SPoRT ARPS Data Analysis System (ADAS)
The SPoRT ARPS Data Analysis System (ADAS) is an enhancement applied to multiple surface analyses. Each card on this page represents a product derived using ADAS methods. Products on green cards, marked as "Transitioned Product," are being used by at least one National Weather Service Forecast Office. To see actual real-time data, click the link at the bottom right of the card.
For more information, see the SPoRT ADAS Overview at the bottom of this page.
TRANSITIONED PRODUCT
Surface Temperature and Wind
2m surface temperature (°F) and wind barbs (knots) over Southeastern US.
TRANSITIONED PRODUCT
Surface Relative Humidity
2m surface relative humidity (%) over Southeastern US.
TRANSITIONED PRODUCT
Surface Dew Point
2m surface dew point (°F) over Southeastern US.
SPoRT ADAS Overview
The National Weather Service has access to multiple surface analyses including an LAPS supplied by Southern Region Headquarters, the Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis (RTMA; from NCEP), and MAPS Surface Assimilation System (MSAS; from NOAA/ESRL). Each of these systems is lacking in quality control of the observations used for the analysis, coarse analysis resolution, or a combination of both. Due to the inconsistent output from the other available analyses, SPoRT has created a high-resolution surface analysis using the ARPS Data Analysis System (ADAS).
The SPoRT ADAS is a surface analysis of temperature, moisture, and winds combines a 13-km, 2-hour Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) forecast with METARs, SAOs, buoys and Mesonet observations from the MADIS data distribution system to produce a coherent 2-dimensional analysis. The analysis domain covers all of the Southeastern U.S. and has 2-km resolution to capture mesoscale features. Analyses run at 20 minutes past every hour and include observations from ±15 minutes from the top of every hour. The quality control employed by ADAS is a three-tiered approach. An observation is excluded from the analysis if it is
- significantly different from the background.
- significantly different from neighboring observations.
- listed in a set of user-defined "blacklisted" stations.
Having a set of blacklisted station allows users to pinpoint locations where questionable observations occur and have a mechanism for removal to produce a superior analysis. Using feedback from forecasters at the Huntsville WFO, several stations that have well-documented problems were removed. In addition, some of the stations were only problematic during the day and were handled by creating a separate blacklist for day and night (with a cut-off at 9 am & 9 pm).
The analyses can be used by the WFOs in three different manners:
- Real-time mesoanalysis.
- Initialize the short-term gridded forecasts (GFEs) that WFOs release at multiple times daily.
- Verify the long-term (out to a week) GFEs.
Forecaster feedback has shown that the SPoRT ADAS analyses are most useful for forecasting nighttime temperatures over the elevated regions of Northeastern Alabama.
