WSR-88D Program Data Quality and Efficiency Enhancements - Plans and Status

The Tri-Agency WSR-88D Radar Operations Center (ROC) manages on-going efforts to improve the data quality and operational utility of the NEXRAD network. The ROC was involved extensively in the recent successful deployment of the polarimetric upgrade and has also deployed significant signal processing upgrades such as an improved Clutter Mitigation Decision (CMD) capability. The CMD clutter identification capability incorporates the new polarimetric variables into the fuzzy logic algorithm, improving the clutter detection reliability of the software. The ROC team is working with research community partners to improve radar signal sensitivity and quality through adaptive threshold management and real time noise estimation. Better mitigation of range velocity ambiguities will be addressed with radar waveform changes such as Staggered Pulse Repetition Time (SPRT). The ROC is also working on increasing the efficiency of volume scans through innovative and adaptive scanning techniques. These sustaining activities include hardware and software infrastructure development as part of a service life extension program. The system upgrades include a next generation digital receiver and signal processor and reliability modifications to the transmitter.

This paper will review these data quality and efficiency improvements, including development plans and current status of near term software releases.