20030319: asos wind sensor replacement-ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC (fwd)

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706
NOUS41 KWBC 191841
PNSWSH

PUBLIC INFO. STATEMENT...TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE 03-15
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
140 PM EST WED MAR 19 2003

TO        FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAA WEATHER
         WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...EMERGENCY MANAGERS
         WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK /EMWIN/ SUBSCRIBERS...
         OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE /NWS/ CUSTOMERS OF
         AVIATION DATA AND FORECASTS...NWS EMPLOYEES

FROM      RAINER DOMBROWSKY
         CHIEF...OBSERVING SERVICES DIVISION

SUBJECT   AUTOMATED SURFACE OBSERVING SYSTEM WIND SENSOR
         REPLACEMENT

REFER TO  TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE /TIN/ 02-30...DATED
         OCTOBER 25 2002

THE FOLLOWING CHANGES HAVE NO DIRECT IMPACT ON NOAA WEATHER WIRE
SERVICE SUBSCRIBERS.

THE AUTOMATED SURFACE OBSERVING SYSTEM /ASOS/ PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAM WILL SOON DEPLOY A REPLACEMENT WIND SENSOR.  THE NEW
SENSOR WILL REPORT WIND INFORMATION USING THE 3-SECOND WORLD
METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION /WMO/ GUST STANDARD.

THE CURRENT ASOS WIND SENSOR /BELFORT 2000 / USES ROTATING CUPS
TO MEASURE WIND SPEED AND A VANE TO MEASURE WIND DIRECTION.  OVER
A 2-MINUTE PERIOD...ASOS USES TWENTY-FOUR 5-SECOND AVERAGES TO
DETERMINE THE 2-MINUTE AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.  EVERY
MINUTE ASOS STORES THE HIGHEST 5-SECOND AVERAGE SPEED FOR THE
PAST MINUTE... ALONG WITH ITS DIRECTION... IN THE 12-HOUR ARCHIVE
FOR ADDITIONAL PROCESSING.  THIS HIGHEST SPEED VALUE IS USED TO
DETERMINE IF A GUST AND/OR A PEAK WIND REMARK WILL BE REPORTED.

THE NEW ASOS WIND SENSOR /VAISALA 425NWS / IS A SONIC ANEMOMETER.
IT HAS NO MOVING PARTS AND WILL OPERATE BETTER IN WINTER WEATHER
CONDITIONS.  AS WITH THE BELFORT SENSOR...OVER A 2-MINUTE
PERIOD...ASOS USES TWENTY-FOUR 5-SECOND AVERAGES TO DETERMINE THE
2-MINUTE AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.  BUT THE HIGHEST
3-SECOND RUNNING AVERAGE SPEED IS STORED FOR GUST AND PEAK WIND
PROCESSING.

WHILE THERE WILL BE LITTLE DIFFERENCE IN 2-MINUTE AVERAGE WIND
SPEED AND DIRECTION REPORTING...THE CHANGES IN GUST AND PEAK WIND
REPORTING MAY BE SIGNIFICANT.  WE CAN EXPECT TO SEE MORE GUSTS
AND PEAK WINDS REPORTED WITH THE NEW SENSOR.  THE MASS OF THE
MOVING PARTS IN EXISTING SENSORS LIMITS RESPONSIVENESS.  THE NEW
SENSOR WILL BE MORE RESPONSIVE TO SHORT TERM GUSTS.

THE LAST ACTIVITY PRIOR TO IMPLEMENTATION AT 313 NWS AND 570 FAA
SPONSORED SITES IS A 20 SITE OPERATIONAL ACCEPTANCE TEST /OAT/.
THE OAT BEGAN IN MID-SEPTEMBER OF 2002.  EIGHTEEN /18/ OF
THE 20 OAT SITES ARE CONFIGURED WITH DUAL SENSORS...BOTH THE
EXISTING AND NEW SENSOR.  THE EXISTING SENSOR IS BEING USED FOR
THE OFFICIAL OBSERVATION AT LOCATIONS WHERE DUAL SENSORS ARE
INSTALLED.  DATA FROM THE NEW SENSOR OUTPUT IS BEING ARCHIVED FOR
ANALYSIS.  WHEN THE ANALYSIS VALIDATES THE NEW SENSOR
PERFORMANCE...THE PROCESSING WILL BE CHANGED TO USE THE NEW
SENSOR FOR THE OFFICIAL OBSERVATION AND THE NEW SENSORS WILL BE
INSTALLED AT THE REMAINING 2 SINGLE SENSOR OAT SITES.  BELFORT
SENSOR DATA WILL CONTINUE TO BE ARCHIVED AT THE DUAL SENSOR
SITES FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS.  THIS CHANGE IN THE USE OF SENSORS IS
EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN APRIL 2003.  FOLLOWING A SUCCESSFUL
OAT...FULL SCALE DEPLOYMENT OF THE NEW SENSOR WILL BEGIN IN JUNE
OF 2003 AND EXTEND THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2005.

                        OAT LOCATIONS

    SID  STATION NAME        CONFIGURATION     DEPLOYMENT DATE

    BRW  BARROW AK               DUAL          JANUARY 2003
    TKA  TALKEETNA, AK           DUAL          JANUARY 2003
    KTN  KETCHICAN AK            DUAL          JANUARY 2003
    SIT  SITKA AK                DUAL          JANUARY 2003
    CMX  HANCOCK MI              DUAL          NOVEMBER 2002
    GFK  GRAND FORKS ND          DUAL          OCTOBER 2002
    TOP  TOPEKA KS               DUAL          OCTOBER 2002
    BFF  SCOTTSBLUFF NE          DUAL          MARCH 2003
    HUF  TERRA HAUTE  IN         DUAL          JANUARY 2003
    OSH  OSHKOSH WI              DUAL          NOVEMBER 2002
    ARR  CHICAGO/AURORA IL       DUAL          DECEMBER 2002
    FTW  FORT WORTH TX           DUAL          FEBRUARY 2003
    NEW  NEW ORLEANS  LA         DUAL          JANUARY 2003
    LLJ  CHALLIS ID              DUAL          NOVEMBER 2003
    UAO  AURORA OR               DUAL          JANUARY 2003
    BLU  BLUE CANYON CA          DUAL          OCTOBER 2003
    BTV  BURLINGTON VT           DUAL          SEPTEMBER 2003
    CAR  CARIBOU ME              DUAL          SEPTEMBER 2003
    ITO  HILO HI                 SINGLE        APRIL 2003
    SFO  SAN FRANCISCO CA        SINGLE        APRIL 2003

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS CHANGE...PLEASE CONTACT ONE
OF THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS AT NWS HEADQUARTERS

       TIMOTHY ROSS
       SURFACE OBSERVATIONS PROGRAM MANAGER
       SILVER SPRING MD
       PHONE   301-713-1792 X114
       E-MAIL  TIM.ROSS@xxxxxxxx

               OR

       RICHARD AHLBERG
       ASOS PLANNED PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM MANAGER
       SILVER SPRING MD
       PHONE   301-713-1975  X160
       E-MAIL  RICHARD.AHLBERG@xxxxxxxx

THIS AND OTHER NWS TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICES ARE AVAILABLE
ON THE INTERNET AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/

         HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF.HTM

$$


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