Caveats Concerning the Use of Archived WSR-88D Level II Data from Camp Humphreys or Kunsan Air Base, South Koreaa

WSR-88D Level II from the U. S. Air Force WSR-88Ds in South Korea are available with a 24 hour latency from the NCDC archive, as with the Level II data from the other 134 WSR-88Ds on the NWS Level II Data Collection and Distribution Network. The Level II data from the Camp Humphreys (RKSG) and Kunsan Air Base (RKJK) WSR-88Ds reach NCDC by a different architecture than that used for the rest of the network. The data are sent to the Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA) by communication lines the KMA set up to support KMA research and development work. The KMA has agreed to send these data to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). The NCDC has agreed to make these data available from the archives via the NCDC radar resources page http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/nexradinv/ . The NCDC has been receiving these data for several months and the reliability of data receipt has exceeded the required 95%.

The unique architecture for making the data available has caveats that data users should be aware of:

  1. There is no guaranteed reliability of data delivery or data latency. The data will be provided on a "best effort" basis. The NCDC is not staffed 24/7 to resolve data flow problems. There is no agreement with the KMA to troubleshoot and repair data disruptions within a certain period of time Neither the NWS nor the NCDC has control over the communications path the data traverses.
  2. The NWS Telecommunications Operations Center will not contact the Korean WSR-88D sites or the KMA to notify them of outages. The NCDC will monitor the data flows during "regular" duty hours and contact the KMA in case of outages. The NCDC will work with the KMA to restore the data flow.
  3. Data users should not contact the WSR-88D sites or the KMA.

If you have questions concerning these data, contact Tim Crum ( Tim.D.Crum@noaa.gov , 405-573-8888).