New Experimental Radar Product???

[Adam Taylor]

From the looks of it UEX has new radar pages.

Next Generation Radar Displays (V2)

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ridge/uex.html

Displays Topograghic maps, counties, cities, highways, rivers and warnings, along with radar data all on one map. I like it. The only thing I didn't like is they only show the interstate for highways.

 

[Anthony Petito]

Cool!

 

[Jayson Prentice]

I believe they started showing these a couple of months ago. It used to be limited to only a few of the radar sites.

Now it is available country wide, given the topo maps don't work on ALL of the sites. It is definately another step in radar development...

 

[Ben Cotton]

Now it is available country wide, given the topo maps don't work on ALL of the sites. It is definately another step in radar development...

No, not really. It's the same radar image, just with a pretty map and toggle-able (word?) overlays. GRLevel3 offers the same thing (and more, albeit for a price). Even now, I'd still use WeatherTAP over the NWS radar sites.


Ben

 

[Jayson Prentice]

It does have the prettier map, and the toggled overlays, but that is another step for the public for free.

Certainly GRLevel3 is better, but as you said for a price. This is available to everybody and it is another step up for the NWS at least...

 

[Ben Cotton]

It does have the prettier map, and the toggled overlays, but that is another step for the public for free.

Is it really necessary? I don't think the pretty background map really matters much to Joe Sixpack. Either way, the basic information is the same.

Certainly GRLevel3 is better, but as you said for a price. This is available to everybody and it is another step up for the NWS at least...

I'll admit to re-installing the free trial of GRLevel3 a time or two...until I can afford to buy it. Yes, it is ethically dubious, but the point is freeness is available. Should this be the focus of the NWS in a time of budget-crunch? I would say no.

 

[Jayson Prentice]

It is the NWS trying to attract more people back to their site and away from the other sites that offer radar.

I can admit, although I check it out every once in a while I do use other sites. Either way, as the reason this thread was started... It is a new thing from the NWS that they have made available.

 

[Warren Eckels]

It is pretty

Chicago stations have been superimposing radar on the area topo image for quite some time. In some areas far from highways the topo can help you determine exactly which city is threatened by a given storm.

 

[Joe Nield]

Should this be the focus of the NWS in a time of budget-crunch? I would say no.

This is merely a way for radar data to be displayed by the ordinarily non-weather-savvy public in a new manner, with the ability to overlay warning polygons.

 

[rdale]

...something already provided by the private sector, in a better fashion... Sounds familiar? NWS spending money on duplication of something that is NOT necessary for protecting the general public and already provided by the weather industry. Do _not_ tell me that Joe Public needs topo maps with overlays to know when a warning is issued for his area.

- Rob

 

[Robert Dewey]

Yeah, it is nice, but it does seem like a waste to me. What wouldn't be a waste is increasing the profiler network, increasing the number of sounding launch points and times (every 6 hours, versus the current 12 hour standard), etc.. - That's where the real focus should be, rather than paying a programmer to create nice looking topo maps and polygon overlays.

 

[Justin Turcotte]

The new NWS radar images are available for all offices now.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ridge/graphics/rid...idgesitemap.gif

Yeah, it is nice, but it does seem like a waste to me. What wouldn't be a waste is increasing the profiler network, increasing the number of sounding launch points and times (every 6 hours, versus the current 12 hour standard), etc.. - That's where the real focus should be, rather than paying a programmer to create nice looking topo maps and polygon overlays.

I understand these concerns but keep in mind that these products require a constant flush of equipment and maintainence. The new radar graphics more or less simply require some server space along with the services of a programmer who is probably already on the payroll anyway.

 

[rdale]

"The new radar graphics more or less simply require some server space"

The primary source for all radar information nationwide from the NWS has been suffering from server problems since it began... Yesterday data was up to 30 minutes old, so all commercial software that utilizes the meso product or VIL or Echo Tops were crippled by the inability for the NWS server to keep up.

Infrastructure...

- Rob

 

[Joe Nield]

...something already provided by the private sector, in a better fashion... Sounds familiar? NWS spending money on duplication of something that is NOT necessary for protecting the general public and already provided by the weather industry. Do _not_ tell me that Joe Public needs topo maps with overlays to know when a warning is issued for his area.

- Rob

Oh good god, here we go again.

Edit: Hey, 500th post! *tosses handful of confetti*

Disclaimer: I tossed that fictional handful of confetti as a private citizen, not a weather service employee. It is my hope that no private confetti-tossing corporations were offended by my tossing of said fictional confetti. While I'm at it, with the disclaiming, any and all posts to this board are my own opinions.

 

[Robert Dewey]

...something already provided by the private sector, in a better fashion... Sounds familiar? NWS spending money on duplication of something that is NOT necessary for protecting the general public and already provided by the weather industry. Do _not_ tell me that Joe Public needs topo maps with overlays to know when a warning is issued for his area.

- Rob

Oh good god, here we go again.

Yeah, I see your point Joe. I don't really mind that the NWS is doing it, nor the fact that it's free (free = good) - I mean, if my tax dollars went into it, I better get to see a good product. I was just pointing out that there are other areas that need improving upon, which should have been thought of well before the NDFD and other needless products (well, NDFD is needless for me anyway, not sure about anyone else)... I liked the original ZFP's (zone forecast packages).