National Weather Radar Testbed: Lessons Learned with SPY1A

1
National Weather Radar Testbed Lessons Learned
with SPY-1A
Presentation for the
National Symposium on Multifunction Phased
Array Radar
Douglas Forsyth Executive Director for Facilities
and Strategic Planning and Chief, Radar Research
Development Division National Severe Storms
Laboratory
October 2007
2
Collaborators
James Kimpel Dusan Zrnic
Ron Ferek (Scott Sangathe and Fred Pfeil)
John Heimmer Tom McNellis
Richard Vogt (Jim Belville)
Jerry Crain Alan Shapiro
William Benner
Bob Blasewitz
3
Additional Collaborators
Allen Zahrai, Dick Doviak Qin Xu, Mike Jain, Kurt
Hondl
Pam Heinselman, Sebastian Torres
Bob Palmer, Tian-You Yu, Mark Yeary, Phil
Chilson, Guifu Zhang
Garth Torok
4
Behind the Scenes
Mark Benner, Mike Schmidt, Richard Wahkinney
Bob Staples, Chris Curtis, Ric Adams, John
Thompson, Dave Priegnitz, Dan Suppes, John
Carter, Igor Ivic
Roger Simer, Brian Frasco, Sheldon Katz, Tim
Maese, Ann Wiser, Steven Silberstein, Tim Hughes,
John Petree, Wayne Sabin, Mark Campbell, Jorge
Pica, Peter Bronecke
B. Ballard, Russell Cook
Lee Williams, Susan Sedwick, John Havlicek
Nannette Kalani, Jim Olivo
Jim Melody, Paul Baumgarder, Tim Maese Gary
Mitchell
5
NWRT Equipment (New Configuration)
AN/SPY-1A Antenna
AN/SPY-1A Position Programmer
WSR-88D Transmitter
Matrix PC Signal Processor
Pedestal Antenna Pedestal Control
Testbed Control Center
Real-Time Controller (RTC) Receiver/Exciter
Radome Facility
6
NWRT Milestones
May 2006
May 2004
August 2007
Sept 2003
EP upgraded Matrix PC 150 times faster (Dual 3
GHz Processors with 10 Gb Backbone) w/ new
12 terabyte RAID
Environmental Processor upgraded to a Matrix
PC w/ new 7 terabyte RAID
NWRT became operational
Completed Engineering checkout phase
May 2004 - present
Winter 2006 - Spring 2007

• Data collection for Research
  (Limited data 2005 2006, poor storm seasons)

User Interface improved along with addition of
internet power control systems
7
Planned Hardware, Software, and Engineering
Upgrades Research

• Build Dual Polarized Sub-array

• Modify RTC to Support Adaptive Scanning
• Improved display of fast scan data
• Improved decision aids for fast scan data

Uninterruptible Power Source for the NWRT
Activate Monopulse Ports
Instrument receiver ports - OU NSF Proposal
8
May 29 2004
Reflectivity Comparison
9
May 29 2004
Velocity Comparison
10
Earlier detection of velocity signatures
223346 UTC
24 April 2006
PAR Reflectivity Velocity 0.5? PPI Images 58 s
KTLX Reflectivity Velocity 0.5? PPI Images 4
min
11
Earlier detection of large hail aloft
223346 UTC
15 August 2006
PAR Reflectivity cross-section, cappi (10 km),
and 0.5? PPI Images 26 s
Simulated WSR-88D Reflectivity cross-section,
cappi (10 km), and 0.5? PPI Images 5 min
12
Height 2.2 Km
Height 1 Km
13
Height 8 Km
Height 4 Km
14
Height 16 Km
Height 9 Km
15
(No Transcript)
16
ROADMAP
2025
2004
2007
2012
2015
17
National Facility

• Established as part of the MOU between NOAA,
  Navy, FAA and OU.
• NWRT Assessment Panel
• Evaluate and regulate use of NWRT
• Members
• Ron Ferek Scott Sandgathe (Navy)
• Jim Williams Bill Benner (FAA)
• Mark Yeary Bob Palmer (OU)
• Jeff Kimpel Doug Forsyth (NOAA)
• Application windows
• Fall/Winter (Oct Mar) Deadline Aug 15th,
  Decision End of Aug
• Spring/Summer (Apr Sep) Deadline Feb 15th,
  Decision End of Feb
• Web Site www.nssl.noaa.gov/research/radar/nwrt_u
  se.php

18
Points/Questions

• Dual-Polarization Multiple Frequencies
• Antenna Design 3 vs. 4 vs. 6 vs. ??

19
Antenna Designs
20
Points/Questions

• Dual-Polarization Multiple Frequencies
• Antenna Design 3 vs. 4 vs. 6 vs. ??
• Visualization

21
Visualization
Geowall Visualization Lab
3-D Image May 29, 2004 Tornado Using Unidatas
Integrated Data Viewer and KTLX Level II data
22
Points/Questions

• Dual-Polarization Multiple Frequencies
• Antenna Design 3 vs. 4 vs. 6 vs. ??
• Visualization
• Automated Adapted Scanning
• Decision Theory/Data Manipulation

23
Data Manipulation

• Multi-Touch Interface
• Perceptive Pixel's MTI (Jeff Han)
  http//www.macrumors.com/2007/02/12/more-multitouc
  h-from-jeff-han/
• Data Mining

24
Points/Questions

• Dual-Polarization Multiple Frequencies
• Antenna Design 3 vs. 4 vs. 6 vs. ??
• Visualization
• Automated Adapted Scanning
• Decision Theory/Data Manipulation
• Indirection

25
Ray Kurzweil

• http//www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/38

26
THANK YOU
http//www.nssl.noaa.gov