Combining C-band radars in Canada's upgraded weather radar network

Traditionally Canada has operated its radar network as a collection of single radars although simple composites are generated. With improvements in communications and processing, it is becoming possible to use the radars together more effectively to look at attenuation and calibration issues.

In places where one radar may be degraded a neighbouring radar may be selected to cover instead.The approach has been to assess the quality of data along each beam using a standard attenuation relationship. When a radar observation is required at any location the radar with the highest quality factor is selected. (The approach also attempts an assessment of data degradation by ground clutter.)

Relative radar calibration can be assessed in areas of overlap.This is useful since Environment Canada has real time assess to too few surface observations for useful calibration monitoring. Quality factors are used to reject unsuitable intercomparison.

While both applications are conceptually easy, the practical details are not.