Radar Beam Occultation Studies Using GIS and DEM Technology: An Example Study of Guam

Abstract

Geographic information systems (GISs) combined with digital elevation models (DEMs) provide opportunities to evaluate weather radar beam blockage and other ground clutter phenomena. The authors explore this potential using topographic information and a simple beam propagation model for the complex terrain of Guam. To evaluate the effect of different DEM resolutions, they compare the simulated patterns of complete and partial beam blockage with probability of detection maps derived from a large database of level II radar reflectivity for the U.S. Air Force Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) on Guam. The main conclusion of the study is that the GIS approach provides useful insight into the actual pattern of blocked areas. The DEM resolution plays a role in resolving the blocked patterns. In general, higher DEM resolution provides better results although widely available lower-resolution DEMs can provide valuable information about beam-blocking effects.