WSR-88D Algorithm Development Techniques using Visual Programming

The National Weather Service (NWS) Office of Systems Development is sponsoring the development of CODE, the Common Operations and Development Environment for the Weather Surveillance Radar - 1988 Doppler (WSR-88D). CODE will provide a well structured applications programming interface (API) to access system services provided by the ORPG (Open Systems Radar Product Generator) and facilitate validation and integration of new algorithms.

However, use of CODE will require a high level of proficiency in programming. In order to tap as wide of an audience as possible for potential future algorithm development, work has begun on using a visual programming environment which attempts to relieve the burden of programming routine system services thus allowing developers to concentrate on science.

This paper will describe techniques used in visual programming and some of the components developed for WSR-88D algorithm development.