A new, open architecture is being phased into the national WSR-88D (NEXRAD) radar network. The Common Operations and Development Environment (CODE) for the NEXRAD Open Radar Product Generator (ORPG) is intended to greatly enhance the process of meteorological application development, evaluation, and transfer. A number of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) systems rely on products from WSR-88D algorithms. These projects include WARP (Weather and Radar Processing), ITWS (Integrated Terminal Weather System), MIAWS (Medium Intensity Airport Weather System), and CIWS (Corridor Integrated Weather System).

We are using this new development environment for the purpose of testing/evaluating changes to existing algorithms and the integration of new algorithms. One existing algorithm, the Anomalous Propagation Edit/Removal algorithm (APR), has already been modified and those changes will be reflected in an upcoming build release of CODE/ORPG. Two new algorithms are also being tested: Artifacts Detection and MIGFA (Machine Intelligent Gust Front Algorithm). The former intends to remove radar artifacts from the data such as solar spikes and constant-power "bulls-eyes". The latter is intended to provide important wind shear detections particularly to aid MIAWS airports. A discussion will be presented that highlights the use of CODE/ORPG in the development process, the availability of improved or new products, and the benefits of these products to various FAA projects.

* This work was sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration under Air Force Contract No. F19628-00-C-0002. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Government. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the US Government.