92nd American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting (January 22-26, 2012)

Tuesday, 24 January 2012: 1:45 PM
Dual-Polarization Radar: Training Initiatives for the Decision-Makers
Room 348/349 (New Orleans Convention Center )
Clark D. Payne, CIMMS/Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK; and D. M. Kingfield

Over the next few years, the Weather Surveillance Radar - 1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) network will be upgraded to dual-polarization technology, or dual-pol. This upgrade will provide the end-user with additional products for decision making. These new products will increase user confidence during high-impact events involving hail, heavy rain, rain/snow transition regions, etc. However, these new products must be used in context and cannot be used alone. This presents a challenge in how to effectively teach dual-pol without overloading the learner. Collaboration between the Radar Operations Center (ROC) and the Warning Decision Training Branch (WDTB) have resulted in some preliminary ways to effectively teach dual-pol without overloading the learner. Some of the methods include self-paced distance training (Dual-Pol Operations Course), in-residence training (Operational Assessment), and instructor-led distance training (Storm of the Week). Preliminary results have shown to be positive, however some challenges still await as the number of people needing to be trained increases. This presentation will take a look at what went well and not-so-well with these methods and how to best address training for when the network is fully deployed.

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