With the deployment of the Open Systems Radar Product Generator (ORPG), atmospheric scientists and techniques developers will have the full rich data set of the Weather Surveillance Radar, 1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) at their disposal for analysis and new algorithm development. In addition, by exploiting the "open" architecture of the ORPG, it will be possible to integrate weather data from more than one type of radar.

Under the sponsorship of the NEXRAD Product Improvement program, the ability of the ORPG to ingest and process weather data from FAA radars will be utilized. Plans are to include weather data from the Air Route Surveillance Radar, model 4 (ARSR-4), a phased array coastal and border defense and surveillance system; the new solid-state Aircraft Surveillance Radars, models 9 and 11 (ASR-9/ASR-11), which are short-range airport radar systems; and the Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR), which generates high-resolution data at more than 50 of the nation's busiest airports.

This paper will highlight implementation plans and designs for the inclusion of FAA radar weather data within the ORPG and compare aircraft surveillance and meteorological radars for weather imaging.