The center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA), an NSF-funded Engineering Research Center is addressing user needs for faster, dynamically controlled radars by creating a new paradigm for radar operation. CASA develops and implements systems of densely spaced, low power, x-band radar networks that can observe the lower troposphere at high spatial (100's m) and temporal (30 second) resolution for improved hazardous weather warning and response. CASA's control algorithms analyze incoming meteorological data in real time and optimally reconfigure radar network scanning patterns in response to changing weather and diverse user needs. These control algorithms can accommodate several scanning strategies at the same time, such as multi-Doppler retrievals, RHI and PPI scans and multi-elevation sector scans. An on-going research question is which combination of scanning strategies can simultaneously serve the operational decision making, research, and data assimilation needs of users.

This paper will present an analysis of this question based on the operation of the Spring Experiment 2007 in CASA's prototype test bed in southwest Oklahoma. This end-to-end test bed includes a 4 node network of adaptive, short range, x-band radars that disseminates data in real time to a pilot group of National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters, meteorological researchers and emergency managers with jurisdictional authority in the test bed. Version 2.0 of the adaptive radar control algorithm, the Meteorological Command and Control, was implemented for the spring 2007 severe weather season. The paper will present the results of user observations, interviews and a scan evaluation study that demonstrates that users were satisfied overall with CASA's scanning. Several improvements to the scanning strategy will be implemented into the radar control and optimization for the Spring 2008 experiment.