20020308: NEXRAD composite imagery (cont.)

>From: "Kevin Polston" <address@hidden>
>Organization: NWS
>Keywords: 200203081946.g28JkQK21992 NEXRAD composite

Kevin,

>So then the chances are good of seeing the VIL product very soon.  :-)

Depends on what "very" means.

>What would the chances be of being informed as soon as it is on the
>datastream? And would my influence as a "15 minute celebrity" help it
>arrive quicker?!   :-)

After we consult with our Users Committee, we will be able to spread
the word about the N0R composites.  After that, it will be easier/quicker
to inform users of other composites that may be produced.

>I believe I told you this earlier.....I have been downloading McIDAS
>AREA files from the University of Arizona for national and regional
>imagery. I also believe it is 1km data.

Yes, I have heard this from more than one source.

>Unfortunately it seems the
>atmospheric science department there might soon be disbanding.

I was absolutely floored when I first heard this comment.

>In
>talking to Mike Leuthold it seems like there is probably a 50-50 chance
>they will or will not keep that data flowing.

>One reason I liked it was
>that it seemed "sharper" than the images I saw on the Unidata website.

Unidata website?  If you are referring to the examples of what is
in the Unidata-Wisconsin datastream, then the only products that
are not being sent at their full resolution are the VIS ones.  The
IR sectors (10.7 and 6.8 WV) are sent at their full resolution.  The
VIS sectors are also sent at 4 km because the size of a 1 km image
that covers the same area was felt to be just too large for the
majority of sites (the products even when compressed would be
on the order of 24 MB).

>I was thinking that might be because Chiz is creating the data as
>grids.

Now I really don't know what you are referring to!  Chiz creates
the 6 km national and 1 km regional NEXRAD composites as grib messages.
The 1 km national N0R is created as a GINI image, and the RCM composite
is created by the NWS as a 10 km product.

>But then I don't know how the Unidata images would look on NMAP
>as opposed to on the web.

Which images are we talking about?

>One thing about those Arizona images....for
>the most part they are usually quite timely and very good as far as
>detail and such is concerned. I asked Mike if he could increase it to
>every 5 minutes instead of every 10 (that's the way meteorologists are
>I suppose, never satisfied with what they have)...but I think computing
>power is holding him back now.

This sounds like you are talking about radar composites since the
satellite imagery is not available more frequently than ever 15
minutes.

>Thanks for the RUC info......I will give it a try ASAP. It seems like
>it should work, especially since the data is there.

No worries.

>Looks like that boundary is retreating northward a bit. MCI is now up
>to 65 over 54 with south winds gusting to 25.  Looks like a nice chilly
>day in Boulder.

Its not cold, but it is snowy.

Tom