Forecast Improvements

NSSL Project 4 – Investigation into the Use of Warning Decision Support Systems for Improving Hazardous Weather Detection, Warnings, and Forecasts: FSI and WDSS-II

Lakshmanan (primary – CIMMS at NSSL), Kerr, Brogden, Toomey

Funding Type: CIMMS Task II

Objectives
Build an interactive Four-dimensional Storm-cell Investigator (FSI) to better visualize radar data in realtime; implement the FSI on the National Weather Service's operational AWIPS system, verify and validate the new techniques; explore the processes and methods that forecasters use to analyze data and to develop research prototype systems that may contribute to ongoing CIMMS and NSSL research on the analysis of hazardous weather and the weather warning decision process; develop better algorithms to identify severe weather signatures or precursor signatures

Accomplishments
The FSI was developed and tested on the AWIPS platform. The FSI includes novel techniques for interactively visualizing radar data in 3D and updating the visualizations automatically with the arrival of new radar tilts. Compared to the traditional cross-section functionality on AWIPS, the FSI method delivers better interactivity, higher resolution and faster temporal responses.

Progress was made on several fronts:

A proof-of-concept FSI was developed by CIMMS engineers and scientists. The prototype will form part of the next AWIPS build to be used operationally at National Weather Service Forecast Offices in several test sites. Lessons learned from this prototype will be used to implement 4D storm cell interrogation into the NWS' operational systems;
Developed algorithms for use in the CASA radar system's meteorological command-and-control module. Algorithms include storm identification and tracking, shear signature detection, and multi-radar data fusion;
Developed a real-time virtual volume to enable visualization and automated information retrieval from adaptively scanned phased array radar scans;
Provided research support for the real-time implementation and visualization of a radar refractivity algorithm;
Provided research support for the Hazardous Weather Testbed including the creation, advection and visualization of and interaction with probabilistic warnings; and
Continued to improve the quality control of WSR-88D radar reflectivity data for use in real-time nowcasting of severe weather and precipitation.

This project is ongoing.

Publications
Lakshmanan, V., A. Fritz, T. Smith, K. Hondl, and G. J. Stumpf, 2007: An automated technique to quality control radar reflectivity data. J. Applied Meteor., 46, 288-305.

Lakshmanan, V., T. Smith, G. J. Stumpf, and K. Hondl, 2007: The warning decision support system - integrated information. Wea. Forecasting, 22, 596-612

Lakshmanan, V., T. Smith, K. Hondl, G. J. Stumpf, and A. Witt, 2006: A real-time, three dimensional, rapidly updating, heterogeneous radar merger technique for reflectivity, velocity and derived products. Wea. Forecasting, 21, 802-823.

Lakshmanan, V. and K. Hondl, 2007: A polar-coordinate real-time three-dimensional rapidly updating merger technique for phased array radar scanning strategies. 33rd Conference on Radar Meteorology, Amer. Meteor. Soc., Cairns, Australia, CD-ROM 7.4.