A Numeric-Pictorial Display for Meteorological Observational Data

Abstract

A new technique of presentation of meteorological observational data based on automatic data processing methods is described. The record form combines the advantages of the pictorial characteristics of a graphical plot and the convenient reading of a decimal digital tabulation of data into a single format. The format has special advantages for the presentation of large quantities of meteorological observational data in a compact and readily accessible form. To illustrate the usefulness of the numeric-pictorial records, examples of radiosonde observations of temperature vs. height are presented as a space cross section along the longitude 80W and as time series displays of observations at a single station. One of the important characteristics of the numeric-pictorial format is the pictorial display of the veritcal lapse rate of temperature which enables an analyst to obtain information on this parameter rapidly.