RadxBufr

RadxBufr converts BUFR files to CfRadial.

Overview

RadxBufr converts BUFR files to CfRadial.

Prerequesites

The following items are required:

• Radar data (any Radx supported format, e.g., cfradial)

Parameter file

RadxBufr uses one parameter file that includes the basic parameters related to data location and field names, which is similar to the parameter files for the other Radx applications.

Ensure file is up to date

To obtain the default parameter file, use the following command:

/path/to/lrose/install/bin/R RadxBufr -print_params > param_file_name

If you already have a parameter file and simply want to check for (and add) updated parameters while retaining current parameters, use the following command:

/path/to/lrose/install/bin/RadxBufr -params orig_param_file_name -print_params > new_param_file_name

Important parameters

Input params

• input_dir: directory containing radar data (if not specified on the command line and if mode = REALTIME)

Table path

• mode: determines if the program waits for new files (REALTIME), moves through start and end times specified on the command line (ARCHIVE), or moves through list of files specified on the command line (FILELIST)

Option to specify field names and output encoding

• set_output_fields: option to specify fields or include all fields in the final output files
• output_fields: list of field names, units, scaling, offset, etc.

Censoring

• apply_censoring: option to censor fields where gates meet certain criteria
• censoring_fields: list fields, minimum and maximum values, and combination method to determine whether a gate should be censored

Output format

• output_format: select the preferred file type (usually CFRADIAL)

Output directory and file name

• output_dir: files will be written to this directory

Running RadxBufr

To check all command line options for RadxBufr, including debugging options and file paths, type the following command into a terminal.

/path/to/lrose/install/bin/RadxBufr -h

Once your parameter file is complete, use a command similar to the following to run the application:

/path/to/lrose/install/bin/RadxBufr -params param_file_name

The user can also specify the location of cfradial files in the following manner:

/path/to/lrose/install/bin/RadxBufr -f /path/to/cfradial/files/ -params param_file_name