20060110: McIDAS station table locations for non-NEXRAD sites

>From:  Don Murray <address@hidden>
>Organization:  UCAR/Unidata
>Keywords:  200601101502.k0AF0j7u027285 McIDAS station database

Hi Don and Greg,

>Greg Salottolo noticed that the 4 letter NEXRAD locations
>have only DD:MM precision where the corresponding 3 letter
>stations have DD:MM:SS in the McIDAS-X station table.

All NEXRAD sites are listed in the McIDAS station database using
3-letter designators, not 4 (as you saw when you ran STNLIST TYPE=N).
The 4-letter entries are for stations reporting other things (like
METARs).

>Do you want me to report this to MUG or do you want to do this.

I can report that it looks like stations other than NEXRAD sites have
their locations rounded to DD:MM while the NEXRAD stations do not.  All
of the NEXRAD sites look like they kept DD:MM:SS precision.

>My conversation with him is below.

I am CCing Greg on this reply and will register an inquiry with
the MUG to see if they can get more accurate locations for other
stations.

Cheers,

Tom

>-------- Original Message --------
>
>>From: "Salottolo Greg" <address@hidden>
>>Organization: NTSB
>>Keywords: 200601101434.k0AEYh7s024025 IDV nexrad locations
>
>Hi Greg-
>
>>Thanks Don. Just curious --- If I query the SSEC McIDAS for the nexrad lat/lo
> n
>>  (stnlist klwx for instance) I get lat/lon in degrees and minutes only. Howe
> v
>> er, the xml file you sent does have the correct deg:mim:secs. Which file did
>  
>> you get the nexrad lat/lon from? UNIDATA McIDAS or somewhere else?
>
>This seems to be a problem with the McIDAS station list and I'll
>report it to SSEC.  To get the list I used, I ran
>
>STNLIST CO=US TYPE=N
>
>which lists out the nexrad stations with the 3 letter id's.  If
>I look at a particular station like LWX vs. KLWX, I see:
>
>stnlist.k LWX KLWX
>IDN   ID     Station Name         Data Types        ST CO LAT        LON 
>         ELE
>----- -----  -------------------- ----------------- -- -- ---------- 
>----------  ----
>  ---  KLWX   Baltimore / DC Nexra M                 MD US   38:59:00 
>77:29:00   113
>  ---  LWX    BALTIMORE                    N         MD US   38:58:31 
>77:28:40    83
>  ---  LWX    BALTIMORE                     W        VA US   38:58:32 
>77:28:38     0
>Number of stations listed: 3
>
>Looks like for the KLWX, they rounded off to DD:MM.  Note that the for the
>Weather Service Office (W), they have it in VA as well.
>
>Anyway, thanks for pointing this out and I'll let SSEC know.
>
>Don Murray
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