radartoqd is a special program adapted from bufrtoqd for handling specifically radar data encoded in BUFR form.
The program uses OPERA BUFR software to decode the BUFR message and then converts it to querydata.
The summary as reported by the program itself is as follows.
>radartoqd -h
Usage: radartoqd [options] infile outfile
Converts Opera BUFR radar data to querydata.
Allowed options:
-h [ --help ] print out help message
-V [ --version ] display version number
-v [ --verbose ] set verbose mode on
-q [ --quiet ] disable warning messages
--debug print debugging information
--allow-overflow allow overflow in packed intensities
-t [ --tabdir ] arg BUFR tables directory (default=/usr/share/bufr)
-i [ --infile ] arg input BUFR file
-o [ --outfile ] arg output querydata file
--param arg parameter name for output
-P [ --projection ] arg output projection
-p [ --producer ] arg producer number,name
--producernumber arg producer number (default: 1014)
--producername arg producer name (default: RADAR)
The debug mode is useful for displaying the details of the BUFR message. The mode will print the BUFR keys, the value field and the description of the message component.
Verbose mode is automatically set on when --debug is used.
Sample output:
3 1 1 78.0000000 0 1 1 WMO block number
891.0000000 0 1 2 WMO station number
3 1 11 2014.0000000 0 4 1 Year
8.0000000 0 4 2 Month
4.0000000 0 4 3 Day
3 1 12 15.0000000 0 4 4 Hour
15.0000000 0 4 5 Minute
3 1 23 16.3200000 0 5 2 Latitude (coarse accuracy)
-61.3500000 0 6 2 Longitude (coarse accuracy)
3 1 23 16.1800000 0 5 2 Latitude (coarse accuracy)
-53.8800000 0 6 2 Longitude (coarse accuracy)
3 1 23 9.0600000 0 5 2 Latitude (coarse accuracy)
-54.1300000 0 6 2 Longitude (coarse accuracy)
3 1 23 9.1500000 0 5 2 Latitude (coarse accuracy)
-61.3500000 0 6 2 Longitude (coarse accuracy)
0 29 1 4.0000000 Projection type
0 5 2 16.3200000 Latitude (coarse accuracy)
0 5 33 2000.0000000 Pixel size on horizontal - 1
0 6 33 2000.0000000 Pixel size on horizontal - 2
0 30 21 400.0000000 Number of pixels per row
0 30 22 400.0000000 Number of pixels per column
0 30 31 0.0000000 Picture type
0 30 32 0.0000000 Combination with other data
0 29 2 0.0000000 Co-ordinate grid type
...
The verbose mode will print a summary of the metadata in the BUFR message.
Sample output:
Radar BUFR metadata
-------------------
WMO Block = 78
WMO Station = 891
Year = 2014
Month = 8
Day = 4
Hour = 15
Minute = 15
Position = -,16.32
Height = -
Height above station = -
Projection type = 4 = Azimuthal equidistant
Semi-major axis = -
Semi-minor axis = -
Origin = -,-
False easting = -
False northing = -
Standard parallel 1 = -
Standard parallel 2 = -
Image type = 0
Quality indicator = -
Co-ordinate grid type = 0
NW-corner = -61.35,16.32
NE-corner = -53.88,16.18
SE-corner = -54.13,9.06
SW-corner = -61.35,9.15
Pixels per row = 400
Pixels per column = 400
Pixel size along X-dim = 2000
Pixel size along Y-dim = 2000
Antenna elevation angle = -
North South organisation = -
East West organisation = -
Heights = -
Calibration method = -
Clutter treatment = -
Ground occultation correction = -
Range attenuation correction = -
Bright-band correction = -
Radome attenuation correction = -
Clear-air attenuation correction = -
Precipitation attentuation correction = -
dBZ scale = -
intensity scale =[0.01,215.29,4.8,86.42,276.9,335.28,131.23,338.52,10.4,176.04,400.13,328.05,375.68,128,0.02,15.37,302.06,0.56,0.01,302.06,0,82.24,245.97,655.04,16,0.21,655.04,0.04,5.18,3.37,650.24,327.68,3.37,650.24,0.96,82.88,52.47,573.53,163.84,52.47,573.44,20.5,15.37,158.7,1.68,0.01,158.7,0,409.92,245.95,163.52,30.08,0.19,163.52,0.12,5.18,2.99,650.24,522.24,2.99,650.24,2.24,82.88,47.03,573.57,409.6,46.71,573.44,40.98,15.37,76.78,2.32,0.01,76.78,0.01,82.24,245.93,327.36,39.04,0.17,327.36,0.2,5.18,2.73,650.25,0,2.73,650.24,3.52,82.88,42.87,573.6,491.52,42.87,573.44,61.46,15.37,15.34,2.8,0.01,15.34,0.01,409.92,245.92,81.6,46.4,0.15,655.04,0.28,5.18,2.51,650.25,112.64,2.51,650.24,4.8,82.88,39.67,573.63,163.84,39.67,573.44,81.94,15.36,619.5,3.2,0,619.5,0.02,82.24,245.9,573.12,52.48,0.14,573.12,0.36,5.18,2.33,650.25,204.8,2.33,650.24,6.08,82.88,36.79,573.65,327.68,36.79,573.44,102.42,15.36,578.54,3.52,0,578.54,0.02,409.92,245.89,573.12,57.6,0.13,573.12,0.44,5.18,2.17,650.25,286.72,2.17,650.24,7.36,82.88,34.23,573.67,327.68,34.23,573.44,122.9,15.36,537.58,3.84,0,537.58,0.03,82.24,245.88,573.12,62.72,0.12,573.12,0.52,5.18,2.01,650.25,368.64]
Z to R conversion = 0
Z to R conversion factor = 100
Z to R conversion exponent = 5.1
dBZ offset (alpha) = -
dbZ increment (beta) = -
Occasionally one may encounter BUFR messages in which the packed data contains values which exceed the high limit of the palette given in the header of the message. Such cases are normally considered to be an error, and radartoqd will abort. If the option --allow-overflow is used, the highest value in the palette will be used for the overflowing encoded values.
The projection of the data may be altered on the fly by using the -P (--projection) option. The program will internally create querydata as usual, and will then create the actual output querydata from it as qdinterpolatearea was used.