Prototyping insights – A web coverage service designed for a consolidated NEXRAD and TDWR service for NextGen weather

As the volume of all weather data is increasing, the question “What weather products should we provide?” is becoming a question of “How should we provide access to weather data?” The NextGen vision describes how new technologies including SOA (Services Oriented Architecture) and Web Services will help transform the NAS and provide benefit to users beyond the traditional NAS users.

This paper will provide insight into the lessons learned and potential use of a working prototype of an OGC compliant WCS (Web Coverage Service) called the HARP (Harris Advanced Radar Processor). The HARP is hosted within the HPWC (High Performance Weather and Climate) environment and is a prototype of the NWP (NextGen Weather Processor.) The HARP is a radar mosaic product generator and service combined. The HPWC is based on the architecture being implemented on the GOES-R program; it evolved through numerous years of IRAD investment and has been modified for use in NextGen with the addition of external interface capabilities. The HPWC external interface enables the HPWC to exchange information via an enterprise-wide SOA messaging system called the DEX (Data EXchange), a SWIM Segment-2 prototype. The HPWC ingests in real-time all NEXRAD and TDWR high resolution base data via the DEX and maps it into a virtual 4D space in memory. The HARP produces routine radar mosaic products that are enhanced versions of the mosaics produced by the WARP (Weather and Radar Processor) system in operations today. The routine mosaic products produced by the HARP are published by the HPWC to the DEX where they are then available to subscribers in the NAS and beyond via secure gateways. While we will touch briefly on the routine product aspect of the HARP the focus of the paper is the HARP's role as a WCS.