Optimal Planning of a Weather Radar Network

Abstract

An approach to the optimal planning of a weather radar network is presented. In the approach, several aspects affecting the planning decision, including terrain blockage, the need to measure with two Doppler weather radars in some regions, and the environmental impact of their installation, are taken into account using a proper mathematical formulation. The decisional problem takes on a form that closely resembles a well-known combinatorial optimization problem, that is, the weighted set-covering problem. The proposed mathematical approach can serve as a methodological basis of a decision support system, the function of which is to assist decision makers in the selection of optimal sites for the installation of weather radars in a given region. In this paper, the methodology is presented, as are the preliminary results stemming from its application to the planning of the forthcoming Italian weather radar network.