The Open System Principal User Processor (OPUP) is being developed by the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) to display WSR-88D data for Department of Defense users. Other NEXRAD agencies (namely the FAA and NWS) are developing their own operational systems that will display WSR-88D data. NSSL began work on the OPUP system in 1997 in response to the U.S. Air Force requirements for a WSR-88D display system that could evolve with the open systems migration of the WSR-88D system and the changing operational environment of the U.S. Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA).
Several new requirements for the OPUP system have been identified by the AFWA and are being integrated into the OPUP design. These new requirements include the ability for the OPUP system to connect to and ingest data from as many as 20 dedicated WSR-88D systems. (The current system can maintain a dedicated connection to only one WSR-88D.) New user interfaces will also be required for product display and the control and configuration of the OPUP system.
These new requirements have necessitated a new design for the OPUP system. The design will re-use infrastructure services developed for the Open System Radar Product Generator (ORPG) as applicable. The OPUP system is designed as a distributed computing client/server architecture in contrast to the current PUP system.
The first mini-build of the OPUP system will be completed in October 1998 and will include new product display and control Graphical User Interfaces (GUI). The OPUP software will initiate and maintain connections with multiple WSR-88D systems. Additional functionality will be developed for future mini-builds to be delivered in April and October of 1999. Deployment of OPUP systems is scheduled for the first half of 2000