Acquisition and Use of NEXRAD and FAA Doppler Weather Radar Data Presented to the Monroney Aeronautical Center 9 November 2000 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 n 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 n Archive Level I (raw receiver data) n Level II data (digital data in spherical coordinates at full resolution) n Archive Level III (digital products) n Archive Level IV (forecaster-generated products)

NEXRAD Data Types n Archive Level I (raw receiver data) n Level II data (digital data in spherical coordinates at full resolution) n Archive Level III (digital products) n Archive Level IV (forecaster-generated products)

NEXRAD Product Data (NIDS) n 24 products available from all CONUS radars in real time n Lowest 4 elevation angles only n Low-precision because values are quantized (e.g., 0-5, 5-10, 10-15)

NEXRAD Data Types n Archive Level I (raw receiver data) n Level II data (digital data in spherical coordinates at full resolution) n Archive Level III (digital products) n Archive Level IV (forecaster-generated products)

NEXRAD Base (Level II) Data n Full resolution digital data –Full data precision –All elevation angles n Not available in real time except for selected sites (more on that later) n This data set is the focus of our efforts

Base Data Usage: NSSL Warning Decision Support System on 3 May 1999 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

NEXRAD Radar Observations CAPS Numerical Forecasts of the May 3 Tornadic Storms 5:00 pm - Model Initialization Time ARPS Prediction Model (0 hour forecast) Storm Beyond Velocity Range of NEXRAD

NEXRAD Radar Observations 5:30 pm - 30 min Forecast ARPS Prediction Model (1/2 hour forecast) Model Generates the Storm Itself CAPS Numerical Forecasts of the May 3 Tornadic Storms

NEXRAD Radar Observations 6:00 pm - 1 hour Forecast ARPS Prediction Model (1 hour forecast) CAPS Numerical Forecasts of the May 3 Tornadic Storms

NEXRAD Radar Observations 6:30 pm hour Forecast ARPS Prediction Model (1 1/2 hour forecast) CAPS Numerical Forecasts of the May 3 Tornadic Storms Strong Mesocyclone Present Tornado on the Ground

NEXRAD Radar Observations 7:00 pm - 2 hour Forecast ARPS Prediction Model (2 hour forecast) CAPS Numerical Forecasts of the May 3 Tornadic Storms

NEXRAD Radar Observations Forecasts With and Without NEXRAD Data Moore, OK Tornadic Storm 2-Hour CAPS Computer Forecast Down to the Scale of Counties WITH WITHOUT

Summary: WSR-88D Radar Data n The scientific and operational communities need base data (real time and archived) n 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 n 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 n The technology and need now exist to prototype the direct acquisition, use, and archival of base data in real time

The Collaborative Radar Acquisition Field Test (CRAFT) n 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

Technical Strategy Repeater Hub RIDDS Linux PC Unidata LDM ($1500) Server Dedicated 56K line ($ $6000/year) Cisco 1600 Series Router($2000) WSR-88D At the radar site Users Internet

Original CRAFT Network

CRAFT Phase I: Proof-of-Concept

Abilene Network January 1999 Cleveland New York Atlanta Indianapolis Kansas City Houston Denver Los Angeles Sacramento Seattle Abilene Router Node Abilene Access Node Operational January 1999 Planned 1999

New Concept: Abilene/Internet2 + NEXRAD

NCEP NCDC OU NCAR/FSL U-WA New Concept: Abilene/Internet2 + NEXRAD AWC TPC

Radars Now Delivering Data

Links to be Established by This Time Next Year

Using the Data for Aviation

Weather Hazard Detection: FAA Earmark Funding to CAPS

Some Examples GOES Visible, 2245 Z 4 June 1998 KFWS Composite Reflectivity 00 Z, 4 June 1998

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

Downburst PotentialSurface Isotachs & Streamlines CAPE & Helicity Sample Aviation Products

Surface VisibilityClear-Air TurbulenceIcing Potential Sample Aviation Products

Weather Hazard Detection: FAA Earmark Funding to CAPS

Statistical Climatologies of Storm Characteristics (location, intensity, movement, initiation, decay) relative to NAS assets Pugh (2000)

Mitchell et al. (2000)

The Future: FAA Radars n 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)

TDWR Weber (2000)

Airport Surveillance Radars (ASR-9) Weber (2000)

Airport Surveillance Radars (ASR-9) Weber (2000)

Airport Surveillance Radars (ASR-11) Weber (2000)

Air Route Surveillance Radars (ARSR-4) Weber (2000)

n 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 n The radar data can be used to create “assimilated” data sets that provide all meteorological variables at high resolution n We’re positioning Norman to serve as a national data repository for real time access The Result

–NOAA ESDIM Grant funded (CAPS+NSSL+OSF+NCDC) n $540K/3 years n Research Thrusts –Test of direct ingest/archival at NCDC –Improve compression algorithms –Initial work on web-based data mining –NOAA earmark funding to OU n $474K for 1 year n Expand CRAFT to 30 radars (CRAFT-2) n Develop data assimilation capabilities for the WRF model n Kelvin doing a mini-sabbatical at the NSSL this fall –HPCC Proposal ($150K for 1 year, about to be funded) n Data mining n Network quality of service research n Hardware for additional radars Funding Status

–FAA earmark funding to OU n $250K for 1 year n Assimilate data from multiple radars n Provide real-time aviation hazard products n A collaboration with the SPC and AWC n Hope to involve NCAR (say via the National Convective Forecast Product) n Fits into the CCFP? Funding Status

n The Oklahoma meteorological community is ideally poised to take the lead in bringing the FAA radars into Project CRAFT n Will involve collaboration with others (MIT/LL, NCAR) n The need has been recognized (Weber, 2000) n A proof-of-concept test is needed (cost will be minimal) n Could begin with OKC TDWR and extend to other systems (one ASR-9, one ASR-11, one ARSR-4) n The FAA earmark grant could be used to add a TDWR to the CRAFT data in the real time assimilated data sets n Develop a white paper and establish collaborations The Next Steps