## 3 Science Data Product Performance
### The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Instrument and Science Data Products
The gridded SST product shows comparable performance with SST EDRs, and the product is used by several major international NWP centers. As shown in Figure 5, the SST produced from GOES-16 (on the left panel) and from SNPP (on the right panel) using the same ACSPO algorithm show consistent features between the two satellite platforms. Whereas the higher temporal resolution of GOES-16 allows better coverage of SST for low and middle latitude, the S-NPP allows global coverage including Polar Regions and higher spatial resolution. In addition to using JPSS and GOES observations, the ACSPO system also brings in non-NOAA satellite SST products to produce global 5 km blended SST products benefitting from both the higher spatial resolutions of polar satellite data and the higher temporal resolution of geostationary satellite data [52]. The VIIRS Ocean Color (OC) products are generated using the NOAA Multi-Sensor Level 1 to Level 2 (MSL12) processing system [53; 54] for both near real-time applications and for science quality applications [55] for incorporation into longer time series needs such as the integrated ecosystem approach for fisheries management applications [56]. The Ocean Color products from JPSS VIIRS are also reprocessed for the best quality mission-long S-NPP OC products to benefit the users worldwide. Figure 6 shows a five-year climatology of the global distribution of the chlorophyll derived from the reprocessed OC products. Applications of JPSS ocean data products include the use of VIIRS SST products for coral reef watch anomalies, hotspots, and bleaching area alerts [57], and many of these products are distributed through the CoastWatch, OceanWatch, and PolarWatch portals [52; 58]. All S-NPP ocean data products have reached validated maturity and Table 6 shows the APU specifications for these products. Figure 5: The ACSPO enterprise algorithm produces consistent results when applied on GOES-16 ABI (**left**) and on the VIIRS (**right**) for nighttime composites in the same domain. Large areas are cloudy during the S-NPP night overpass at 1:30 am on 29 July 2017; the GOES-16 ABI nighttime composite picks up more clear areas due to the high temporal resolution (every 15 min). The VIIRS SST, on the other hand, provides global coverage, including the polar regions. (Figure courtesy: [PERSON], STAR SST team). The VIIRS Atmospheric composition products include aerosol products, namely, (1) the aerosol optical depth (or aerosol optical thickness, AOD, AOT, quantitative measure of aerosol loading), and (2) the aerosol detection product (ADP, qualitative information on the type of aerosol based on MODIS algorithm) [59]. The AOD product from VIIRS is a pixel-level product at a very high resolution. The JSTAR aerosol team has developed the NOAA enterprise processing system (EPS) aerosol algorithm, which works for both S-NPP/JPSS and GOES-16. The EPS algorithm implemented in NDE [60; 61; 62; 63] requires observed spectral reflectances from a set of VIS and NIR bands and many ancillary data sets. Unlike traditional retrieval algorithms, the AOD algorithm compares the VIIRS observed spectral reflectances for selected VIS and NIR bands with reflectances calculated for a set of AOD and aerosol models. The algorithm then selects the AOD and the aerosol model for which the calculated reflectances best match the observed ones over dark and bright surfaces. The algorithm computes actual exponents at two wavelengths to use as a proxy for the aerosol product itself. The algorithm currently operational for S-NPP meets or exceeds the requirements and has shown improved bias characteristics over the IDPS algorithm and retrieval of the AOD product over an expanded measurement range, including bright surfaces in desert and semi-arid dry regions and over inland