[Xastir] Re: Wind Gusts

[Jason Jordan]

Howdy Folks,

---- "Curt wrote: 
> 
> I'm not a weather guy, so I want to stay out of it, but my tendency
> would be to say "yes".  It makes no sense to dump weather data into
> the system that doesn't fit their models.  That being said, perhaps
> they already account for that in the APRS data they receive?  Steve
> Dimse would probably know this stuff.

Off-the-record, very little QC is done with the APRS weather data we get (mainly through the Citizen Weather Observers Program and other various sources) into our operational weather display software .  There is a station near our office that consistently has wind directions that are off anywhere from 60 to 150 degrees from "official" and other APRS stations in the area and they have done little to fix their data.  Due to the inconsistency and questionable data quality, we decided to nix importing APRS sites into any analysis products we do.  I cannot speak for other offices across the U.S. and have heard of some NWS offices that do collect, use, and display data for forecasting operations from the CWOP program (which includes APRS weather stations).

I'd strongly recommend that XASTIR and APRS try to meet NWS data standards to encourage their use in operations.  Many forecasters (O.K...at least myself) prefer more data rather than less.  We already have the capability to import the data in our operational display system, it's just a matter of quality!

-Jason Jordan

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Jason Jordan, KC5KND
E-mail:  kc5knd at cox.net
Webpage: http://members.cox.net/kc5knd/

Meteorologist, National Weather Service Amarillo, TX
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