Committee Members,

I was assigned the task of summarizing the discussion we had to
"..articulate the needs of the UNIDATA community for NEXRAD data streams,
both currently and in the foreseeable future", and to draft a position
statement from the Committee to UNIDATA. The following is for your review
and comment, especially if I haven't adequately expressed your input.

The discussion on the needs of the community for NEXRAD data streams
centered around the need for real-time, level-2 "data" vs. the need for
NIDS radar "products".  NIDS products, while adequate for the display of
common radar imagery such as reflectivity and radial velocity, do not
contain the raw, research-quality data necessary for certain types of
scientific studies.  Some institutions involved in this type of research
would like UNIDATA to provide the level-2 data as part of its data stream,
though they acknowledge that these datasets are very large and probably of
limited value to most of the community.

There was general support for the idea that if UNIDATA were to provide 
level-2 data, that those institutions using it should be encouraged to
generate and share products that might be of broader appeal within the
community.

There was concern that the size of the level-2 data stream might conflict
with other higher-priority data such as satellite imagery, surface and
upper-air data, model data and the current NIDS products.

The Committee therefore recommends that UNIDATA pursue the distribution of
NEXRAD real-time, level-2 data to its members provided that 1)
institutions involved in active use of the data be encouraged to generate
and share products that could be used by the community at large, and 2) 
that distribution of level-2 data not conflict with higher-priority
data.

If I have adequately expressed your collective opinions on this, I'll send
it on the Dave as our 'position statement".




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* Anthony A. Rockwood              Metropolitan State College of Denver
*
* Meteorology Program              Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric
					Sciences 
* (303) 556.8399                   

* rockwooa@mscd.edu                Denver, CO  80217-3362

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