BISTRO a broadband imager-sounder for terrestrial remote observations is designed as an integral instrument for an envisioned future NOAA National Global Operational Environmental Satellite System (NGOESS) architecture. This ultra-spectral imager/sounder provides for greater than 4000 spectral channels covering a band from 0.4 to 16.5 microns. The instantaneous footprint on the ground has 4000 spatial elements ranging from 0.25 to 1 km depending on the channel wavelength. Each S/C in the NGOESS constellation is proposed to carry an identical copy of the instrument supporting complete global coverage. The overall system, using BISTRO as a core observing instrument, is designed to meet or exceed current (e.g. POEs and GOEs) and planned (eg. GOES-R, and NPOESS) EDRs, CDRs, and other anticipated "user" requirements in the optical and infrared areas of the electromagnetic spectrum for sounding and imaging. Anticipated future "science" requirements for short-and or long-term (climate) observations have been explored with the science and operations community and are tentatively provided for in the overall system design.