricted (WMO Resolution 40) manual and automatic

Synoptic - fixed manual and automatic

Synoptic - mobile manual and automatic

Aviation - METAR

Vertical soundings - other than Satellite

Rawinsonde - fixed land

Rawinsonde - mobile land

Rawinsonde - ship

Dropwinsonde

Pibal

NEXRAD Vertical Azimuth Display (VAD) winds

Single Level Upper-air data (other than satellite)

Flight level reconnaissance aircraft data

Automated MDCRS ACARS aircraft data (from ARINC)

Automated MDCRS ACARS aircraft data (from ARINC) via AFWA

Manual AIREP format aircraft data

Manual PIREP format aircraft data

Automated AMDAR format ASDAR/ACARS aircraft data

European ASDAR/ACARS Data Aquisition System (E-ADAS) aircraft data (originally in BUFR)

NOAA Profiler Network (NPN) winds

Profiler winds originating from PILOT (Pibal) bulletins

Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) profiler winds

Cooperative Agency Profiler (CAP) winds

RASS temperatures from NOAA Profiler Network (NPN) and Cooperative Agency Profilers (CAP)

Vertical soundings - satellite

GOES/NESDIS-processed 5x5 field-of-view soundings/brightness temperatures

GOES/NESDIS-processed 1x1 field-of-view soundings/brightness temperatures

Surface data - satellite

QuikSCAT products

DMSP/SSM-I - operational products derived at FNMOC

DMSP/SSM-I - Neural Net-3 products derived at NCEP

DMSP/SSM-I - processed brightness temperatures

NASA/Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)/TMI)

Single level upper air data - satellite GOES/NESDIS infrared derived cloud motion (from NESDIS server, originally in BUFR)

GOES/NESDIS water vapor imager derived cloud motion (from NESDIS server, originally in BUFR)

GOES/NESDIS visible derived cloud motion (from NESDIS server, originally in BUFR)

INSAT/India infrared derived cloud motion

INSAT/India visible derived cloud motion

INSAT/India water vapor derived cloud motion

GMS/JMA infrared derived cloud motion - low density (originally in SATOB format)

GMS/JMA visible derived cloud motion - low density (originally in SATOB format)

GMS/JMA water vapor imager derived cloud motion - low density (originally in SATOB format)

METEOSAT/EUMETSAT infrared derived cloud motion (originally in BUFR)

AQUA/TERRA MODIS infrared derived cloud motion

AQUA/TERRA MODIS water vapor imager derived cloud motion

Surface data - sea

Sea level pressure bogus

Ship - manual and automatic

Buoys in FM-18 format (moored or drifting)

Buoys in FM-13 format (moored)

Land-based CMAN station

Tide gauge reports in CREX format

Radiances - satellite measured

AQUA/AIRS, AMSU-A, HSB processed brightness temperatures

GOES NESDIS-processed 11x17 field-of-view imager (clear sky) brightness temperatures

NOAA-14/HIRS-2 (High resolution InfraRed Sounder-2) NCEP-processed brightness temperatures

NOAA-14/MSU (Microwave Sounding Unit) NCEP-processed brightness temperatures

NOAA-15,-16,-17,-18/AMSU-A (Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A) NCEP-processed brightness temperatures

NOAA-15,-16,-17/AMSU-B (Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-B NCEP-processed brightness temperatures

NOAA-15,-16,-17/HIRS-3 (High resolution InfraRed Sounder-3) NCEP-processed brightness temperatures

Physical/chemical constituents

POES/NESDIS Solar backscatter ultraviolet radiances