User ManualLatest revison: 19MAR10

VizMet-A 4.10 Copyright © 2000-2009

Radiometrics Corporation

2840 Wilderness Place Unit GBolder, Colorado 80301-5414303-449-9192www.radiometrics.com

Vizualizing Meteorology

VizMet-A is an in-house Windows based software capable of displaying temperature, humidity, and liquid retrivals as vertical/cross-sectional profiles.

Microwave Profilers deliver continuous temperature, humidity, and liquid profiles data that are key to accurate precipitation forecasting.

Basic Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Visual Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Time Series Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Profile Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Graphical User Interface1

File Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Historical Vertical Profile Retrivals . . . . . . . . . 3-4Historical Cross Section Profile Retrivals . . . . . 5-6

Historical Data Profiles2

Realtime Data Profiles4

NOAA/ESRL FSL Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8

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Historical Radiosonde3

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Table of Contents

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basic operations

new profile

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visual profiles

time series controls

profile options

Basic Operations

Graphical User Interface1

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open saved profile image 2.save profile image 3.

cut profile image 4.copy profile image 5.paste profile image 6.

print profile image 7.about VizMet-A 8.

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Visual Profiles

Time series controls1 2

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previous radiosonde profile 1.next radiosonde profile 2.

Profile options

profile visual options1.export single lv02 etrival 2.

previos radiometer profile 3.closest radiometer/radiosonde comparison profile 4.next radiometer profile5.

historical vertical profile 1.historical time series profile 2.

realtime vertical profile 3.realtime time series profile 4.

brightness temperature retrivals 5.

slide bar 6.step through time series 7.stop time series 8.

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PNG

Case Study

RAO

RDX

VIZ

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Historical data profiles2

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(optional)File structure

Historical vertical profile retrieval

Standardizing a file structure is your first defense against typical error messages.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics)

RAO (atmospheric balloon sounding)

RDX (radiometer output data)

VIZ (MizMet-A executable)

click ‘Display retrival’ icon

click ‘Browse’ locate and select .rao file (see Ch. 3)

click ‘Browse’ locate and select .lv02 file

select scan angle (Zenith26 standard profile)

select vertical profile height

‘Apply filter’ checked

click ‘OK’

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vertical profile output

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Historical cross section profile retrieval

click ‘Display time series retrival’ icon

input desired cross section time lapse

click ‘Browse’ locate and select .lv02 file

‘Apply filter’ checked

select cross section height

click ‘OK’

additional: cloud base display temp/RH contours temp celcius/kelvin

select scan angle (Zenith26 standard profile)

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cross section profile output

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Historical radiosonde3

VizMet-A displays historical radiosonde profiles that follow FSL data format

Select dates/time associates with study

Select radiosonde station preference

Click ‘Continue Data Request’

Specify your selection

Select ‘yes’ to view radiosondestations identification

Select ‘FSL format (ASCII text)’as output format. Click ‘Continue Data Access’

(Forecast Systems Laboratory.) NOAA/ESRL Radiosonde Database is a great

online sorce for historical weather data. http://esrl.noaa.gov/raobs/

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NOAA/ESRL FSL profiles

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Select radiosonde station

Click ‘Get Radiosonde Data’

Right click on the page, select

Locate RAO file and save

‘Save Page As...’

soundings as: date(s).rao

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Realtime data profiles4Realtime vertical profile retrival

click ‘Realtime retrival’ icon

click ‘Browse’ locate and select latest lv02 file found in

radiometer’s operational directory

select scan angle (Zenith26 standard profile)

check ‘Save the real time image’ click ‘Browse’ select image file location; name image (ex. Vertical_profile.png)

input a number of times ‘per day’ VizMet should check for a new sonde.

click ‘OK’

input WMO Site identification number

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click ‘Thresholder’ icon

check ‘Apply filter’

select vertical profile height

click ‘Apply’

Apply vertical profile filter

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Realtime cross section profile retrival

click ‘Realtime time series’ icon

click ‘Browse’ locate and select latest lv02 file found in

radiometer’s operational directory

select scan angle (Zenith26 standard profile)

check ‘Save the real time image’

click ‘Browse’ select image file location; name image (ex. x-section_profile.png)

click ‘OK’

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click ‘Thresholder’ icon

check ‘Apply filter’

select vertical profile height

click ‘Apply’

Apply cross section profile filter

additional: cloud base display temp/RH cont ours temp celcius/kelvin