NWS Use of TDWR, S

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Science and Technology Seminar
 NWS use of Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR)
Wednesday, January 18, 2006 200 - 300 P.M.,
SSMC2, Room 2358
Mike Istok, NOAA/NWS/OST/SECMichael.Istok_at_noaa.g
ov
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Background

• In the late 1990s, the NWS began a joint venture
  with the FAA to explore the feasibility of the
  NWS using weather radar information from several
  types of operational FAA radars.
• Potential benefits to the NWS from using FAA
  weather radar data to complement WSR-88D data
  are
• Backup data during WSR-88D outages,
• Low-altitude information at longer ranges of the
  WSR-88D,
• Improved coverage in the WSR-88D cone of silence,
• Data in areas of incomplete WSR-88D coverage
  (e.g., beam blockage, ground clutter),
• Different viewing perspectives on storms to
  better sample radial velocity maxima and storm
  morphology,
• Improved quality control of WSR-88D data for such
  problems as anomalous propagation,
• Potential mitigation of obscuration of storms due
  to range folded echos,
• Improved best information mosaics,
• Improved precipitation estimates,
• Facilitate multiple Doppler analyses to provide
  rectilinear wind fields.

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Background

• FAA Radar Systems under NWS evaluation
• Air Route Surveillance Radar Model 4 (ARSR-4),
• Airport Surveillance Radar Model 11 (ASR-11),
• Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR).
• Proof-of-Concept demonstrations conducted using
  NWS developed Web browsers to access image
  products from FAA radar data
• Evaluation results positive FAA data a valuable
  complement to WSR-88D
• NWS is now developing systems to fully integrate
  FAA radar data into AWIPS

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ARSR-4 System Description

• 43 ARSR-4 units located in the U.S. and other U.S
  territories
• 60-foot diameter, L-Band, phased-array antenna
• 10 beams which are divided into high and low
  stack arrays
• Low stack provides weather data
• NWS 6-level DVIP standard
• Updated every 36 seconds
• Weather data generated by switching at set ranges
  to lower beams at longer ranges
• Beamwidth is 1.41 deg azimuth by 2.2 deg
  elevation
• Range resolution is 0.25nmi and the max range is
  250 nmi

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December 30, 2004 Snow Event Time Loop
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June 26, 2005 Convective Event
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ASR-11 System Description

• FAA and DoD are deploying over 200 radars at
  smaller metro airports and military airfields
• Solid-state, S-Band, airport surveillance radar
• Fan beam antenna beamwidth is 1.41 deg azimuth by
  4.8 deg elevation
• Antenna rotates at 12 RPM and generates a 6-level
  reflectivity map every 30 seconds
• The range resolution is 0.5 nmi and the max range
  is 60 nmi

• Erie demonstration objective is to evaluate the
  utility of ASR-11 data in NWS lake-effect snow
  operations in the Erie, PA area.

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TDWR System Description
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TDWR System Description

• Forty-five units in high population density
  locations.
• Compared to WSR-88D
• Elevation scan angles are site specific to
  optimize detection for the airport
• Aggressive clutter filtering
• Significant Attenuation at times
• More range and velocity folding with C-band
• Higher spatial and temporal resolution
• Hazardous and Monitor modes of operation
• Hazardous mode temporal resolution
• Low elevation angle scan every minute
• Volume scanning updates every three minutes
• Spatial resolution
• ½ degree conical beamwidth sampled at 1 degree
  azimuth radials
• Low PRF Reflectivity scan 150 m bins to range of
  135 km then 300 m bins to 460 km
• Doppler and Reflectivity Volume scanning 150 m
  bins to range of 90 km

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Clutter Filtering
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Attenuation
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Doppler Dilemma
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Concept NWS Use of TDWR Data

• System Concept
• Provide the same AWIPS capabilities as available
  for WSR-88D products
• Employ separate server (Supplemental Product
  Generator-SPG) to ingest TDWR data and
  generate/distribute products following WSR-88D
  designs
• Initially provide base products only add other
  algorithms and products in later software builds
• System Architecture
• Stand-alone SPG cabinet
• Little-endian PC processor with the Linux
  operating system
• T1 ingest communications equipment with link to
  the TDWR
• SPG included in AWIPS Local Area Network (LAN)
• WSR-88D RPG software, tailored to meet the NWS
  SPG requirements for TDWR data
• TDWR and WFO Sites
• Deployment to WFOs which have TDWR radars within
  their CWA
• Each TDWR will be associated with one WFO
• Stand-alone cabinet to house multiple SPG systems
  at WFOs which are associated with more than one
  TDWR
• SPG products initially available to the
  associated WFO only

