MELBOURNE, Fla., and
WASHINGTON, July 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --
Highlights:
- Dr. Kathryn Sullivan addressed
Brevard County leaders and first
responders during meeting at Harris Corporation Thursday
- Stressed need for continued funding of advanced weather
forecasting technology
- Harris is prime contractor for faster, higher-resolution ground
segment of next-generation NOAA weather system
Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, assistant
secretary of commerce for environmental observation and prediction,
and deputy administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), today emphasized the vital role played by
the agency's satellite programs in providing timely weather data
that can save lives during severe weather.
Sullivan addressed a luncheon gathering of area leaders and
first responders co-sponsored by the Economic Development
Commission of Florida's Space
Coast (EDC) and Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS). The meeting was
held at the Harris Customer Briefing Center in Melbourne. A recording of the webcast may be
viewed at http://www.yottastream.com/harris/.
"Our polar and geostationary satellites are the backbone of the
nation's weather enterprise," said Sullivan. "It is critical that
we keep NOAA's weather programs funded, even in this tight fiscal
environment."
Among the programs she discussed is the next generation of
NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES).
Today's GOES satellites are a significant tool used by NOAA to
detect and track hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes and other
severe weather in the continental U.S. and western hemisphere.
The next generation of this program, the GOES Series-R (GOES-R),
is expected to significantly speed severe weather prediction and
warnings by processing and delivering 40 times more data than is
possible today to NOAA's National Weather Service and more than
10,000 direct users. GOES-R also will vastly improve image
resolution and increase the rate of imagery coverage of Earth's
surfaces from every 30 minutes to every five minutes in normal
conditions — and every 30 seconds during severe weather events. In
addition, the GOES-R system will provide a new capability for
continuous monitoring of total lightning activity, which provides
early indication of storm intensification and severe weather
events, including improved tornado warning lead time. The first
launch of a GOES-R series satellite is scheduled for 2015.
Harris is the prime contractor for the ground segment of GOES-R,
a 10-year contract with a potential value of $736 million. More than 380 people from Harris
and its subcontractors work on the GOES-R program nationwide, with
nearly 240 of those people directly employed by Harris and based in
the Melbourne-area. The
ground segment encompasses receiving and processing of satellite
data, generating and distributing products from satellite data, and
command and control of operational satellites.
"GOES-R will give National Weather Service forecasters and
government agencies an unprecedented edge when dealing with severe
weather conditions," said Sheldon
Fox, group president, Harris Government Communications
Systems. "We have seen first-hand in recent years the devastating
impact of severe weather in many parts of our nation, and here in
Florida we are just one month into
the Atlantic hurricane season. It is clear that the continued
development of advanced forecasting technology is essential to
saving lives and lessening the economic impact of destructive
weather."
Harris is a recognized leader in satellite ground data
processing and mission command-and-control systems. The company's
ground data processing systems consist of complex suites of
hardware and software that receive sensor data from satellites,
turning it into useable information. The company's
command-and-control systems feature commercial-off-the-shelf design
and high levels of flexibility. Designed for government and
commercial applications, they support single-satellite missions, as
well as some of the largest and most complex satellite fleets
deployed today.
About Harris Corporation
Harris is an international communications and information
technology company serving government and commercial markets in
more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has
approximately $6 billion of annual
revenue and more than 16,000 employees — including nearly 7,000
engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing
best-in-class assured communications® products, systems, and
services. Additional information about Harris Corporation is
available at www.harris.com.
Sleighton Meyer
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Jim Burke
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Harris Government Communications
Systems
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Harris Corporation
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sleighton.meyer@harris.com
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jim.burke@harris.com
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321-727-6514
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321-727-9131
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Marc Raimondi
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Harris Corporation – Washington,
D.C.
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marc.raimondi@harris.com
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703-739-1738
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SOURCE Harris Corporation