About 

The GOES-East and GOES-West Derived Motion Winds (DMW) product estimates wind speeds and directions from the movement of cloud and moisture seen in Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) spectral bands. Winds are produced using ABI Channels 2 (0.64 um), 7 (3.9 um), 8 (6.2 um), 9 (7.0 um), 10 (7.4 um) and 14 (11.2 um). The product has a measurement range of 0 - 300 knots for speed and 0 to 360 degrees for direction.

When tracking clouds, the winds algorithm makes use of cloud top heights, estimated by a separate algorithm, to assign the most representative height to the feature being tracked. For clear-sky (water vapor) winds, the algorithm tracks moisture gradients, determining their height from brightness temperatures and a short term temperature forecast (the GFS model).

Limitations

Quality Consistency: The product's accuracy is 7.5 m/s (~15 knots) and degrades in quality near the edges of the GOES footprint.

AWIPS 

Location: GOES-East and GOES-West By Sector → Select Sector → Derived Products → Derived Motion Winds

Color Maps: For By-Pressure, wind vectors are colored according to the pressure range selected. For displays "By Channel" and "By Mandatory Levels," wind barbs are colored based upon the speed being displayed – 0-30 knots: green;30-50 knots: yellow; 50+ knots: red. The size of the wind barbs can be modified by right-clicking the legend and selecting "magnification".

Sampling: Sampling returns the Wind speed in Knots and Direction from which the wind is coming in deg (ranging from 0 (North)-360).

Quality Flags: In AWIPS, a mask is used to store and display the "good quality" wind vectors as deemed by the algorithm.

Technique: The DMW product is useful for situational awareness when trying to identify the speed and direction of wind at various levels in the atmosphere. DMWs may indicate warm or cold air advection and mean wind flow. This can also help in identifying the jet stream, jet streaks, and centers of low pressure (such as mid-latitude cyclones or tropical storms).

The GOES DMW product can be used with several model fields to identify horizontal advection of moisture, vorticity, and temperature. They can also be used to compare modeled upper-level wind patterns and determine which model is best capturing the atmospheric situation at the time. The location of the jet stream and jet streaks can also be identified (and compared to models) for additional confidence as well as implications for cyclogenesis.