TDWR-SPG
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) owns, operates and maintains Terminal Doppler Weather Radars (TDWRs) at 45 major airports around the nation to provide wind shear and other critical weather data to air traffic controllers supporting safe flight operations. The FAA also allows the National Weather Service (NWS) access to TDWR data for NWS forecast operations.
The NWS developed TDWR Supplemental Product Generators (SPGs) to bring TDWR data into selected NWS
forecast offices. This data includes finished, NWS-oriented radar products to be used during forecast and emergency warning operations.
Each SPG hosts software for communication to the TDWR radar, NWS product generation, local storage and distribution control of the resultant NWS-oriented TDWR radar data. Each SPG monitors the operational status of the SPG system and provides a human-computer interaction (HCI) to allow local forecasters and maintenance personnel control, monitoring, and troubleshooting capability.
The ROC is responsible for the life cycle management and support of TDWR SPG hardware and software. This includes:
- SPG operations and technical/ maintenance manuals
- Engineering the replacement of obsolete hardware components
- Investigating and implementing SPG requests for change
- Software maintenance, change development, and security
Local forecast offices are responsible for individual SPG equipment physical security, day to day SPG operation and maintenance and change request sub- mission via an approved ROC change process.
The ROC began SPG support in 2010.