VRAD: A Browser for NEXRAD Reflectivity Data · VRAD: A Browser for NEXRAD Reflectivity Data Anton...
Transcript of VRAD: A Browser for NEXRAD Reflectivity Data · VRAD: A Browser for NEXRAD Reflectivity Data Anton...
VRAD: A Browser for NEXRADReflectivity Data
Anton Kruger
Witold Krajewski
Iowa Institute of Hydraulic ResearchThe University of Iowa
Why a Visualization Tool?
• Quality control - “have you looked at thedata?”
• Patterns that are difficult to anticipate orformalize are very easily recognized byhumans.
• Reanalysis of NEXRAD data - find interestingportions of rainfield.
Example 1
Notice how automatic quality control producedmissing reflectivity spokes
Example 2
Wind and seagenerated clutter
Example 3
Sun spike
Requirement for Tool
• It must provide rapid navigation
– Between any volume in the data set
– Between any sweep in a volume
• Must show PPI, RHI, and AHI.
• No polar-Cartesian remapping.
• Must be very easy to use (KIS).
• It is not an analysis tool.
A Virtual Radar (VRAD)
Menu
Legend
Navigationbuttons
Mode buttons
Browse window andslider
The Menus
Selecting a year
Selecting thebackground
Selecting a colormap
Selecting a site
Selecting abrowse statistic
Browse PPI Mode
Scan levelbrowsing
Browse PPI Mode (Up)
Not inbase scananymore
PPI and RHI Mode
RHI mode
Slicer
PPI and AHI Mode
AHI Mode
Slicer
VRAD’s Future
• Runs on HP-UX platform: should it be ported to
other platforms?
• What additional features (saving, printing, etc.)
are desirable?
• Q: What is the future of WATADS?
• A: WATADS needs VRAD and RLE
Animation (click on the image to play)