CASA
The RF, 5G, and Radar Laboratories of Colorado State University is a proud academic partner of the National Science Foundation’s Engineering Research Center (ERC): the Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA). Established in 2003, CASA is a partnership between multiple academic, industry, and government organizations that work together in a multidisciplinary collaboration of meteorologists, sociologists, engineers, computer scientists, graduate and undergraduate students that strive to revolutionize weather-sensing networks by researching, designing, testing, and implementing innovative engineering solutions. Through these endeavors, CASA aims to develop our understanding of atmospheric phenomena as a whole and make our communities safer by establishing Distributed Collaborative Adaptive Sensing (DCAS) networks.
These radar networks will enhance our observation, detection, and prediction methods by taking atmospheric and RF research to novel operational deployments. CASA plans to utilize these as an experiment to a new paradigm within the weather sensing community. CASA designed the DCAS networks to consist of multiple radars that scan the lower regions of the atmosphere, not currently covered with conventional radar. The radars will also communicate to optimally scan the weather event of interest. This methodology has proved to be a crucial tool in detecting severe weather processes that would’ve otherwise gone undetected with current radar systems. Prototype DCAS networks have been deployed in Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, and Dallas – Fort Worth. By deploying these networks, CASA and its partners will save lives and communities by helping them have access to faster, more accurate predictions and mappings of storms, wind patterns, hydrometeors, temperature, humidity, and the flow of airborne hazards.
DCAS
DCAS stands for Distributed Collaborative Adaptive Sensing. Distributed describes the physical layout of the network. A large number of smaller radars will be utilized throughout the network region in order to effectively cover the Earth-curvature blockage. This also allows the DCAS networks to be strategically placed around obstacles such as buildings and mountains. Collaborative refers to the network’s communication of data from one radar to another. By passing data to and from each radar, the network can optimally adjust its scanning strategies to better collect the most relevant data. This is the Adaptive Sensing ability of DCAS networks, also referred to as smart scan technology. The movement of the target, its growth and the needs of end-users are all considered by the network’s adaptive sensing system. These innovative technologies are a radical update to previous remote sensing operations.
The DCAS networks are purposefully created to augment current radar systems, such as Next-Generation Radar (NEXRAD) systems, by covering the gaps in their remote sensing scan patterns. NEXRAD data, and data from other radar systems similar to it, are used by many weather forecasting and warning systems due to their high-power, long-range capabilities and wide coverage scanning. However, as the range of the radar increases, the coverage of the radar at ground level decreases due to Earth’s curvature. CASA’s solution to this is designing dense, X-band radar DCAS networks at ground level that can cover the areas below the NEXRAD beam scan within the lower troposphere. In addition to filling the gaps in current remote sensing techniques, these radars are also less expensive to build and deploy than NEXRAD systems due to being low-power, short-range radars. These characteristics make the CASA-DFW DCAS radar network a viable testbed for future radar network designs, filling a need in current radar systems while being more accessible.
CASA-DFW Radar Network
In collaboration with CASA, the CSU RF, 5G, and Radar Team has deployed a cutting-edge radar system within the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) region. This radar network consists of eight low power, multi-Doppler, dual-pol, X-band radars equipped with a new hazard warning system for weather and low flying targets as well. Some weather events that threaten the North Texas area include flash floods, tornadoes, forceful gales, hail, lightning, winter storms, fire, and inland tropical cyclone effects. In order to strengthen public safety and mitigate the effects of these weather events, the CASA-DFW X-band Radar Network provides more accurate warnings for the DFW populace.
This is possible due to its finer radar resolution, faster update rate/scanning and smart scan strategies. The adaptive sensing portion of DCAS refers to the ability for the radars within the network to communicate with each other. As the weather develops and user needs change, CASA-DFW radar network will automatically optimize its sensing modes every minute. This will provide users with most relevant information and allow them to make critical safety decisions more efficiently. The CASA-DFW DCAS radar network has proven to be a great asset in weather forecasting and nowcasting operations. It significantly enhances the capabilities of remote sensing within the DFW region and, by utilizing NEXRAD and CASA-DFW X-band radars together, more accurate and precise predictions can be made in real-time.
Impact
The CASA-DFW X-band radar network has proven to be invaluable in alerting the public to potentially dangerous weather events and saving lives. In 2022, the CASA-DFW X-band radar network was able to detect the River Oaks tornado that would’ve otherwise gone undetected. The tornado’s spin-up process progressed from the ground up, right in the sector gap that is covered by the CASA-DFW radars. Due to this, safety agencies were able to issue tornado warnings and alert the public to take shelter. To read the original article, click the following link:
Looking to the future, CASA plans on using the DFW X-band radar network as a model to help reinforce safety infrastructures in other urban communities that reside within severe weather environments. As the scale and magnitude of natural disasters and other weather phenomena get larger and shift to different regions due to the ever-increasing risk of climate change, this work becomes even more vital. That’s why the NSF, CASA, and CASA’s partners, including the CSU RF, 5G, and Radar Laboratories, are dedicated to developing revolutionary engineering solutions and researching innovative ideas, utilizing remote sensing to its fullest potential in order to keep us and our communities safe.
