Bridging the Gap: Behind the Scenes of Climavision’s Supplemental Radar Installations
Installing one of our supplemental, X-band weather radars is no easy feat. Every installation is unique and requires a full team effort and collaboration on many fronts including manufacturing, siting, and, finally, construction.
The United States’ National Weather Service operates the most comprehensive weather radar network in the world known as NEXRAD. However, due to the limitations of weather radars, low-level coverage gaps still exist across the United States. One of our goals at Climavision is to install supplemental weather radars to provide complete coverage at low levels of the atmosphere, reducing undetected weather events and protecting lives and property.
In Summary
- Each radar installation poses unique challenges throughout the manufacturing, siting, partnership, and construction processes.
- Once installed, Climavision supplemental weather radars provide immense benefits to local communities, government agencies, media organizations, insurance companies, utility companies, and other weather-sensitive industries.
- By filling in low-level coverage gaps, these radars help detect previously undetected weather events, improve planning, response, and efficiency, protect lives and property, and enable more accurate and timely decision-making.
The Manufacturing
The obvious most important component for our installations is the radar itself. We need to have a fully assembled radar in order to begin an installation. Weather radar technology is nuanced and can take many forms, but most systems can have significant lead times and specialized parts, which require sourcing, assembly, and testing. Our proprietary radar design is a solid-state, X-band system using modern tech and easily replaceable parts, allowing for easy upgrading as new technology is discovered. Using an X-band frequency allows for high-resolution and low-power consumption – perfect ingredients for a gap-filling weather radar.
The Siting
Siting a new radar location almost always proves challenging. A good site minimizes coverage overlap between the supplemental radar and existing radars in the area. Fortunately, some simple calculations reveal how far low-level coverage extends from any given radar site. Using the coordinates for existing radars, the Climavision team can pinpoint the geographic areas that need supplemental radar coverage. With these areas highlighted, we can get to work finding a specific location for the radar.
Once a general location has been determined, other requirements must be met. Radar beams travel in a straight line and deflect back to the radar when an object is in the air. This is how the systems detect rain in the sky. It also means the beam can be blocked by nearby obstructions. Trees, buildings, cell towers, and mountains are some examples of obstructions that could block a radar beam. If these obstructions block a large portion of the 360-degree scan pattern a radar makes, they can disqualify the site. It would be a shame to install a radar and then realize 25% of the beam is blocked!
The beam blockage challenge can be solved by a site visit and multiple types of geographic software. Site visits are typically used to note nearby obstructions while GIS systems pinpoint larger obstructions.
Once a site has been deemed viable through both low-level coverage improvement and blockage, we must ensure the site can physically sustain the radar. Radars need power to function and data connections to transmit information. Communication with utility companies and local contacts give insight on whether or not power and connectivity needs can be met at each radar site.
The last portion of the siting process involves a thorough engineering analysis. If a tower is to be constructed to support the radar, soil samples and an environmental analysis are standard procedures to ensure the land itself can support a radar and a tower. If we are able to use existing infrastructure such as a water tower or large building (an advantage of the small size of the X-band systems) a complete structural analysis is completed. A passing structural analysis guarantees the building can not only support the new radar, but that the new radar will not damage any portion of the structure. If any engineering analysis fails, it is back to the drawing board to find a new site.
Partner collaboration
Partnerships are involved on many fronts. From establishing relationships with local utilities necessary to support the radar to meeting with local community members who understand the need and benefit of a supplemental weather radar in their area, no installation would be possible without valuable partnerships. When introducing the plans for a new weather radar, community support is instrumental and affirms the value of Climavision’s mission. Local partners can also provide input into siting efforts. No one knows the lay of the land in a low-level coverage gap like the people living there. Weather-sensitive industries in the area often highlight specific valleys, hills, or mountains that would either benefit from or hinder radar coverage.
Every partnership, whether with individuals in the community or larger corporations, is essential. Partners often offer personal anecdotes reaffirming the work we do.
Construction
The most exciting piece of the radar install, the construction piece, is also the shortest. Once all manufacturing, siting, and partnership goals are met, it is time to construct the radar onsite and lift it on top of the chosen structure. This piece of the project generates a lot of buzz in the municipality, and the community gathers to see the spectacular sight when a radar “flies” and lands in its new permanent home. Typically, this is done by crane, although in one extra exciting case, we used a helicopter to hoist the radar on top of the Eller Oceanography and Meteorology Building on Texas A&M’s campus.
Benefit to the community
Each gap-filling weather radar brings immense benefit to the local community. In areas with no low-level radar coverage, severe weather hits without warning, increasing the likelihood of injury, property damage, and death due to weather. Comprehensive low-level coverage added by our supplemental weather radars can increase threat detection and warning time, allowing people to stay out of harm’s way.
Gap-filling weather radars can aid first responders, transportation authorities, insurance companies, media partners, and utility companies alike. They give insight into precise threats, impact location, and impact timing, which allow these groups to address damages due to weather as quickly as possible without the need for a storm spotter to put themself in dangerous situations.
Want to learn more about Climavision’s supplemental weather radar network and how it can save lives? Contact us today to learn more about these systems and how they can benefit you.
