Weather Decision Technologies Inc. (WDT) specializes in transferring state-of-the-science meteorological algorithms and data from research to operations. This has been recently illustrated in WDT's development of POLARIS (Polarimetric Radar Identification System) that ingests and analyzes dual-polarization radar data for utilization in subsequent radar algorithms. POLARIS is currently processing real-time dual-polarization radar data from all dual-pol WSR-88D radars (currently KVNX, KIWA, KMHX, KPBZ and KICT).

Original development of POLARIS was based on the Hydrometeor Classification Algorithm developed at the National Severe Storms Laboratory. WDT has always striven to create cutting-edge products providing the most advanced weather content. Thus, POLARIS has been extended to identify additional classifications of hydrometeors such as large and giant hail and tornadic debris made possible by transitioning recent dual-pol research into operations. Moreover, WDT has developed a unique dust aerosol classification resulting from analysis of new dual-pol data from the KIWA (Phoenix) WSR-88D.

Refinement and enhancement of POLARIS will continue to make new applications possible including improved quantitative precipitation estimates (QPE). Given the current dual-pol deployment schedule, a corridor of dual-pol radars will exist from Chicago to Pittsburgh by December 2011. WDT will develop a 3D, mosaicked POLARIS classification product over this region to provide a gridded version of the identification system. The gridded POLARIS product will be examined to determine its usefulness in a variety of ways including the detection of dangerous aircraft icing regions.