Distribution of weather radar imagery via the internet at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology

The Bureau of Meteorology operates a network of over 60 radars spanning most of the Australian continent. Data from each radar is collected up to every 5-10 minutes via a combination of landline and satellite links to its Regional Forecast Centres and headquarters in Melbourne. This paper will describe the recent rationalization of the communications infrastructure required to effectively collect and redistribute the radar data in real time to the Bureau's Regional Forecast Centres and to its recently commissioned Australian Nowcast System servers.

In recent years, the display of radar imagery on the Bureau's website has been a significant contributer as to why it is regularly rated in the top 10 websites in Australia. Also described is the operational processing associated with the processing of radar data for display and download from the Bureau's web and ftp server systems, and the challenges involved in handling high demand periods during severe weather events.