RADAP II

RADAP II is historical digital data set DSI-9798, archived at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). In 1971, the National Weather Service (NWS) began The Digitized Radar Experiment (D/RADEX) to improve the operational use of radar data through computer processing. The primary purpose of D/RADEX was to demonstrate the utility of digital reflectivity data in weather forecasting operations; D-RADEX was programmed for automatic preparation of low level reflectivity and rainfall accumulation products. The early stages of D/RADEX involved four sites: Kansas City, MO; Oklahoma City, OK; Fort Worth, TX; and Monett, MO. Through its lifetime, many advanced meteorological and hydrological products were developed under D/RADEX including echo tops, vertically integrated liquid water content, severe weather probability, storm structure, and rainfall accumulation. In 1983, positive evaluation of the results of D/RADEX resulted in transferring the system to quasi-operational status and renaming it Radar Data Processor, version II (RADAP II). Data were collected from nine stations: Amarillo, TX, Wichita, KS, Charleston, WV, Garden City, KS, Limon, CO, Oklahoma city, OK, Pittsburgh, PA, Ruskin, FL and Monett, MO. The period of record began with April, 1985 data. The major data variables that make up this file are: station identification and time, elevation angle, range interval, merge data, elevation, type observation, rotational direction of original input data, ap indicator, snow indicator, number of data values, and number, mean, and standard deviation of non-zero DVIP values. This data file was collected and processed by the Oklahoma climatological survey of Norman, Oklahoma.