NWP SAF SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT RECORD
Originator: Anton Verhoef
Organisation: KNMI
Date submitted: October 2015
Deliverable name: PenWP
Previously released version number: v1.9 (beta)
New version number: v2.0
Type of Release:
[X] ORIGINAL
[
] MAJOR CHANGE
[
] MINOR CHANGE
DEVELOPMENT DESCRIPTION
Synopsis (one-line summary): Development of a software package to calculate ocean surface wind vectors from Ku-band pencil beam scatterometer level 2a data.
Description: The Pencil Beam Wind Processor (PenWP) is a software package written in Fortran 90 for handling data from the SeaWinds (on QuikSCAT or ADEOS-II), OSCAT
(on Oceansat 2), HSCAT (on HY 2A) and RapidScat (on the International Space Station) scatterometer instruments. PenWP is intended to be a generic wind processor for Ku band
pencil beam scatterometer data. It will be adapted to handle data from future instruments like the OSCAT successor ScatSAT once they become available. PenWP generates surface
winds based on pencil beam radar backscatter data. It allows performing the ambiguity removal with the Two-dimensional Variational Ambiguity Removal (2DVAR) method and it
supports the Multiple Solution Scheme (MSS). The output of PenWP consists of wind vectors which represent surface winds within the ground swath of the scatterometer.
Input of PenWP is Normalized Radar Cross Section (NRCS) data. These data may be near real-time. The input files of PenWP are in BUFR. Conversion programs are included in
the package to convert Hierarchical Data Format (HDF5) data from various instruments to BUFR. Output is written using the SeaWinds BUFR template or the KNMI BUFR
template with generic wind section. Moreover, PenWP needs Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model winds as a first guess for the Ambiguity Removal step. These data need
to be provided in GRIB 1 or GRIB 2 format.
The PenWP software is to a great extent based on existing routines that have been developed in earlier (NWP SAF and other) projects, e.g. for the processing of ERS, ASCAT,
SeaWinds and OSCAT scatterometer data. These routines are part of the so-called genscat library and include functionality for Wind Inversion, Ambiguity Removal and GRIB and
BUFR data handling. PenWP is the successor of OWDP (the OSCAT Wind Data Processor) and as such, its version numbers are larger than the highest released OWDP version
number (1.1)
DEVELOPMENT APPROVAL
Prior SG approval required: YES
If “YES” - SG decision
Summary of decision:
Date:
Team Leader approval
Name: Ad Stoffelen
Date: October 2015
NWP SAF Manager approval
Name: Chiara Piccolo
Date: 2 November 2015
Review action
Assessment of RapidScat wind data quality
SCIENTIFIC REVIEW (see DPSD section 3.1.2)
Description, references, etc.
Verhoef, A., J. Vogelzang and A. Stoffelen, RapidScat wind validation report version 1.1, SAF/OSI/CDOP2/KNMI/TEC/RP/228,
EUMETSAT, 2015.
OSI SAF RapidScat winds Operational
Readiness Review (ORR)
In the OSI SAF ORR, carried out in February and March 2015, the RapidScat wind processing which is done in near-real time by
PenWP, has been reviewed.
User
USER REQUIREMENT REVIEW (see DPSD section 3.1.2)
Description of requirement (reference to helpdesk?)
Maintain and develop capability to process existing and new operational wind scatterometers consistently.
The scatterometer data processors’ main application is to form the cores of observation operators for assimilating scatterometer data
within operational NWP models.
The software must be fast enough for near real time (NRT) processing.
PenWP is meant to be a generic wind processor for all current and historic pencil beam Ku-band scatterometry missions: SeaWinds,
OSCAT, HSCAT and RapidScat. It will be adapted to support future missions as well.
Activity
Performed
Test Folder created
Performed by …
Name: Anton Verhoef
Date: March 2014
DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLE RECORD
Approved
Comments …
(including document references, file locations and a
justification if the activity has not been performed)
Sample OSCAT and NWP data was put in penwp/tests
directory
Module test programs have been created ‘on the fly’ as a part
of the development of the modules, see chapter 2 of the
PenWP Test Report.
Beta-testers
appointed
Performed by …
Name: Anton Verhoef
Ten beta testers volunteered to test the package. See report
NWPSAF-KN-BT-003
Date: June 2015
Product
Specification
generated
Top Level Design
generated
Test Plan generated
Performed by …
Name: Anton Verhoef
Approved by …
Name: Ad Stoffelen
The Product Specification is in the PenWP Product
Specification, NWPSAF-KN-DS-002
Date: January 2014
Date: January 2014
It was decided to create a generic wind processor for all Kuband pencil beam scatterometers.
Performed by …
Name: Anton Verhoef
Approved by …
Name: Ad Stoffelen
The Top Level Design is in the PenWP Top Level Design,
NWPSAF-KN-DS-001
Date: January 2014
Date: January 2014
The SDP, AWDP and OWDP TLDs are used for PenWP as
well.
Performed by …
Name: Anton Verhoef
Date: March 2015
PenWP Test Plan and Test Report, NWPSAF-KN-TV-008
Module Design
generated and
approved
Module tests
recorded in Test
Folder
Performed by …
Name: Anton Verhoef
Approved by …
Name: Ad Stoffelen
The Module Design is in the PenWP Top Level Design,
NWPSAF-KN-DS-001
Date: January 2014
Date: January 2014
The SDP, AWDP and OWDP MDs are used for PenWP as
well.
Performed by …
Name: Anton Verhoef
PenWP Test Plan and Test Report, NWPSAF-KN-TV-008
Date: April 2015
Integration tests
recorded in Test
Folder
Performed by …
Name: Anton Verhoef
PenWP Test Plan and Test Report, NWPSAF-KN-TV-008
Date: April 2015
Validation tests
recorded in Test
Folder
Performed by …
Name: Anton Verhoef
Date: April 2015
PenWP Test Plan and Test Report, NWPSAF-KN-TV-008
Portability tests
recorded in Test
Folder
Performed by …
Name: Anton Verhoef
PenWP Test Plan and Test Report, NWPSAF-KN-TV-008
Date: April 2015
Beta testing
completed, reports
and responses
recorded in Test
Folder
Managed by …
Name: Anton Verhoef
PenWP Beta Testers Report, NWPSAF-KN-BT-003
Date: October 2015
APPROVAL FOR RELEASE
DRI required: YES
If “YES” - DRI outcome
Summary of outcome:
Date: November 2015
The Board recommends to Steering Group to authorise the delivery of this software package, and to task the Project Team to make it available to
users as soon as possible together with the user documentation related, and to inform users on the NWP SAF webpage.
Team Leader approval
Name: Ad Stoffelen
Date: November 2015
NWP SAF Manager approval
Name: Samantha Pullen
Date: November 2015
SG release authorization
Evidence:
Date: December 2015
DISTRIBUTION
Release Date: December 2015
Comments: