Service Name

3D Radar Service

Service Abstract

The 3D Weather Radar Information Service is the output of the European Weather Radar Composite of Convection Information Service Project (SESAR 2015_067_AF5), which was jointly developed by Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), EUMETNET, EUROCONTROL, Météo-France and the Met Office. It provides harmonised weather radar observation information for much of the European region.

Common Service Definition

There was no service definition for the 3D Wx Information Service developed, however the contributing and publishing organisations, may develop one in the future. Instead, the service description is published on the SWIM registry by the Met Office.

Service Implementation Status

The service is operational and is published on the SWIM Registry by the Met Office.

Service Information

The 3D Wx Radar service, uses all available local weather radar installations from the participating 11 countries in Europe. It merges and harmonises the various outputs in space and time, creating a 3-dimensional representation of radar reflectivity over the region. The reflectivity is an indication of the rainfall intensity and can be used to identify the intense rainfall associated with CB and thunderstorm activity, in real-time.

This RADAR provision will provide greater situational awareness and enhance safety through pro-active decision making, greater efficiency routing aircraft, reduced fuel burn and informing capacity/constraint management at an earlier stage.

The service makes use of the hI-Resolution Mosaics for Aviation (IRMA) algorithm of EUMETNET to preserve the height information present in each radar scan and use this to provide information on the vertical structure of convective weather. The IRMA system works by taking in the reflectivity measurements from multiple radars with scans at multiple elevations and synthesising them to give a regular gridded 3D cube of data which represents an estimate of the reflectivity in each volume. This cube is then used to derive a variety of 2D from 3D parameters which are all useful indicators of storm severity.

The input radar data of the IRMA system is provided via OPERA, the Radar programme of EUMETNET, with output over two different domains. The first covers the FAB-EC and UK and Ireland FAB with a horizontal resolution of 1km at 12 different vertical levels 500m apart and an update cycle of 5 minutes. The second covers a wider pan-European area with a horizontal resolution of 2km at 12 different vertical levels 500m apart and an update cycle of 15 minutes. There are two processing centres hosted in Toulouse (by Météo France) and Exeter (by the Met Office) respectively.

Horizontal reflectivity is available, as well as a variety of 2D products that are derived from the 3D cube, including maximum reflectivity and height of maximum reflectivity, echo tops, and vertically integrated liquid – all useful indicators of storm severity.

The datasets are currently available on request in HDF5 ODIM format from both Météo France and the Met Office. A trial service in GRIB2 format is also available from the Met Office.

Service Provision

Service Provider Organization

The service is available on the SWIM registry from the UK’s Met Office.

Data Origination

11 aviation MET providers include their weather radar - France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, as well as Austria, Czech Republic, Poland and Denmark. The radar information from these countries is then processed and quality controlled by two centres, in the UK and France, which then publish the final composite mosaic. At present, only the UK publishes via the SWIM Registry.

Service Consumption

Service Consumer Organization

The enhanced radar information made available by IRMA is more detailed than that available from traditional radar products and is aimed only at the aviation community with possible applications in both the pre-flight and in-flight phases.

The IRMA products offer all aviation stakeholders greater situational awareness, as well as a base for common reference and representation of convective weather events for the pan-European geographical footprint. This will assist in short-term tactical decision making, application of safety procedures and better airspace management.

The information can also be used by Air Traffic Management (ATM) enabling them to better anticipate potential constraints in available airspace, subsequently enhancing the predictability of air traffic flow. As a complement to existing radar products at national scales, these high-resolution data products may also be useful tools for use by operational meteorologists in preparing aviation forecasts.

Consumer Usage

Authorised aviation stakeholders include:

• Air Traffic Management users,

  • Identifying in real-time, sectors which may become unusable due to severe convection, or around which airspace users are likely to request diversions.

• Eurocontrol Network Managers

  • Identifying in real-time areas of significant and widespread convection which will cause reroutes and potential delays/bottlenecks

  • Monitor in real-time the development or decay of such convective cells.

• Airspace users

• Situational awareness and to support ACDM processes, when there is significant convection in the vicinity of the airport.

• This data is also available for use by MET ANSPs for Official Duty purposes only.