5b.10 Initial Implementation of Super-resolution Data on the Nexrad Network

Legacy-resolution base data on the NEXRAD network consists of reflectivity on a 1 km-by-1 deg polar grid and Doppler velocity and spectrum width on a similar 250 m-by-1 deg grid. It has been shown through simulations that mesocyclone and tornado signatures can be detected at ranges 50% greater than the current detectable ranges using higher-resolution base data on a 250 m-by-0.5 deg grid (Brown el al. 2002). Data produced this way is termed super-resolution data. Super-resolution data will become available in upcoming updates of the NEXRAD network and should lead to increased warning times and reductions in property damage, injuries, and loss of life. Producing super-resolution data involves balancing the scientific and operational gains with the constraints imposed by the existing system and compatibility issues associated with other techniques scheduled for inclusion on the NEXRAD network (e.g., dual polarization). Due to the complexity of adding a new base data stream and the users’ urgency for better tools to detect tornado and mesocyclone signatures, super resolution will be phased into the NEXRAD network in two stages. Initially, super-resolution data will be available at the lower elevation scans where there is a higher likelihood of finding tornado and mesocyclone signatures at farther distances from the radar. Stage one of this project does not include modifying the algorithms in the Open Radar Product Generation (ORPG) subsystem to ingest super-resolution data. At this stage, super-resolution data will be available for visualization purposes only, and the algorithms will continue to operate on a legacy-resolution data stream. Stage two of this project focuses on long-term goals; that is, novel signal processing techniques will be implemented to produce super-resolution data with the required quality, and some of the ORPG algorithms will be modified so that the benefits of super-resolution data can be fully exploited. This paper describes the “stage-one” implementation of super-resolution data on the NEXRAD network scheduled for operational inclusion in 2008. Additionally, it presents an overview of the plans for the stage-two implementation.