Acquisition and Use of NEXRAD and FAA Doppler Weather Radar Data Presented to the Monroney Aeronautical Center 9 November 2000 ns f Kelvin K. Droegemeier Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms and School of Meteorology University of Oklahoma NEXRAD Doppler Radar Network NEXRAD Facts and Figures 158 radars (141 in the Continental US) – 120 National Weather Service radars – 26 Department of Defense radars – 12 Federal Aviation Administration radars NEXRAD Data Types Archive Level I (raw receiver data) Level II data (digital data in spherical coordinates at full resolution) Archive Level III (digital products) Archive Level IV (forecaster-generated products) NEXRAD Data Types Archive Level I (raw receiver data) Level II data (digital data in spherical coordinates at full resolution) Archive Level III (digital products) Archive Level IV (forecaster-generated products) NEXRAD Product Data (NIDS) 24 products available from all CONUS radars in real time Lowest 4 elevation angles only Low-precision because values are quantized (e.g., 0-5, 5-10, 10-15) ns f ns f NEXRAD Data Types Archive Level I (raw receiver data) Level II data (digital data in spherical coordinates at full resolution) Archive Level III (digital products) Archive Level IV (forecaster-generated products) NEXRAD Base (Level II) Data Full resolution digital data – Full data precision – All elevation angles Not available in real time except for selected sites (more on that later) This data set is the focus of our efforts ns f Base Data Usage: NSSL Warning Decision Support System on 3 May 1999 ns f Courtesy National Severe Storms Laboratory Trimmed Detections and Ground Truth Damage Paths Hits (142) Misses (25) FAs (21) Courtesy D. Zittel The Value of NEXRAD Radar Data for Numerical Storm Prediction: The 3 May 1999 Oklahoma Tornado Outbreak Copyright 1999 The Daily Oklahoman CAPS Numerical Forecasts of the May 3 Tornadic Storms 5:00 pm - Model Initialization Time Storm Beyond Velocity Range of NEXRAD ARPS Prediction Model (0 hour forecast) NEXRAD Radar Observations ns f CAPS Numerical Forecasts of the May 3 Tornadic Storms 5:30 pm - 30 min Forecast Model Generates the Storm Itself ARPS Prediction Model (1/2 hour forecast) NEXRAD Radar Observations ns f CAPS Numerical Forecasts of the May 3 Tornadic Storms 6:00 pm - 1 hour Forecast ARPS Prediction Model (1 hour forecast) NEXRAD Radar Observations ns f CAPS Numerical Forecasts of the May 3 Tornadic Storms 6:30 pm - 1.5 hour Forecast Strong Mesocyclone Present ARPS Prediction Model (1 1/2 hour forecast) Tornado on the Ground NEXRAD Radar Observations ns f CAPS Numerical Forecasts of the May 3 Tornadic Storms 7:00 pm - 2 hour Forecast ARPS Prediction Model (2 hour forecast) NEXRAD Radar Observations ns f Forecasts With and Without NEXRAD Data WITHOUT WITH Moore, OK Tornadic Storm 2-Hour CAPS Computer Forecast Down to the Scale of Counties NEXRAD Radar Observations Summary: WSR-88D Radar Data The scientific and operational communities need base data (real time and archived) Although NIDS data are available in real time from all WSR-88D radars, they are insufficient for many applications (NWP, hydrology) – Degradation of precision – Only the lowest 4 tilts are transmitted Base data currently are not available in real time – Originally would have been expensive – Presumed large volume of data (10 mbytes/5 min/radar) – Need wasn’t there 10 years ago The technology and need now exist to prototype the direct acquisition, use, and archival of base data in real time ns f The Collaborative Radar Acquisition Field Test (CRAFT) Establish a prototype real time WSR-88D base data acquisition test bed to – Evaluate strategies for compressing and transmitting base data in real time – Develop efficient and cost-effective strategies for direct digital ingest, archive, and retrieval at NCDC – Assess the value of base data in numerical weather prediction – Test web-based data mining techniques for rapid perusal/access of base data by the scientific community ns f Technical Strategy At the radar site Dedicated 56K line Cisco 1600 Series Router($2000) ($2000 - $6000/year) Server WSR-88D Internet RIDDS Linux PC Unidata LDM ($1500) Users Repeater Hub ns f Original CRAFT Network ns f CRAFT Phase I: Proof-of-Concept ns f Abilene Network January 1999 Seattle New York Sacramento Denver Indianapolis Kansas City Los Angeles Atlanta Abilene Router Node Abilene Access Node Operational January 1999 Planned 1999 Houston New Concept: Abilene/Internet2 + NEXRAD ns f New Concept: Abilene/Internet2 + NEXRAD ns f New Concept: Abilene/Internet2 + NEXRAD ns f New Concept: Abilene/Internet2 + NEXRAD U-WA NCEP AWC NCAR/FSL NCDC OU TPC ns f Radars Now Delivering Data ns f Links to be Established by This Time Next Year ns f Using the Data for Aviation ns f Weather Hazard Detection: FAA Earmark Funding to CAPS ns f Some Examples GOES Visible, 2245 Z 4 June 1998 KFWS Composite Reflectivity 00 Z, 4 June 1998 ns f Sample Aviation Products Cloud Type and LWC at FL 050 Cloud Type and LWC at FL 320 Cloud Type and LWC N/S X-Section ns f Sample Aviation Products Downburst Potential Surface Isotachs & Streamlines CAPE & Helicity ns f Sample Aviation Products Surface Visibility Clear-Air Turbulence Icing Potential ns f Weather Hazard Detection: FAA Earmark Funding to CAPS ns f Weather Hazard Detection: FAA Earmark Funding to CAPS ns f Statistical Climatologies of Storm Characteristics (location, intensity, movement, initiation, decay) relative to NAS assets Pugh (2000) Mitchell et al. (2000) Mitchell et al. (2000) The Future: FAA Radars The CRAFT concept can be extended to include FAA radars that process weather information – TDWR (terminal Doppler weather radar) – ASR (airport surveillance radar) – ARSR (air route surveillance radar) ns f TDWR ns f Weber (2000) Airport Surveillance Radars (ASR-9) ns f Weber (2000) Airport Surveillance Radars (ASR-9) ns f Weber (2000) Airport Surveillance Radars (ASR-11) ns f Weber (2000) Air Route Surveillance Radars (ARSR-4) ns f Weber (2000) The Result An integrated, national data set of highly detailed weather radar information for use in – Numerical weather prediction – Real time air traffic control and planning – Research of specific relevance to aviation The radar data can be used to create “assimilated” data sets that provide all meteorological variables at high resolution We’re positioning Norman to serve as a national data repository for real time access ns f Funding Status – NOAA ESDIM Grant funded (CAPS+NSSL+OSF+NCDC) $540K/3 years Research Thrusts – Test of direct ingest/archival at NCDC – Improve compression algorithms – Initial work on web-based data mining – NOAA earmark funding to OU $474K for 1 year Expand CRAFT to 30 radars (CRAFT-2) Develop data assimilation capabilities for the WRF model Kelvin doing a mini-sabbatical at the NSSL this fall – HPCC Proposal ($150K for 1 year, about to be funded) Data mining Network quality of service research Hardware for additional radars ns f Funding Status – FAA earmark funding to OU $250K for 1 year Assimilate data from multiple radars Provide real-time aviation hazard products A collaboration with the SPC and AWC Hope to involve NCAR (say via the National Convective Forecast Product) Fits into the CCFP? ns f The Next Steps The Oklahoma meteorological community is ideally poised to take the lead in bringing the FAA radars into Project CRAFT Will involve collaboration with others (MIT/LL, NCAR) The need has been recognized (Weber, 2000) A proof-of-concept test is needed (cost will be minimal) Could begin with OKC TDWR and extend to other systems (one ASR-9, one ASR-11, one ARSR-4) The FAA earmark grant could be used to add a TDWR to the CRAFT data in the real time assimilated data sets Develop a white paper and establish collaborations ns f