VIPIR
Encyclopedia
Volumetric Imaging and Processing of Integrated Radar, known by the acronym VIPIR, is a type of post-processing program applied to traditional radar systems and is distributed by Baron Weather Solutions. VIPIR is not a new form of weather radar
, it is a software that emulates analysis of radar data for private users, in particular television stations, similar to the Weather Decision Support System program used by the National Weather Service
.
image of the storm, which may be rotated and viewed from any angle. If imagery is zoomed in at an adequate range, actual weather satellite
data can be superimposed. As the data is interpolated between the different elevations, the display may not accurately reflect actual atmospheric conditions. The current radar system distributed by Baron produces 14 different elevation levels in an attempt to minimize resolution issues.
VIPIR images can be constructed from multiple sources, including doppler weather radar and NEXRAD
. It is used by television meteorologists to give a comprehensive view of weather, in particular severe weather events. It is important to note that even though many television stations claim their radars to be VIPIR Radars, the only time the VIPIR component is used is when a three dimensional image is shown.
data in order to find signatures of severe thunderstorms, accumulation of rain or snow, and other weather patterns of interest.
are flagged by red or yellow cylinder
s according to the strength of the vortex
as defined by the tornado vortex signature
criteria similar to those the National Weather Service
uses. To do this, it uses the presence of a BWER in reflectivity
and atmospheric rotation picked up by Doppler
weather radar
.
and wintry mix.
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
, it is a software that emulates analysis of radar data for private users, in particular television stations, similar to the Weather Decision Support System program used by the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
.
Technique
To construct a VIPIR image of a storm, the radar will take multiple soundings at slightly different elevations. This data will then be fed into a computer which will attempt to compute the shape of the storm. The result of this process is a three dimensionalStereoscopy
Stereoscopy refers to a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by presenting two offset images separately to the left and right eye of the viewer. Both of these 2-D offset images are then combined in the brain to give the perception of 3-D depth...
image of the storm, which may be rotated and viewed from any angle. If imagery is zoomed in at an adequate range, actual weather satellite
Weather satellite
The weather satellite is a type of satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth. Satellites can be either polar orbiting, seeing the same swath of the Earth every 12 hours, or geostationary, hovering over the same spot on Earth by orbiting over the equator while...
data can be superimposed. As the data is interpolated between the different elevations, the display may not accurately reflect actual atmospheric conditions. The current radar system distributed by Baron produces 14 different elevation levels in an attempt to minimize resolution issues.
VIPIR images can be constructed from multiple sources, including doppler weather radar and NEXRAD
NEXRAD
NEXRAD or Nexrad is a network of 159 high-resolution Doppler weather radars operated by the National Weather Service, an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the United States Department of Commerce...
. It is used by television meteorologists to give a comprehensive view of weather, in particular severe weather events. It is important to note that even though many television stations claim their radars to be VIPIR Radars, the only time the VIPIR component is used is when a three dimensional image is shown.
Algorithms
Included in VIPIR are algorithms that analyze precipitationPrecipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
data in order to find signatures of severe thunderstorms, accumulation of rain or snow, and other weather patterns of interest.
Storm tracking
VIPIR automatically locates thunderstorms over the radar coverage area using algorithms analyzing the water content of each storm, its motion and wind fields. Storms are classified according to certain criteria and ranked. The ones capable of producing a tornadoTornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
are flagged by red or yellow cylinder
Cylinder (geometry)
A cylinder is one of the most basic curvilinear geometric shapes, the surface formed by the points at a fixed distance from a given line segment, the axis of the cylinder. The solid enclosed by this surface and by two planes perpendicular to the axis is also called a cylinder...
s according to the strength of the vortex
Vortex
A vortex is a spinning, often turbulent,flow of fluid. Any spiral motion with closed streamlines is vortex flow. The motion of the fluid swirling rapidly around a center is called a vortex...
as defined by the tornado vortex signature
Tornado vortex signature
A tornado vortex signature or tornadic vortex signature, abbreviated TVS, is a Doppler weather radar detected rotation algorithm that indicates the likely presence of a strong mesocyclone that is in some stage of tornadogenesis...
criteria similar to those the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
uses. To do this, it uses the presence of a BWER in reflectivity
Reflectivity
In optics and photometry, reflectivity is the fraction of incident radiation reflected by a surface. In general it must be treated as a directional property that is a function of the reflected direction, the incident direction, and the incident wavelength...
and atmospheric rotation picked up by Doppler
Pulse-doppler radar
Pulse-Doppler is a 4D radar system capable of detecting both target 3D location as well as measuring radial velocity . It uses the Doppler effect to avoid overloading computers and operators as well as to reduce power consumption...
weather radar
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
.
Accumulations
VIPIR tracks snowfall/rainfall accumulations. It has an extrapolation feature to predict snowfall totals in excess of 24 hours in advance using meteorological computer model outputs. The algorithm, called Snow Machine, forecasts several precipitation types: rain, sleetIce storm
An ice storm is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain, also known as a glaze event or in some parts of the United States as a silver thaw. The U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulation of at least of ice on exposed surfaces...
and wintry mix.