A number of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) critical systems rely on products from the NEXRAD (WSR-88D) algorithms. These systems include MIAWS (Medium Intensity Airport Weather System), ITWS (Integrated Terminal Weather System), CIWS (Corridor Integrated Weather System), and WARP (Weather and Radar Processing). With the advent of the NEXRAD Open Radar Product Generator (ORPG), a six-month Build cycle has been established for the incorporation of new or improved algorithms. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory (MIT/LL), a network of nine ORPGs has been assembled. This ORPGnet is used for the purpose of developing, testing, and implementing new algorithms targeted to specific Builds.

This presentation will focus on three new algorithms designed to support the FAA systems mentioned. They are the Data Quality Assurance (DQA), High Resolution VIL (HRVIL), and Enhanced Echo Tops (EET) algorithms. The DQA algorithm will provide an edited reflectivity factor data stream for use by other algorithms in the ORPG. These data are the first available within NEXRAD that will be filtered for both detection of anomalous propagation (AP) plus artifacts such as sun strobes, starbursts, and bull’s-eyes. The benefits of a cleaner data stream are obvious. The first recipient of the DQA-edited data is the HRVIL algorithm. This new product provides digital detail of VIL concentrated at values below the minimum threshold provided by the current NEXRAD VIL product. Additionally, this polar product provides improved spatial detail. HRVIL is useful as a substitute to composite reflectivity and for identification of incipient convective weather. The EET algorithm will also utilize DQA-edited data to provide detailed echo tops of superior resolution than the current NEXRAD echo tops. The purpose of this algorithm is to utilize applicable interpolation methods to mitigate the saw-tooth nature of the echo tops in the current product that result from the NEXRAD scanning strategies. In addition, current progress will be presented on the implementation of the Machine Intelligent Gust Front Algorithm (MIGFA) for a future ORPG Build.

This work is sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration under Air Force Contract No. F19628-00-C-0002. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the United States Government.