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NATIONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION MESSAGE 94-12
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS
215 PM EDT THU APR 21 1994 ...CORRECTED FOR NUMBER...
TO: ALL USERS OF NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE (NWS) RADAR
OBSERVATIONS
FROM: MARY C. NEWTON
ACTING CHIEF, SERVICES DEVELOPMENT BRANCH
SUBJECT: AUTOMATED WSR-88D RADAR OBSERVATION (ROB)
(THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED BY RICH LANE OF
THE OPERATIONS DIVISION OF THE OFFICE OF METEOROLOGY.)
As the National Weather Service (NWS) continues the transition
from the conventional radar network to that of the WSR-88D, there
has been much concern and interest in the continued availability
of radar observations. In order to maintain observations for use
in composite radar maps, and to provide users with radar
information they need, a procedure has been established to
incorporate WSR-88D radar observations from commissioned WSR-88D
sites into the current collective of radar data. The WSR-88D
radar observations will appear much the same as conventional
radar observations except that they will be identifiable by the
word "AUTO" as the last entry in the remarks section of the Storm
Detection portion. The following paragraphs give additional
information on these derived radar observations.
The WSR-88D automatically generates a product called the Radar
Coded Message (RCM). The RCM is sent from the WSR-88D to the
National Severe Storms Forecast Center (NSSFC) in Kansas City,
Missouri via the NWS Automation of Field Operations and Services
(AFOS) communications system. NSSFC produces and edits a
national grid composite of RCMs and derives Radar Observations
(ROB), which includes the Storm Detection (SD) and Manually
Digitized Radar (MDR) sections, for WSR-88D sites. NOTE:
Because the RCMs are not quality controlled, they are directed to
NSSFC where quality checks are applied and the ROBs derived. The
derived ROB products are then distributed.
The NSSFC uses a sophisticated two-step computer editing program
to produce the "derived ROBs." The first step involves a
comparison of five data sets, while the second uses three data
sets. Once the ROBs are generated with the "AUTO" appended, they
are sent to the NWS Telecommunication Gateway in Silver Spring,
Maryland. The derived radar observations (ROBs) are then
distributed to all users.
Derived ROBs will be generated for commissioned WSR-88D radars
only. Existing network WSR-57 and WSR-74 radar sites will still
produce ROBs. At sites where WSR-57s and 74s have to be shut
down in order to facilitate installation and operation of WSR-88D
radars prior to commissioning, existing backup procedures will be
followed.
Three of the WSR-88D derived ROBs in use are Amarillo, Texas,
Garden City, Kansas, (Dodge City, Kansas WSR-88D site), and
Wichita, Kansas. The rate of commissioning is anticipated to
increase during the coming months and additional derived ROBs
will be added.
Each derived ROB will become available as the radar it reports is
commissioned.
The Services Development Branch apologizes for the numbering and
date/time confusion.
If you have any questions about the ROBs, call Rich Lane,
(301)-713-1706.
END
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