Implementation and Comparison of Interpolation Techniques for the Meteorological Python (MetPy) Package

A major goal of the Meteorological Python (MetPy) package is to implement GEMPAK- and NCL-like functionality in the Python programming language.  An integral part of these existing programs is their objective analysis capabilities—namely the ability to ingest point data and produce a contiguous, interpolated, surface for any given meteorological parameter.  As part of the Unidata Summer Internship program, a number of interpolation schemes were implemented for MetPy over the course of the 10-week program during the summer of 2016.  This presentation discusses the implementation of three interpolation procedures and attempts to increase their computational efficiency.  On the basis of visual and objective comparisons between the schemes, this work makes general suggestions for the use of the implemented interpolation schemes in different situations.