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NEXRAD Product Improvement
SETI engineers played an key role in the development of the Open Radar Product Generator (ORPG) which is currently running at NWS forecast offices across the country and selected DOD sites around the world. Now they are actively engaged in a project that will bring dual-polarization technology to the network beginning in 2009.
IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS AND FINDING SOLUTIONS:
NWS Dual-Polarization Upgrade
PROBLEM: Updating National Weather Service radars with dual-polarization capability will require new algorithms.
SOLUTION: SETI engineers have been developing and testing new hydrometeor classification and rainfall estimation algorithms to support the transfer of dual polarization technology to the NWS.
(left) Sample
Hydrometeor Classification Display (Larger
image);
(right) Sample
1 Hr Accumulated Precipitation Display (Larger image)
PROBLEM: Forecasters could issue more precise warnings if they could view highly detailed information.
SOLUTION: New high-resolution radial products (super-res) in development will better support severe weather detection.
(left) Sample
reflectivity display using current NEXRAD resolution (Larger
image);
(middle) Sample
recombined high-res reflectivity display using Blackman-Hanning filter
to mimic current WSR-88D resolution (Larger
image);
(right) Sample
high-resolution reflectivity display using Blackman-Hanning filter (Larger
image)
Dual-Polarization Research Tools
PROBLEM: Dual-polarization capability will require a new format for Level 2 data.
SOLUTION: A new archive level 2 format will support moment fields introduced by the addition of dual-polarization capability and super resolution (1/2 degree azimuthal spacing) data.
New enhanced level 2 format (Larger image)
PROBLEM: In some situations, detecting a tornado and determining its exact location is difficult.
SOLUTION: SETI
engineers have developed a software tool to improve identification of
meteorological and non-meteorological targets in time series radar data. This
software tool, the Research Radar Analysis Tool (RRAT), links time series
and moment data together by presenting traditional PPI views and displaying
spectral graphs of time series data at selected gates. Forecasters may
eventually use a tool similar to this to better detect and identify the
location of a tornado. 2004
IIPS Conference abstract 
Sample RRAT Display of Moment and Time Series Data (Larger image)
