Weather Radar Networking

1.0 Introduction.- 2.0 Summary and Recommendations.- A. Summary.- B. Recommendations.- Operational networking continuity.- Guidelines for the exchange of radar products.- Data transmission.- Network structure.- North Sea radar coverage.- Electronically scanning radar project.- Follow-on COST project.- Multi-national hydrological applications.- Training.- Wet deposition of pollution.- Radar systems database.- 3.0 Organisation of Work in the Project.- The form and role of the Management Committee.- Financing of the Project.- Support of the CEC.- Project Co-ordinator.- Report structure and working groups.- Total estimated cost of the COST 73 Project.- Seminars.- 4.0 Study Results from the Project.- Radar networking in Europe.- Current distribution and types of radar.- Operational radar characteristics.- Conventional radars.- Doppler radars.- Techniques.- Waveforms.- MTI performance.- Transmitter/receiver principles.- A typical modern Doppler radar.- Benefits of Doppler radar.- Identifying ground echoes.- Wind measurements.- Manual interpretation techniques.- Automatic interpretation techniques.- System outputs and usefulness.- Meteorological aspects.- Practical aspects.- Radar data generation and analyses used in different countries - obtained from the results of a questionnaire.- A proposal for a radar meteorology training curriculum.- Types of users requiring training.- Meteorologists/scientists.- Technicians/engineers.- Scientific assistants.- Computer specialists.- Specialist users.- Training curriculum.- Radar site processing.- Current radar site processing characteristics.- Occultation.- Useful range of weather radars.- Theoretical range of radars.- Effective earth radius for radar and optical propagation.- Practical determination of the lowest usable beam axis.- Theodolite measurements.- Use of a geographical map or geographical data base.- Format for COST purposes.- Coverage map and database.- Weather radar measurements, derived quantities and units employed.- Results of weather radar measurements.- Echo intensity.- Echo position and height.- Assignment of intensity class intervals in digital reflectivity processing.- Conventional radar products.- Doppler radar products.- Summary.- Clutter cancellation.- Basic considerations.- Relevance of clutter elimination.- Choice of wavelength.- Choosing a radar site.- Clutter characteristics.- Cross section of clutter and weather targets.- Variability of clutter and anaprop.- Clutter removal in real-time.- Clutter avoidance.- Pre-processing of the radar signal.- Distribution of clutter in space.- Continuity of weather echoes in time.- Use of other meteorological data.- Clutter map.- Additional image processing.- Sampling requirements and radar scan constraints.- Clutter elimination.- Quantitative applications.- A possible solution.- Summary.- Calibration of radar equipment and adjustment of radar data.- Hardware calibration of radar systems.- Meteorological adjustment of radar data.- Software structure.- Control of the radar.- Correction of data.- Products to be produced by the site system.- Products, transmission and receipt.- Typical system sizes.- Low-cost display systems.- Potential users of low-cost display systems.- The uses of low-cost display systems.- Low-cost display requirements.- The use of PCs.- Storage requirements.- Operational considerations.- Screen layout.- Data reception.- Menu-driven interface.- Main menu.- Controlling the replay sequence.- On-line help system.- Colours.- Replay options.- Record interval.- Coastline/boundary on/off.- Save preferences.- Select image.- Technical characteristics of some of the commercially available video boards.- End user requirements and applications of weather radar data.- End user requirements.- Weather radars and computer systems.- Transmission systems.- End users’ workstation.- Applications of weather radar data.- Weather radar for winter operations.- Weather radar in road maintenance.- Weather radar for agricultural applications.- Other uses of the COST image and other weather radar data.- Weather radar measurements for research purposes.- Data transmission.- Codes.- The Global Telecommunication System.- Structure of the World Meteorological Organization Global Telecommunication System (GTS).- Transmission of COST 73 images on the WMO GTS in ITA-5 code.- Headeres and trailers.- The Co-operative Olympus data experiment.- Results of trials and other experiences in radar data transmission.- Compression of radar images.- Run length encoding(RLE).- Huffman compression.- Lempel-Ziv-Welch (LZW) algorithm.- Software for coding and decoding radar images in FM 94 BUFR.- Radar network centres.- Software structures.- Functions of the data network.- Functions of the central network system.- Communications.- Product processing.- Database and archiving.- Possible hardware and software.- Merging data from multiple radars.- Products.- Severe weather algorithms for use with radar reflectivity data.- Multi-national weather radar data compositing.- User requirements for multi-national composites.- Forecasting the weather.- Pollutant monitoring and wet deposition.- Scientific understanding and research.- International river watch.- Commercial services.- Bilateral and multi-national agreements.- Elements of multi-national products.- Past experience.- New COST 73 products.- Implementation.- Real-time trials.- Assessment of the use of the COST 73 image for maritime forecasting in the southern North Sea.- A proposal for weather radars to be located in the North Sea.- Preliminary information about both project proposals.- Proposed plan of action.- Proposed project schedule.- The way ahead.- Development of national radar networks.- Advanced radars.- Electronically scanning radar antenna.- Basic principles.- Applications.- Frequency control.- Phase control.- Potential applications - COST 73 considerations.- Summary.- International exchange of radar data.- International co-ordination and funding.- Development of applications for the benefit of the economy of Europe.- 5.0 Recommendations.- Operational networking continuity.- Guidelines for the exchange of radar products.- Data transmission.- Network structure.- North Sea radar coverage.- Electronically scanning radar project.- Follow-on COST project.- Multi-national hydrological applications.- Training.- Wet deposition of pollution.- Radar systems database.- Acknowledgements.- 6.0 References.- 7.0 Annexes.- 1: Memorandum of Understanding.- 2: Meetings and Membership of the Management Committee.- 3: List of COST papers and Working Documents.- 4: Glossary of terms related to radar and satellite data.- 5: Specification of FM-94 BUFR.- 6: Proposals for additional multi-national radar based products.- 7: Proposed new COST Project on advanced radar systems.- 8: Severe weather definitions and useful algorithms.- 9: Advanced radars: current measurement capability.