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TDWR SPG Project Status

• NWS Approved OSIP Gate 3 in August 2004
  Preliminary and Critical Design Reviews
  completed OSIP SON for Additional Products
  submitted OCWWS defining product access
  requirements
• Software changes for the TDWR SPG are in AWIPS
  OB5 and in WES OTR via WAN completed in OB6 SPG
  Build 2 Product Additions developed for OB7
• SPG Build 1 software operational at several
  sites Build 2 development nearly done Working
  with ROC software engineering to merge SPG into
  RPG software baseline
• SPG Limited Deployment began in the July 2005
• Sterling (BWI) New Orleans (MSY) Melbourne
  (MCO), Miami (PBI) Salt Lake City (SLC) Houston
  (HOU) Phoenix (PHX) Las Vegas (LAS), ROC(OKC)
  are Operational. Greenville-Spartanburg (CLT)
  next week or two.
• WAN OTR allowed for operational support Testing
  impact on AWIPS WAN from distant user access
• Full scale deployment, contingent on OM funds,
  to begin in ?
• OM of SPG systems will be transferred to the
  Radar Operations Center (ROC)

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Deployed TDWR Display Systems (thru Jan 2006)
Salt Lake City
Las Vegas
Baltimore
Phoenix
Charlotte
Oklahoma City (Radar Ops Center)
Houston
Orlando
New Orleans
West Palm Beach
Association Key
Deployed SPG Build 1 Planned for Future
Deployment
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TDWR SPG Equipment Rack
RAD TinyBridge Netscreen Firewall Cyberview
KVM Penguin Linux Server NetGear LAN Switch
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TDWR SPG Characteristics

• Radar IDs
• T prepended to Airport ID, 3001-3045 (e.g.,
  TBWI, 3005)
• Volume Coverage Patterns
• VCP80 Hazardous VCP90 Monitor site specific
  angles
• Time stamps in VCP80 products distinguish
  elevation repeats
• Product Types and Characteristics

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Functional Capabilities
Planning Stage
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TDWR Data Project Team

• Major Technical Contributors
• Dario Leonardo OST/SEC
• Tony Cheek OST/SEC
• John Ferree WDTB
• Mike Magsig WDTB
• Mark Albertelly ROC Hotline
• Keith Peabody ROC System Eng
• Steven Smith ROC Software Eng
• Diane Deitz NCF
• Wayne Martin AWIPS SST
• NWS Regional HQ focal points
• WFOs
• Contributing Technical Management
• Bob Saffle Mitretek
• Rex Reed ROC Engineering
• Bill Bumgarner FAA
• Tim Hopkins OST/SEC
• Al Wissman OOS

• SPG Development Team
• Peter Pickard OST/SEC
• Warren Blanchard OST/SEC
• Andy Stern Mitretek
• Tom Ganger Mitretek
• Ning Shen RSIS
• Brian Klein RSIS
• Yukuan Song RSIS
• Jami Casamento OST/SEC
• Phil Cragg OST/SEC
• Mike Istok OST/SEC
• AWIPS Development Team
• Jim Ramer OAR/GSD
• Joanne Edwards OAR/GSD

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TDWR SPG Radar Products on AWIPS
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KLWX down but TBWI included in Mosaic 5/24/05
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Low-topped storm rapidly developed near Aberdeen,
MD. Monitoring TBWI gave the forecaster an 5-10
min extra lead time on the Special Marine Warning
(especially considering this was the first decent
cell of the day and it happened to quickly
develop right next the Bay).
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A hook echo from the TBWI over central Baltimore
Co. around 415 PM EDT on Thursday July 7 (as
remnants of TS Cindy approached the area)
prompted issuing Tornado Warning for Baltimore
Co. for this storm.
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TBWI July 27, 2005 Wind Report Many trees and
power lines down in Silver Spring, Wheaton,
Takoma Park
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KAMX vs. TPBI 09/20/2005
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Katrina via TMSY 8/29/05 0905Z
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Mosaic of TMCO and TPBI
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Wilma via TPBI 10/24/05 1018Z
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TMCO Tornadic Storm Imagery During Wilma
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TOKC May 8, 2003 8bit Z
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TOKC May 8, 2003 8bit SRM
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NWS Future Plans Using FAA Radar Data

