[nws-changes] 20081119: Fwd: TDWR-SPG Product Distribution Update]

• To: nws-changes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Subject: [nws-changes] 20081119: Fwd: TDWR-SPG Product Distribution Update]
• From: Linda Miller <lmiller@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:02:54 -0700

-------- Original Message --------

All,

Tim
_______________________________________________
Update on TDWR SPG Product Distribution
19 November 2008
NEW UPDATE AS OF 11/19/08:
1. Beta Test of TDWR SPG Product Distribution Update. The NWS worked
yesterday to initiate the distribution of TDWR SPG products from the Fort
Lauderdale, FL TDWR (TFLL). We encountered some difficulties and the radar
was taken down for a few hours due to planned maintenance, thus users may not
have received a full complement of products or steady data flow.
2. No sites will be added to the product collection today, 11/19. If our 
corrective
actions are successful, we will start the data flow for the following three 
radar
sites tomorrow, 20 November 2008. If we are not able to add these sites on 20
November, we will need to delay the additions to 2 December.
WFO TDWR SPG ID Revised Planned Start Date
Miami TPBI 20 November
Miami TMIA 20 November
Cleveland TLVE 20 November
3. Changes to these dates and/or confirmation that the product flow has been
successfully started will be posted on this update site.
4. Replies to recently asked questions:
QUESTIONS:
1) I see data is flowing from FLL, but very limited, just a subset of the list 
of types
of data from the SCN provided last month. Any ETA on the whole suite?
2) The SCN says the data would be in directories like DS.182V0, but it appears 
that
product is in DS.00tv0, DS.186zl is actually DS.00tzl. Instead of SI.TFLL they
are in SI.kfll.
REPLIES:
The RPCCDS is being refreshed as outlined at:
http://www.weather.gov/datamgmt/slide_show/AllanDarling061808.ppt. There has
been a schedule slip to when TOC plans to retire the multicast version of the
RPCCDS. Multicast was planned to have been off by now, but is now projected to 
be
turned off in January.
1) This has been corrected.
2) The FTP server is still being driven by the old multicast system, 
consequently the
directory names for the new products start with 00 (e.g, DS.00tv0), and the new
radar sites start with k (i.e., SI.kfll). When the TOC switches the feed of the
ingest to the new LDM version of RPCCDS (probably in January), the directory
names are expected to change. This will also correct the names of the WSR-88D
product directories which have been added in recent years (e.g., DS.00dhr,
DS.00nmd).
QUESTIONS: There appear to be discrepancies between the ICDs and the sample
products.
1) Data Level Information in the Long Range Reflectivity Product. According to 
the
ICD for the TDWR, product 186 is long range reflectivity, containing up to 255
data levels. Note 1 in figure 3-6 indicates that for product 186, the halfwords 
31-
Data Level 33 will contain the minimum, increment, and number of levels for the
data. However, in the sample file, those halfwords are filled with actual data
levels (e.g., ND, 5, 10, 15, etc.). Can you tell me which is the proper decoding
formula for identifying the dBZ corresponding to the encoded data levels?
2) Number of Range Bins greater than 920. The ICD Figure 3-11c lists that the 
range
of "Number of Range Bins" for a Digital Radial Data Array Packet is 0 to 920.
For the long range product, the maximum is actually 1390.
REPLIES:
1) There is a bug in that product. Halfwords 31, 32, 33 should be -320 (minimum
possible -32.0 dBZ), 5 (increment 0.5 dBZ), 254 levels. The Data Levels are
essentially identical to the DHR product (i.e., within the product, an integer 
value
of 2 means -32.0dBZ, 3 means -31.5 dBZ, 4 means -31.0 dBZ, etc.). A fix will be
provided in the next software release (date to be determined).
2) Agree. The ICD will be updated to report the correct maximum number of range
bins.
If you would like to be added to an email list that will notify you when 
updates are
posted, please send your request to Tim.D.Crum@xxxxxxxx.
Questions can be addressed to: Michael.Istok@xxxxxxxx or Tim.D.Crum@xxxxxxxx.