The National Weather Radar Testbed (Phased Array)

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The National Weather Radar Testbed (Phased Array)
Presentation for the
MPAR Working Group
Douglas Forsyth Executive Director for
Facilities and Strategic Planning and Chief,
Radar Research Development Division National
Severe Storms Laboratory
January 2008
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What is the difference between a Phased Array and
Conventional Radar?
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Conventional radar is White
PAR is Blue
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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
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Planned Hardware, Software, and Engineering
Upgrades Research

• Modify RTC to Support Adaptive Scanning
• Improve data quality Ground Clutter Filtering,
  Range and Velocity Dealiasing, Calibration
• Improved display of fast scan data
• Improved decision aids for fast scan data

• Build Dual Polarized Sub-array

Uninterruptible Power Source for the NWRT
Activate Monopulse Ports
Instrument receiver ports - OU NSF Proposal
Correct Digital Receiver Problem Allow PRT
Changes
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Visualization
Geowall Visualization Lab
3-D Image May 29, 2004 Tornado Using Unidatas
Integrated Data Viewer and KTLX Level II data
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Weather Aircraft Demos

• 2008
• Weather See Slides Aircraft Target ID
• 
  Tracking
• 2009
• Weather Fast Scan Aircraft - Monopulse
• Dual Pol Tracking
• (If Available)

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2008 NWRT PAR Spring Program

• Objectives
• Collect PAR data with scanning strategies
  designed to support an assessment of the impact
  of spatial and temporal sampling on the depiction
  of storm processes and severe storm algorithm
  performance
• Attain feedback from forecasters on benefits and
  challenges of diagnosing storm severity with PAR
  data
• Facilitate collaborative experiments
• Possibilities Study of convective initiation
  and storm evolution
• using rapid-update
  refractivity fields from the PAR
• Spaced Antenna Interferometry Experiment
• Multi-pattern Measurements for Calibration and
  Sidelobe Reduction with the NWRT

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2008 NWRT PAR Research Activities

• Quantitative comparisons of the evolution of
  low-altitude circulations sampled by NWRT PAR,
  KTLX, and TDWR
• Investigate physical processes responsible for
  the multi-scale circulations observed on 9 May
  2007 (book-end vorticy, mesocyclones, tornado
  vortex signatures)
• Begin detailed analysis of 29 May 2004 tornadic
  supercell
• Begin development of circulation detection
  algorithms

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Continue Building the MPAR Business Case

• Objectives
• Continue building the MPAR business case by
  proactively interacting with MPAR stakeholders to
  envision and define their operational
  deficiencies
• Investigate how MPAR technology may mitigate
  identified deficiencies and ultimately benefit
  society
• Methodology
• ? Personal interviews with NWS forecasters and
  broadcast meteorologists in the Oklahoma City and
  Tulsa markets
• ? Analysis of transcribed interviews

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