• Algorithm and products easily adapted to TDWR
  data
• Composite reflectivity, VIL, and VAD algorithms
• More significant effort to tune to the TDWR data
  resolution
• Storm cell identification and tracking,
  mesocyclone and tornadic vortex detection, and
  rainfall accumulation
• Possible enhancements using TDWR data
• AWIPS SCAN, central collection of products and/or
  base data, and multiple Doppler radar algorithms
• Extend the SPG concept to ASR-11 and ARSR-4 data
• Displayed in AWIPS D2D and integrated with
  WSR-88D radar data and other types of weather data

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Summary

• NWS established reliable operation of data
  ingest, product generation, and product display
  infrastructure for these FAA radar systems.
• NWS is leveraging existing radar resources to
  satisfy snow monitoring needs, rather than
  automatically asking for funds for costly
  additional NWS radars.
• In 2005, the NWS began deploying the TDWR SPG
  which provides integrated use of TDWR data in
  AWIPS.

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Backup slides
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NWS-Developed ARSR-4 Web Server
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NWS-Developed ASR-11 Web Server
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NWS-Developed TDWR Web Server
Server Status
Current Data
Loops Control
Products Elevations
Update
Query
Radar Image
Loops
31-day Archive
Status
Help
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Comparing Watford City ARSR-4 with WSR-88D
Neighbors
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Comparing Erie ASR-11 with WSR-88D Neighbors
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ARSR-4 Project Overview and Status

• Williston demonstration began in 1999
• In 2001, the FAA modified the Watford City, ND
  ARSR-4 to provide 6-level output for the NWS
• NWS developed Web server used during the
  2001-2002 winter
• Reflectivity images extend to a range of 125 nmi
• Images are updated every minute
• Time looping, data sampling, 14 day archive of
  image files, system status, and a user manual
• Concluded the range thresholds used by the ARSR-4
  to switch beams were not optimal for low altitude
  precipitation detection
• In Fall of 2004, the FAA modified the ARSR-4 to
  provide a new set of thresholds and evaluation is
  underway in North Dakota
• Early indications with limited precipitation
  events near Williston suggest promising outlook
  for snow monitoring

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ASR-11 Project Overview and Status

• The FAA commissioned the Erie ASR-11 in July 2005
• The NWS Web server for ASR-11 is at the Cleveland
  WFO
• Reflectivity images are updated every minute
• The Web server includes looping, data sampling,
  14 day archive of image files, system status, and
  a user manual
• Data intensity issues observed last winter were
  resolved
• NWS evaluation with the Erie radar is in progress

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TDWR Web Server

• PC-based Linux web server WFO locations
• Sterling, VA Salt Lake City, UT Phoenix, AZ
  Las Vegas, NV
• Greenville-Spartanville, SC
• Reflectivity and velocity base product images
• Multiple elevation angles
• Looping, zoom, cursor readout
• 31-day archive of image files
• Product access
• Directly at Web server, itself
• AWIPS forecaster display station browser

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AWIPS D2D TDWR SPG Capabilities

• AWIPS capabilities for TDWR products are
  consistent with WSR-88D
• Routine and one-time product request,
• Zoom,
• Data sampling,
• Image combine/fade,
• Time and all-tilt loops,
• TDWR and WSR-88D mosaic,
• 8-bit storm relative velocity,
• VR shear,
• Local AWIPS archive and ingest by the Weather
  Event Simulator.

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Mosaic of WSR-88D and TDWR 8-bit Reflectivity in
main panel with small panels containing
Reflectivity as viewed by WSR-88D and TDWR
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Magnified 8bit TDWR Base Velocity Product in main
panel with small panels containing Base Velocity
of the same storm viewed separately by WSR-88D
and TDWR
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Magnified 8-bit Storm Relative TDWR Velocity
Product in main panel with small panels
containing TDWR base reflectivity and velocity
(data from 17Sept2004 2230Z)