The images here are from 18Z on April 12, 1999. The first image shows that FST (in SW Texas) is reporting a dewpoint of 50F. At that location the cursor readout tells us that the GOES TPW is 0.671" and the 11u-12u difference is 2.5C (AWIPS multiples the difference by 2 to stretch the data).
The second image shows that ROW (in SE New Mexico) is reporting a dewpoint of 30F. At that location the cursor readout tells us that the GOES TPW is 0.276" and the 11u-12u difference is 0.0C.
The third image shows that in the clear area near the Texas Panhandle the dewpoint is in the mid-60s. At that location the cursor readout tells us that the GOES TPW is 1.423" and the 11u-12u difference is 4.0C.
This example shows that the GOES 11u-12u product can detect dry versus moist boundary layers. The GOES TPW can also be useful in detecting similar differences. The use of these satellite products with the surface data (METARs) can give a better view of the horizontal distribution of near surface moisture.
This is just a quick example to show how AWIPS makes it easy to combine satellite and surface data.
