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NEXRAD Level II Data Access & Distribution Meeting
March 31, 1998

• Participants included:
  • Kelvin Droegemeier, OU-CAPS
  • Tim Crum, NEXRAD OSF,
  • Woody Roberts, FSL
  • Richard Chinman, UCAR/IITA
  • Dave Fulker
  • Ben Domenico
  • Linda Miller

The purpose of this meeting was to share information on activities related to the Level II data and to determine if an opportunity to collaborate might be feasible.

Fulker provided an overview of the rationale for pursuing Level II data, including UserComm recommendations and discussions with NWS that have taken place on behalf of the university community. He described how the LDM/IDD worked and the avenues that might be taken toward the access and distribution of the Level II data.

Kelvin Droegemeier said that CAPS had been working collaboratively on the Storm & Mesoscale Ensemble Experiment (SAMEX) taking place between 1-31 May 1998. The Pittsburgh Super Computer Center uses a T3 to get all of the data needed for this project.

CAPS has been funded, by their Regents, to hook up nine (9) radars in and around Oklahoma, directly from the RPG to the server. CAPS has also been funded for a vBNS connection to make the data available.

Kelvin suggested that a high-level white paper needs to be written with the emphasis on regional modeling, regional initialization and the thrust among universities doing operational research with ensembles, etc. There is a need to emphasize "real-time" data and classroom education.

Tim Crum gave an overview of the NEXRAD program, and the status of the direct connection to local 88D radars, aka, RIDDS arrangement . The NIDS arrangement will be changing after the contract ends in September 1999. There have been discussions of establishg a central database in Washington, DC, providing access to NIDS data by a broader user community. A decision concerning the future of NIDS and NEXRAD data should be made by the end of May, 1998.

Currently, there is testing of the Level II data distribution using the LDM between the University of Washington and the Forecast Systems Laboratory. Additional sites will eventually be included for testing purposes.

ACTION: Create a white paper of three pages or less on the value of Level II data. Included in the text will be the use in education, coastal meteorology, Air Force weather, FAA and support of the NWS.

ACTION: Frank Marks at ERL/AOML should be apprised of this activity.

ACTION: Coordinate a co-sponsored (USWRP & Unidata) workshop to provide information on:

• Real-time data Level II description and product definition
• Coordination of prototype activities, e.g. SAMEX
• Provide research available on additional tilts, sensitivity studies, etc.

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