A set of advanced real-time radar mosaic generation algorithms has been developed for the FAA WARP program. The algorithms, which have been described in previous papers, utilize a set of radar coverage-based rules for comparing returns from different radars in order to identify and suppress non-meteorological returns that often occur in WSR-88D radar products.

The WARP system generates a set of regional radar mosaic products that are displayed as weather underlays on the aircraft situation display screens used by en-route air traffic controllers. Because of the mission-critical nature of this application, an extensive algorithm validation effort has been conducted in order to verify the accuracy of the mosaic generation algorithms before the new mosaic generation software is incorporated into the operational WARP baseline.

The approach for validating the WARP mosaic generation algorithms was developed through close cooperation between the Harris/Unisys development team and the FAA WARP program management team in order to minimize the cost and schedule impacts to the overall WARP program. An efficient and effective web-based approach was utilized that provided a high degree of flexibility for both the developers and evaluators. The algorithm validation effort has been conducted in parallel with the algorithm design and development activities and is scheduled for completion at approximately the same time as the factory acceptance test of the operational software.

This paper will describe the overall approach and methodology used to validate the performance of the WARP mosaic generation algorithms.