Technical Information

FASTA delivers state-of-the-art near-real-time nowcasting products via an Android app and API. This is currently only available for open testing over East Africa with a focus over Kenya.

This app is currently free to download to anyone in Kenya. 

The data that FASTA uses is from a Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite operated by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) using the Convective Rainfall Rate (CRR) and Rapidly Developing Thunderstorms (RDT) products produced from NWCSAF

EUMATSAT NWCSAF logo

Once meteorological satellite data from the EUMETCAST transmission has been received (in near real time) it is processed (along with numerical weather prediction data from the Global Forecast System (GFS) model using the NoWCasting Satellite Application Facility (NWC SAF) software for geostationary satellite data (NWCSAF-GEO).
Products (specifically the rapidly developing thunderstorms; RDT and convective rainfall rate; CRR) are post processed and used to update a database. This database is then called on by both the FASTA API and the FASTA application to give near-real-time storm position and rainfall amount information.

Fig. 1. Schematic detailing the basic operational structure of FASTA. In particular the receipt of satellite data, the production of NWCSAF products, post processing, product database, API and application.